Vice Chair will assume Chair’s duties until the Governor-elect appoints a new Chair
Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff today announced she will be stepping down from her role as Chair of the Council at the end of November to pursue a new professional opportunity. Per Council by-laws, Council Vice Chair Harry Melander will assume the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence, until the end of the administration.
Chair Tchourumoff was sworn in on July 31, 2017 as the 15th Chair of the Metropolitan Council. During her time as Chair, she has focused on building support for transit investment, advancing the build-out of the region’s transit system, investing in the region’s wastewater infrastructure, and collaborating with partners to enhance the region’s economic competitiveness.
“It has been my privilege to serve in this capacity as part of Governor Dayton’s administration,” said Chair Tchourumoff. “The Metropolitan Council is a unique entity with extremely important responsibilities. I have appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with so many partners around the region – whether local elected officials, community groups, or our federal representatives — to advance a shared mission of making our region even more competitive and a great place to live and work. I remain impressed by the level of talent and expertise among the people who make up the Council and thank them for their continued commitment to public service on behalf of our region.”
The Council saw many accomplishments during Tchourumoff’s tenure, in addition to continued success of initiatives pursued over the course of the past eight years during Governor Dayton’s administration.
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Creation of a Green Partnership with Xcel Energy, focused on working together to produce and purchase clean, renewable energy and also allow the Council to operate its wastewater and transit systems exclusively on energy from renewable sources by 2040.
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Record-breaking number of visits to regional parks, hitting 58 million in 2017.
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The expansion of the Metropolitan Council Underutilized Business Program, which will add almost 1,000 small businesses owned by people with disabilities, women, veterans and minorities, to the pool of companies that can bid for contracts with the Council.
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Approval of an update to the region’s 2040 Transportation Policy Plan, which provides a framework for how our region will support the movement of people as we plan for growth into the future.
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Broke ground on a $25 million renovation to the Mall of America Transit Center, the state’s busiest transit hub.
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Continued prioritizing sustainability and efforts to fight climate change, including the development of a Climate Vulnerability Assessment, which helps local communities plan for and manage public infrastructure to increase its lifespan and reduce costs.
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An additional $5 million in available funding to local communities in the form of municipal inflow and infiltration grants, which assists local communities as they work to make their local wastewater collection systems more efficient.
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Negotiated and secured agreements with several railroads and Hennepin County, a critical step before beginning construction on the Southwest Light Rail line project.
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The continued success of the Green Line LRT. First opened in 2014, the region’s second LRT line has exceeded ridership projections and continually broken new ridership records.
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The expansion of the region’s arterial bus rapid transit system, including the opening of A Line in 2016, construction on C Line in 2018, and continued planning for the D Line.
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Allocated nearly $1.4 billion in federal dollars since 2011 to local transportation projects in the metro area through the Regional Solicitation. These projects, nearly 200 of them, are locally matched.
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Awarded more than $83 million since 2011 to redevelopment projects through the Livable Communities Program, assisting in the creation of more than 2,000 units of affordable housing.
Tchourumoff was the third person to serve in the capacity of Council Chair during Governor Dayton’s administration. Susan Haigh served from 2011 – 2014. Adam Duininck served from 2014 – 2017.