Dear Neighbor,
I hope you and yours had a pleasant Thanksgiving. We are so blessed to live in this wonderful country. It was a busy this week on the road to St. Paul and Eveleth.
Tuesday found me in St. Paul participating in the selection of our 2019-20 leadership team. Previously we had selected Rep. Kurt Daudt as House Minority Leader. On Tuesday, Rep. Dan Fabian was elected House Minority Whip, along with six assistant minority leaders, they are Reps. Tony Albright, Peggy Bennett, Jim Nash, Peggy Scott, Jon Koznick and Josh Heintzeman. It’s a well-rounded team. For detailed member info visit: https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/hmem.asp
Wednesday I was at DNR headquarters discussing concerns I have on the still vacant Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area Director’s position and the slow progress on completing the environmental review process that is necessary before we begin actual construction of the major bike trail expansion project.
I had a frank discussion with key DNR staff on how important the CCSRA is to our local economy and that we must push forward on making the important upgrades to the CCSRA that we all worked so hard to gain the funding for. I will keep you posted as we work to resolve these recent frustrating temporary bumps in the road.
Thursday, it was an early-morning drive in the fresh snow to IRRRB Headquarters at Eveleth. I, Sen. Rudd and several other area legislators met with a member of Gov.-elect Walz’s staff tasked with providing the Gov.-elect with recommendations on candidates to head the IRRRB and several other state agencies.
While our discussion primarily focused on the skill sets necessary to successfully lead the IRRRB, we also had a wide ranging discussion on the important leadership elements and technical knowledge needed to properly lead the variety of other state agencies.
I am pleased with the process that Gov.-elect Walz has put in place to select the next generation of agency leaders. It’s a big job finding the right individuals to fill the 24 commissioner positions that will lead those agencies for the next four years. I will stay engaged with that process and be a positive voice for our part of Minnesota.
Please be careful and don’t take chances on the ice; the fish will wait for you and safe ice.
Sincerely,
Dale