Pawlenty, Speaker Kelliher appoint members to outdoor heritage council
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, today (Nov. 25) appointed members to the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council — the council will help decide how sales tax dollars from the recently passed constitutional amendment for the outdoors and the arts are spent.
Although none of Pawlenty’s appointments are local people, Kelliher appointed Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, to the council.
Hansen is chairman of the Legislative Audit Commission and vice chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Another local selection is Darby Nelson of Champlin, a former Minnesota House member and a free lance writer and environmental speaker.
Nelson has held a number of positions with environmental groups such as the Minnesota Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
The House received more than 120 applications for the citizen appointed positions, according to a Minnesota House spokesman.
“Minnesotans sent a clear message that they want to make wise investments in the outdoors,” said Kelliher.
“These members articulated a vision to create an open and transparent process with outcomes that can easily be measured,” she said in a press release.
The 12-member council includes 8 public and 4 legislative members appointed by the Governor and Minnesota Senate as well as the Speaker of the House.
The council is named after former state senator Bob Lessard of International Falls who pushed for dedicated funding for the outdoors for years.
