Minnesota Lawyer
Education commissioner Brenda Casselius
The Senate on Thursday confirmed five of Gov. Mark Dayton’s cabinet members. They are: Brenda Cassellius (Education), Lucinda Jesson (Human Services), Ed Ehlinger (Health), Myron Frans (Revenue), and Charlie Zelle (Transportation).
Cassellius and Zelle’s confirmations sparked floor debate before passing.
Sen. Sean Nienow, R-Cambridge, moved to have Cassellius’s confirmation sent back to the Education Committee, accusing her of changing benchmarks for educational standards without legislative approval. Senate Education Chair Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, argued that the issue will be discussed in committee but did not constitute a reason to deny Cassellius’s confirmation. The motion to refer back to committee failed 39-26. Cassellius then picked up some Republican votes to win confirmation 45-20.
Zelle’s confirmation had bipartisan support. But his continuing work at Jefferson Lines inter-city bus company raised bipartisan concerns on the floor. Senators including John Pederson, R-St. Cloud, and Roger Reinert, DFL-Duluth, expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Reinert said he hopes Zelle will leave the Jefferson Line’s board in the future to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Transportation Chair Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, said Zelle has executed a document describing how he will separate himself from business that involves Jefferson Lines.
