Why are we now promoting Danny O’Keefe for District #2

Both Jim Reeder and Danny O’Keefe:

• Are lifelong citizens of Le Sueur County.
• Are successful businessmen in Le Sueur County.
• Entertain the acceptability of data centers in Le Sueur County.

There are many critiques about Danny O’Keefe’s past service that we do not support. However, realizing that all County Commissioners in the State of Minnesota are subject to the pressures of the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC), we have no reason to believe that Jim Reeder will vote differently after they send him to the very same training (brainwashing), that all new commissioners are required to attend, and place pressure on him to be their “rubber stamp” as well.

Unless the candidate is well informed on the universal agendas taking place in counties all across the United States, they are very likely to accept the program of county governance being taught in the propaganda loaded courses at the AMC training. Even then, it will take a person of strong character to vote his or her conscience and uphold the rights of the constituents that voted them in, taking a stand against the demands of the AMC, the other Commissioners, the County Administrator, and the Assistant County Administrator/Planning and Zoning Administrator/Environmental Resources Director. The pressure to “abide by the rules” will always be present.

The major ‘red flag’ on Jim Reeder comes from his campaign ads which use the wording “Rural Strong” and “Future Ready.”

While we do not know if he intentionally used these words as code for people that would understand their deeper meaning or not, we know of programs under these titles with deeper meaning for each. In light of the fact that these may be referring to programs that we cannot support, we are leaning toward the side of extreme caution and have given our support to Danny O’Keefe.

It is our responsibility to discern what is being presented to us in order to protect children from indoctrination, and our taxes from being used for programs based on prejudice. We encourage you to do your own research and judge for yourself on whether there is a connection with these phrases, and then to vote your conscience as you see fit. We are fortunate to have the right to speak our concerns in public and are taking this opportunity to do so.

Concerns with “Rural Strong” come from this website: ruralstrong.us and specifically the following words on the site:

“For over 35 years, Teresa Purcell has been unafraid to take on what others deem impossible to build a democracy, government and economy that works for all of us. Renowned for working to build power for women, rural and BIPOC voices across the nation, Teresa has worked in 38 states championing innovative strategies, communications, mobilization, data and capacity building tools. She pioneered the use of data analytics in vote-by-mail programs, …”

Today, significant representation gaps remain.

As of 2025:

• 74% of Congress was white, while only 58% of Americans identified as non-Hispanic white.
• Women held just 28% of congressional seats and 33.5% of state legislative seats.
• Only 16 United States Senators belonged to racial or ethnic minority groups.
• LGBTQ+ elected officials represented less than 0.3% of elected leaders nationwide.
• Twenty-three states operated under Republican trifectas, sixteen under Democratic trifectas, and eleven had divided government.
• Nineteen states will hold United States Senate elections in both 2026and 2028, creating unique opportunities to strengthen representation. 11 are republican trifecta’s, 5 are divided.

While a lot of the discussion and statements on this site are agreeable and able for most anyone to support, we need to ask if we support the added fringe that this group represents. The few words often dominate the intent and the purpose of the rest. They are specifically targeting inclusion of people and groups that hold different moral views than most conservatives in our county.

Concerns with “future ready” come from this website: futureready.org

This is the very program we know as “Social Emotional Learning.” This will track students’ data throughout their school years.

“A structure for digital learning visioning, planning, and implementation

At the heart of Future Ready Schools® (FRS) and the Interactive Planning Dashboard is the Future Ready Framework, a robust structure for digital learning visioning, planning, and implementation focused on student-centered learning.

The research-based framework emphasizes collaborative leadership and creating an innovative school culture. All content focuses on seven key areas (called gears), plus leadership, each of which is addressed during the comprehensive planning process. This framework keeps student learning at the heart of all decision-making.”

This website page: all4ed.org

UNLOCK THE POWER OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: FOSTERING STUDENT GROWTH AND WELL-BEING

This website page: all4ed.org/future-ready-schools

“Advancing Innovation and Equity in America’s Schools Future Ready Schools® is a nationwide network that empowers K–12 leaders to transform teaching and learning through innovation, equity, and student-centered strategies. Grounded in a research-based framework, FRS supports districts in creating inclusive, future-focused learning environments.”

And this website: dashboard.futureready.org/essa-guide/

“We recommend that districts set goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound). Each district’s goals are unique and are written to address one of the gaps identified through STEP 3 in the 4 Step Process.

“We have also been informed by more than a few citizens in Jim Reeder’s commissioner district that he does not follow the path of conservative values that is prevalent in Le Sueur County. While no one was willing to go on record and give any specific examples, we were asked by many not to give our support to Jim Reeder. Relying on those that reside in his district and are most familiar with him, coupled with the explanations above, we simply could not promote a vote for Jim Reeder.

As for Danny O’Keefe, like every commissioner elected before him, Danny is with little doubt, heavily influenced and pressured by the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC), an NGO whose purpose is to direct the functions and plans of all 87 counties in the State so that their goals and outcomes are in unison with agendas proposed from top down government bureaucrats. The machinations behind the AMC have created a consortium of revolutionaries within local government agencies to establish left leaning causes that grow government at the expense of the people and their rights.

These are our reasons to support Danny O’Keefe in his bid for re-election to the Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners. Should he get in, we ask all of you to help us in our efforts to encourage Danny to always vote to support the good of his constituents, the people that have made Le Sueur County what it is. The purpose of county government is to be of service to the people, not to change the communities they have created to fit the vision of an outsider’s fantasies , and certainly not to be managed as a profit making business, extorting money out of its citizens.

This is an independent expenditure prepared and paid for by We Are The Taxpayer, PO Box #62, Le Center, MN 56057.

It is not coordinated with, or approved by any candidate, nor is any candidate responsible for it.