Snapshot Janet Robert runs an independent law practice where she serves as counsel to several non-profit organizations. Among the groups benefiting from Robert's representation are the St. Croix Valley Girls' Volleyball Association, the St. Croix Animal Shelter and Friends of the Stillwater Parks.
In addition to her independent legal work, Robert formerly served as a member of the Oak Park Heights City Council, where she helped establish a prairie restoration and other outdoors-related initiatives.
Robert serves as a citizen member of the Washington County Community Corrections Advisory Committee. As past chairwoman, Robert suggested ways to create cost effective and cost efficient services. Robert also served on the Municipal Revenue Committee of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities and as a citizen member of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Design Review Committee where she represented the city of Oak Park Heights in discussions over the St. Croix River bridge design.
Robert has volunteered with the Family Violence Network, the United Way, co-founded the Hope House of St. Croix Valley, and co-founded St. Croix Valley Christians in Action, Car Care Saturdays.
She is also a member of the Stillwater Rotary.
Campaigns
This is Janet Robert's first run for an office beyond the local level. She faces incumbent GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy, who is in a new district this year because of the way a court panel drew new congressional boundaries.
Robert loaned her campaign $800,000 in August and used the money to make a buy TV spots. Robert and Kennedy are facing off in the re-mapped 6th District, which runs from the northern part of Stearns County and the St. Cloud area across the northern Twin Cities suburbs to Washington County. Kennedy, a freshman Republican, also used his own money when he launched his first run for Congress two years ago.
In unseating Democrat David Minge, Kennedy lent his campaign around $185,000 and has only recouped about $55,000. He doesn't plan to loan his campaign money this time. Robert owns stock in a family-owned, St. Louis-based manufacturer, Siegel-Robert Inc., founded by her father. In her financial disclosure statement, Robert listed stock in the company worth about $6.5 million, and other assets ranging from $441,000 to $1.65 million.
Her legal practice has been mostly volunteer work for nonprofit groups. She faces a tough battle, but she's trying to make it a closer race than analysts first thought it would be.
Listen to her campaign announcement.