Statement on My Re-election as Chair and My Updated Governing Website

On My Re-election as Chair

I’m proud to announce that I was re-elected Chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners on January 6th for the fourth year in a row. I’m honored and humbled at the opportunity to serve in this role for another year – and I am grateful to my colleagues and to county staff for your continued partnership and trust. Together, we have delivered results by uplifting shared humanity and implementing imaginative solutions in the face of truly unprecedented times.

“Unprecedented” is a word that is a hallmark of my time in governing, from 2019 to present. But with an absolute broken heart, I must assert that I don’t think this is unprecedented anymore. History shows us that these actions are key steps in a predictable playbook – a predictable playbook that decreases democracy, and promotes authoritarianism, fascism, and autocracy. Federal powers and resources are being used to destroy our civil liberties. 

Authoritarianism is brittle and requires constant control. But together, people – not positions, not titles, not resolutions – we as a collective people have something much more enduring than that. We have actions rooted in love, bravery, and care – and we have leadership that is rooted in the expansiveness that comes from protecting and cultivating our shared humanity. 

Now more than ever, it is important to recognize how much our communities need from local governments, especially as our nation’s democracy escalates in crisis and our federal leadership plunges deeper into fascism. Local governments providing another layer of protection for our residents is more important than ever before. As these challenges persist and intensify, there’s much we must do for our residents, community, and workforce. This year will present opportunities to work towards our mission of achieving a more equitable County, and I look forward to leading alongside you to do just that. 

On My Updated Governing Website

In January 2019, in my first month at the county, my office launched a Governing Website (hennepinD2.com) to allow residents to stay updated with the work I was doing for the residents of Hennepin County and District 2. 

It is rare for a local governing office to host its own website, but we wanted to have the ability to share information with residents in unique and digestible ways, and there wasn’t a mechanism to do so on the county’s website.

Seven years later, we’ve kept that website up-to-date and I’m excited to announce that this week my office launched a new and updated version of this site including, all past statements, a comprehensive accomplishments page, and access to our governing reports for the last seven years. Please continue to stay in touch with our office, and of course continue to check back on our website for updates on our shared work.