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State Representative John Lesch
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4224
For more information contact: Zachary Stephenson 651-268-1644
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Representative Lesch Heads to Washington for the Young Elected Officials Network’s Second Annual Convening
This March, Representative John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) will join 120 of the nation’s top young elected officials in Washington, DC to share ideas and develop policies for action at the local, state and national level. Lesch is part of the Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network, the nation’s premier network of elected officials age 35 and under.
Officials from 27 states are expected at the Second Annual Convening of the YEO Network in Washington D.C. from March 2-4. The gathering will feature two-and-a-half days of issue and skills trainings aimed at equipping these leaders with the leadership development support and policy ideas they need to bring about positive community change.
A lifelong Minnesotan, Lesch attended Hamline Law School and was first elected to represent the North End, Como Park and the East Side in 2002. As a State Representative, Lesch has championed consumer protection issues like 2004’s equity stripping law and public safety initiatives such as 2005’s landmark sex offended accountability law. As a prosecutor for the city of Saint Paul, Representative Lesch has been a leader on public safety legislation and has been asked by organizers of this year’s conference to moderate a panel on juvenile justice reform.
“The winds of change are blowing nationwide and I am lucky to work with young legislators from other states who have fresh ideas," said Lesch. “I believe that the best ideas for a more economically just America begin with new voices and new energy. The YEO Network is a wonderful forum for those ideas.”
An affiliate program of the People For the American Way Foundation, the YEO Network is directed by Tallahassee Commissioner Andrew Gillum with assistance from 14 other elected officials from around the country who serve as host committee members. Young elected officials under age 35 represent 4.8 percent of all elected leaders in congressional, gubernatorial, legislative, and city and county commission seats in the United States according to a Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics study. They play an important role in shaping public policy nationwide and represent a pipeline of increasingly influential leaders.
“The YEO Network has experienced phenomenal growth. It launched with just 65 members, and grew to more than 300 in its first year,” said Tallahassee (FL) City Commissioner Andrew Gillum, who heads the Young Elected Officials Network. “These young men and women are true leaders. They are taking on tough issues, and they represent the future for progressive public servants in this nation.”
In 2006, the YEO Network and its sister organization for college students, Young People For, graduated the inaugural class of 19 Fellows from their joint Front Line Leaders Academy, a leadership development program for young people interested in participating in the political process at all levels, as elected officials or as campaign professional staff.
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The Young Elected Officials Network is a program of People For the American Way Foundation. The program provides a network for young elected leaders to fellowship, share ideas, and develop positions on issues that affect their common constituencies and interest.
News Items
- Rep. Lesch, Senator John Marty and Revenue Commissioner Frans to talk tax reform with area residents at St. Paul town hall meeting - (Posted: 2012-12-12 00:00:00)
- Rep. Lesch Named Chair of the House Civil Law Committee - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- EARTH DAY A CHANCE FOR REFLECTION, ACTION - (Posted: 2012-04-17 00:00:00)
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