Minnesota Lawyer
(Editor’s note: Politics in Minnesota’s new Comings and Goings feature will make note of new appointments, resignations, promotions and other movement of people within and adjacent to government in Minnesota. The new feature will replace the St. Paul Capitol Report’s Capitol Notebook. Let us know if you have an item for Comings and Goings.)
Rep. Joe Mullery
State Rep. Joe Mullery, DFL-Minneapolis, was honored as Legislator of the Year at the annual conference of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota.
NAMI’s executive director, Sue Abderholden, praised Mullery’s advocacy for the mentally ill, noting that he was chief author of legislation that authorized funding for discharge planning out of prisons and jails and made it easier for 911 operators to dispatch mental health crisis teams.
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants to fill positions on seven citizen advisory boards, some or all of whom are appointed by the county board. There are current vacancies on the following:
The Adult Mental Health Advisory Council, which advises the county board on adult mental health issues in Hennepin County, has 22 vacancies.
The Capital Budgeting Task Force, which reviews the county’s capital budget and submits recommendations to the county board, has two vacancies.
The Community Action Partnership for Suburban Hennepin Board, which develops plans that encourage community action to reduce poverty and help low-income residents, has three vacancies.
The County Extension Committee, part of the Minnesota Extension Service, provides practical information to the public on agriculture and home economics subjects. The committee has three vacancies.
The Human Resources board, which establishes rules for the county’s classified workers and provides a compensation plan for nonorganized employees, has two vacancies.
The Library Board, which reviews budgets and establishes management and service policies for the county library system, has three vacancies.
The Workforce Investment Board, which develops and studies programs to provide jobs for the unemployed, has 19 vacancies in various categories.
The deadline to apply for all boards is Dec. 31, with interviews to be held in January. For more information or to apply online, visit the Hennepin County website and click on “Government/Participation,” or call 612-348-3257 with questions.
State Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston, was chosen to rekindle an eternal flame and lay a wreath during a special ceremony this month at the Holocaust History Museum and Children’s Memorial in Jerusalem.
Lieder, part of a Minnesota legislative delegation that toured Israel and the West Bank, was a member of the 102nd Division of the U.S. Army, which freed the inmates of several Nazi slave labor camps in Germany in 1944 and 1945.
Lieder also helped survivors in the hours after the massacre at Gardenlagen, where Nazi soldiers forced more than 1,000 slave laborers into a barn and set it on fire.
Five people have been elected to serve on the Prairie Island Indian Community’s Tribal Council.
The top five vote-getters, who will serve two-year terms, are Edward Buck, Alan Childs II, Johnny Johnson, Ronald Johnson and Victoria Winfrey.
The new council members will take office Dec. 14, after which the council will elect a new president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and assistant secretary-treasurer.
The Prairie Island Indian Community is 30 miles southeast of the Twin Cities along the Mississippi River.
The Minnesota Assistive Technology Advisory Council is seeking applicants for the 15-member council.
The council advises the state on issues that help residents with disabilities acquire required technology devices.
There are seven spots available on the council. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 24; to apply, visit the secretary of state’s website or call 651-297-5843.
