Item Description:
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Commendation of Mark Chapin upon his retirement - offered by Commissioner Fernando
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WHEREAS:
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WHEREAS, Mark Chapin began his career with Hennepin County in 1981 as a Law Clerk in the office of the Hennepin County Attorney; and
WHEREAS, for nearly 30 years Mr. Chapin held positions of increasing responsibility within the County Attorney’s Office, including Senior Attorney, Manager of the Civil Division, and eventually being appointed Deputy County Attorney in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Chapin was appointed Director of Taxpayer Services in 2011, a position that came with supplemental responsibilities to serve as the County Treasurer/Auditor and Director of Licensing and Mark lead that department for over a decade until his phased-retirement in 2022; and
WHEREAS, during his illustrious career with Hennepin County, Mr. Chapin participated in projects and programs that have changed the landscape for not just municipal government, but at times at the state, regional and federal level as well - from process changes related to the same-sex marriage law to legislation around the Safe at Home program; and
WHEREAS, programs led by Mark and his staff were often held up as models for others to learn from, such as the innovations to the Tax Forfeited Land Program, that sought to keep homeowners in their homes, rehabilitate properties into productive assets, and transform vacant lots into urban gardens; and transformational change in Elections regarding absentee balloting, e-Poll books, and voter education; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Chapin has led his teams through special elections, state-wide recounts, and municipal rank choice voting, he has aligned the roles of County Surveyor, County Assessor and Examiner of Titles for efficiency collaboration and has been a champion of internship programs and promoting; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Chapin has been a formal and informal mentor, thought-partner, advisor, or coach for hundreds of Hennepin County employees over the past four decades from interns to executives; and
WHEREAS, Mark is a champion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He has been an influential leader for the county’s Disparity Reduction efforts and served in a sponsorship role for the Transgender and Gender Non-conforming employee resource group for many years. He represented Hennepin County in a Mapping Prejudice collaboration with the University of Minnesota to identify and map racial covenants that were inserted into property deeds to keep people who were not White from buying or occupying homes; and
WHEREAS, throughout his career in Hennepin County Mr. Chapin has been a leader in process improvement and has built a reputation as an innovator, unafraid to try new ways of doing business - examples include the implementation of e-recording for real estate documents, laser mapping for accurate 3D measurements of land parcels and partnering with an academic institute for LEAN events to improve wait times at Service Centers; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Chapin played a critical role in the county’s COVID-19 response, acting for over a year as the Incident Command’s Chief of Continuity of County Operations, in addition to his Director duties; and
WHEREAS, Marks’s passion for efficiency, equity and innovation was ever present. His vision and steady presence during challenging times will be missed;
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioner acknowledges Mark Chapin’s more than four-decades of service and many accomplishments, thanks him for his commitment to the county, and wishes him a long and healthy retirement.
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Background:
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval