The first question I have about a candidate for office is what kind of person they are, if they’re not a good person that is a big problem for me, no matter what their politics might be. Let me tell you a little bit about me personally, so you can understand what makes me tick.
I think there are three things that really define a man: his family, his faith, and his career. Let me start with the least important of the three, my career. For 26 years I was an FBI Special Agent. Most of you have no idea what an FBI agent does. Believe me when I tell you that it is nothing like what is portrayed in the popular media. I was a criminal agent, meaning I carried a badge and a gun and spent my time investigating and arresting criminals such as drug dealers, gang members, bank robbers, child pornographers, kidnappers, embezzlers, con men and yes, crooked politicians! I was stationed in several different locations over my career and my work took me all over the country. It was sometimes exciting, sometimes boring, sometimes dangerous and many times routine. After being out of state for many years I was able to get a transfer so I spent my last 14 years working in Minnesota near the people and communities I love. Ten of those years were spent in Mankato working with local officers to protect the lives and property of the people in this area; for example, investigating bank frauds in Belle Plaine, bank robberies in Northfield, embezzlements in Le Center, the huge mortgage fraud involving New Prague, Lonsdale and Elko New Market, and a plot to blow up the courthouse in Rice County.
In law school I remember professors talking about how noble it was to use the law to protect the minority from the abuses of the majority. I chose another path. I wanted to protect the great majority who live within the law from that small minority who think the rules don’t apply to them. This was my passion, protecting my neighbors and our children from predators of all kinds. There were many rules and laws that I had to play by as a law enforcement officer; in that regard, my record was unblemished. I had hundreds of arrests, search warrants and confessions and none were ever found to be improper.
In the area of my personal life, it has been a mix of great joy and tragedy, just like everyone else. I found true love, married a wonderful woman, Tammy, and experienced one of the greatest thrills a man can have, hearing a child call you” Daddy”. Then cancer became an unwelcome guest at the Dudley home for 3 short years, and the day came I had to tell that child that his mama was going to die. Life must go when others depend on you, and I had the challenge of balancing work and home life, and bringing my cooking and cleaning skills up to speed as I experienced life as a single parent.
Faith is the most important of the forces that shape a person. It was during these times of tragedy and its aftermath that we were lifted up by our faith. The same faith in a loving God that sustained Tammy in her darkest hours, also sustained Kevin and I as we faced our new future. I might add that during these difficult times the existence of a loving God was evidenced clearly in the outpouring of love and support which was extended to us by caregivers, family, friends and even complete strangers. All goes well, Kevin is 16 now and a finer son and roomie cannot be found.
I am by nature and experience a private person and I am uncomfortable talking about myself. But I realize I have put myself in the public arena. I am asking you to choose me to represent your values in St Paul. I am asking you to vote for me, donate to me, and help me. Therefore beyond the list of political positions, it is right and proper that you know something more about me than just what I tell you my politics are. Feel free to contact with questions, comments, or offers of help. Thank you.
Mike Dudley
