WINONA Minn. – Legislative candidate Stephen Doerr inflated his credentials and apparently manufactured some of them in announcing for the 26-A seat in the Minnesota House from Winona. These include jacked-up claims about his education, ambiguous claims about professional accomplishments, and vast voids in his residencies that belie his implied claim to be a Winonan of long standing. The Winona Journal has reached out to Doerr for explanations. He has not responded. The exaggerations and misleading implications are surprising because these questions were not raised when Doerr ran two years ago for the same 26-A House seat. He was then the Republican-endorsed candidate and won 7,704 votes. This raises deep questions about the quality of internal GOP candidate screening. In the 2022 election, veteran District 26-A representative Gene Pelowski, a Democrat, prevailed 55% to 45%.
Residency
To be sure, in waxing on about his Winona heritage, Doerr melds in some historical reality but conveniently skips many years in Wisconsin and at scattered addresses elsewhere in the nation. In his candidacy statement he talks about also farming with a grandfather Albert. But that whether that was in Winona County or in Wisconsin isn’t clear. In fact, records show he has had many addresses over the years across the river in Wisconsin – in Blair, Dodge, Ettrick, Fountain City, Hixton, Melrose, Osseo, Trempealeau and Whitehall. In 2012 in Ettrick, as odd it nay seem, Doerr registered to vote as a Democrat. His Social Security registration originated in South Dakota. He claims too to be “a life-long farmer, with a childhood milking cows, raising hogs,” but for years he has been mostly a long-distance trucker. Over the years he has registered several farm-related businesses with the Wisconsin secretary of state. All the registrations eventually expired and were dissolved administratively in Madison. There is no record that Doerr has ever sought to register a business activity in Minnesota. He also has had addresses in Texas, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. To be sure, Doerr has a current Winona address, as well as an address for seven years, 1996-2003, in Rollingstone, which is in Winona County and in House District 26-A. Doerr currently has a Winona address with his wife Maria and eight children. He lists being a member of the Winona Civic Association (although no such organization exists). He says too he belongs to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Parish and is a Knights of Columbus inductee. He says also he has served as a volunteer fire and rescue member but doesn’t say where.
Doerr. His candidacy announcement on October 19 was dutifully reported without even a cursory journalistic examination or due diligence on behalf of readers by Winona news media: The Daily News, the Journal, KWNO, and the Post. Most of the coverage included a professional campaign photo that Doerr provided.
College
Doerr lists college experience at Winona State but he doesn’t list his academic focus. From Saint Mary’s he says he holds a bachelor’s degree and an MAI degree. This is confusing: MAI degrees are in engineering. Saint Mary’s has never had an engineering program — although St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, offers a degree in engineering design. Which is college it? And what is the degree? Doerr’s candidacy announcement suggests nothing a like a career in engineering. Doerr also lists a degree in educational administration from University of Houston-Victoria and “graduate studies incorporating science in mathematics” at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In his bio he also says he has educational administration certification, but this never appears to have been put to use. He cites taking accounting and computer science courses, but where is unstated. He says he has helped Stockton businesses with bookkeeping and tax preparation. He does not specify his Stockton clients nor the source of any certification.
Teacher
Doerr said he is a high school math teacher who also teaches English as a second language. He is not listed, however, in current staff directories at Winona High school or Cotter, or at Alma, Arcadia, Gilmanton, Lewiston-Altura, Mondovi, St. Charles, Cochrane-Fountain City, or Galesvile-Ettrick-Trempealeau schools. There is no record that he ever held state teaching certification in Minnesota, although he applied for a license in 2017, but it was forfeited before being issued.. Doerr was, however, has been issued interim certification to teach in Wisconsin:
> Short-term substitute teaching license. For three years. Issued 2020. Expired in June. State records do not specify subject area.
> Provisional teaching license. Issued in 2021. Expires next June. Renewable only after six semesters of experience. This for mathematics in grades 6 to 12. ESL is not mentioned in state Educatin Department records. Doerr does not say where he taught.
Entrepreneur
Doerr’s candidacy statement says he “sought to bring a natural resource, silica sand, to the energy sector for Energy Independent USA!” The exclamation mark is his. He said he testified at public hearings on behalf of local farmers. This apparently was in the failed bid of entrepreneur Rick Frick to create a southeast Minnesota frac-sand extraction empire in the mid-2010s. It also could have been in Wisconsin, where fracking also has been a controversial issue. Again, Doerr claims more than he supports with particulars.
Work history
Doerr lists being an over-the-road driver with Smikrud Trucking, Renk Trucking, Lawrence Transport, and Igloo Trucking, and delivering Bay State Milling products to Chicago. He also claims jobs in general construction and mining with Wall Electric, Renk Trucking, and Brant Valley Excavting – and also internships and part-time work during college with Peerless Chain, Fastenal, Plumbers Mechanical, Hiawatha Tire, and Screen Printing and Assembly. He is silent on his levels of responsibility.
In short, Doer claims too much and substantiates too little and leaves a misleading impression of his qualifications for public office. Voters deserve better. Again, the Winona Journal invites Doer to provide fuller disclosure.