MN – NewDEAL

Zack Stephenson

Andrea Cruz — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 04:00:03 +0000

Zack Stephenson

Representative | Minneapolis, MN

Zack Stephenson is currently serving his third term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. As Chair of the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, his work primarily focuses on consumer protection and affordability issues. In that role, he has earned a reputation for building coalitions around a variety of progressive causes. When the Legislature is not in session, Rep. Stephenson works as a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

In 2021, he authored the ECO Act, nation-leading legislation which modernized Minnesota’s utilities and energy efficiency standards. In 2023, Rep. Stephenson authored Minnesota’s cannabis legalization legislation. In his time as the Commerce Chair, he’s created a Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights, established a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and worked to index Minnesota’s budget to inflation.

Kim Norton

Rachel Walsh — Wed, 03 May 2023 01:00:10 +0000

Kim Norton

Mayor | Rochester, MN

With a history of working on workforce development issues in the non-profit sector (Junior Achievement) and legislature (Lead on the Greater Minnesota Workforce and Economic Development Committee) prior to becoming Mayor, Mayor Norton has been excited to find ways to continue her interest in pro-growth initiatives. Additionally, she has carried and passed a $585M economic development bill (DMC) to support the growth of Mayo Clinic in the community though infrastructure and supports for the city. This unique public-private partnership will last 20 years and secure Rochester as a destination for high quality medical care.

Since becoming Mayor, Mayor Norton has helped Rochester focus on equitable economic development through a number of initiatives including winning the $1M Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge grant focused on BIPOC women in construction and built environment careers, including green jobs. This was done using a co-design process that brings underrepresented communities to the table to determine their own needs and help us build their future in ways that matter. Rochester is also participating in three tracts the National League of Cities (NLC) “Inclusive Entrepreneurship” initiative to assure equitable access to business ownership and small business growth.

Ben Schierer

join.us — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:14:37 +0000

Ben Schierer

Former Mayor | Fergus Falls, MN

Ben Schierer was first elected to the Fergus Falls City Council in 2004. He was elected as mayor in 2016 and reelected in 2020. Ben and his wife, Tessa, along with their five children own and operate Union Pizza & Brewing Company and Tōast in downtown Fergus Falls. He graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1992 and from Metropolitan State University in May of 2020.

Ben served as Co-chair for candidate Tim Walz’s Community Prosperity Council and on Governor-elect Walz’s and Lt. Governor-elect Flanagan’s transition advisory committee. He was selected as a 2020-2021 Bush Fellow and is currently an MPA candidate at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Carly Melin

actualize — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:30:06 +0000

Carly Melin

Former Representative | Hibbing, MN

Carly Melin was elected to the Minnesota State House in February 2011 and served until 2017. She became just the second woman elected from the taconite-producing Iron Range, and the first since the 1980s.

Carly became active in politics while in college, serving as the President of Bemidji State University College Democrats and working on numerous DFL campaigns in the region. In law school, Carly was the Chair of the Hamline Law Democrats and continued to be active in the DFL. While studying at Hamline, Carly Melin worked for former Minnesota House Majority Leader Tony Sertich. Eager to return to her hometown community upon graduating from law school, Carly accepted a position with the Minnesota State Judiciary on the Iron Range. Carly continues to reside in Hibbing. She served on the Capital Investment, the Jobs and Economic Development, and Finance committees.

Steve Simon

actualize — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:07:54 +0000

Steve Simon

Secretary of State | Minnesota

Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, and as Minnesota’s chief elections administrator pledged in his inaugural address to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota.

As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair.

Simon also oversees a wide range of services for Minnesota businesses and administers the “Safe at Home” address confidentiality program for people whose personal safety is at risk, often due to physical abuse or threats.

His goals as Minnesota’s Secretary of State are straightforward: expand access to voting, remove barriers to voting, make business services as streamlined as possible, strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and, most importantly, be a Secretary of State for all Minnesotans.

Before being elected Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Simon served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for ten years representing the communities of St. Louis Park and Hopkins.

Simon spent much of his time in the state legislature immersed in elections issues, including serving as the chair of the House Elections Committee in 2013 and 2014. He played a lead role in many of the election reforms that Minnesota has embraced over the last several years, including no-excuse absentee voting, online voter registration, and easier access to voting for Minnesotans overseas, including those in the military.

Simon also served as Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota and worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years. He was named a “Rising Star” four different times by Law & Politics magazine and has received many other recognitions for his work on behalf of Minnesotans, including the “Outstanding Legislator Award” from the Minnesota School Board Association and the “Civic Leadership Award” from the Citizens League.

Simon grew up in St. Louis Park and Hopkins. He graduated with a B.A in Political Science from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 1992, and earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996. Simon and his wife Leia live in Hopkins with their two children, Hannah and Noah.

Melisa Franzen

actualize — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:07:23 +0000

Melisa Franzen

Former Senator | Edina, MN

Senator Melisa Franzen was first elected in 2012 to the Minnesota Senate. She represented Senate District 49, including the communities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Edina. Senator Franzen served on the Finance, Health and Human Services Finance and Policy, and Transportation and Public Safety Finance Committees. She was also a member of the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research, and the Co-Founder and President of NewPublica, a public relations and strategic communications firm.

She began her career as an attorney at Target Corporation for eight years where she held several roles, titles, and responsibilities in Government Affairs and Community Relations divisions. Senator Franzen holds a Masters of Public Policy with a concentration in Economic and Community Development from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota and holds a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.

Senator Franzen grew up in Puerto Rico, where she was active in volunteering, Girl Scouts, and in 4H. Today, she is part of the HOPE Latinas Binational Fellowship Program, an executive leadership program for outstanding Latina professionals, and was recently selected nationwide to join the Class of 2018 Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership amongst 24 national leaders. She is the former President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and Regional Vice President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys as well as Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES). She also received a 2020 Hispanic National Bar Association Top Lawyers Under 40 Award this year.