Item Description:
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Honoring the life and legacy of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman - offered by Commissioners Fernando, Lunde, Greene, Conely, Goettel, Edelson, and Anderson
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WHEREAS:
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WHEREAS, Melissa Hortman served for more than 20 years in the Minnesota House of representatives where she represented her constituents in Anoka and Hennepin Counties; and
WHEREAS, Representative Hortman served as Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure in the legislature, Speaker Emerita Hortman championed transformational legislation in the areas of environment and energy, education, and health care that impacted all Minnesotans; and
WHEREAS, outside of her work as a State Representative, Hortman also worked for the Hennepin County Attorney’s office for a number of years, and served as Assistant Hennepin County Attorney from 2013 to 2016; and
WHEREAS, Speaker Emerita Hortman was an exceptional leader, who served with compassion, focus, wisdom, humor, and a devotion to the people she served; and
WHEREAS, in honoring her memory, we look to the direction of her children who stated, “The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else,” and
WHEREAS, we extend our deepest condolences to Melissa and Mark Hortman’s children, family, friends, and community for this unimaginable loss; therefore,
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners recognizes and honors the life and legacy of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners denounces political violence and the intensifying violent rhetoric that threatens the livelihoods of our public servants at all levels of government.
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Background:
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Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval