St. Peter City Councilman Roger Parras spoke about the importance of cooperating with other elected officials to grow the Libertarian Party of Minnesota at its state convention in Maple Grove Saturday.

Parras, one of two elected Libertarians in the state, was given a slot at the state convention to speak about how Libertarians can get elected.

If you have the intentions of just saying no across the board, your odds of getting elected are pretty low, Parras said.

He said most people arent comfortable with too drastic changes, but theyre okay with a slow change in government.

Libertarian Party Chair David Arvidson said Parras wanted to change the system from within. He said for a Libertarian like Parras to win an election in an established city like St. Peter is tough.

Parras said when he was elected to the City Council, other members thought he was going to vote against everything. But, he surprised them by voting in favor for some items.

He said hes using logic in issues like armored vehicles for the police, a roundabout for improved safety, and regulating e-cigarettes to make other members think about the cost and benefit of their actions.

He was against what he called the "militarization" of the police force. He asked questions like, Why do we need this [armored vehicle]? Or, Is it necessary?

Unless its the city budget, they dont see it as, you know, city money or tax money, Parras said.

Elizabeth Dahl, a Libertarian candidate running for the Crystal City Council, said she agrees with Parras that Libertarians need to work with other officials.

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St. Peter city councilmember talks Libertarian message