In late April, the Metropolitan Council made appointments to its Land Use Advisory Committee and Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission. The Minnesota Legislature established both the land use committee and the parks commission in state law, which defines the geographic representation for each group.
Land use committee
The Land Use Advisory Committee provides advice and assistance to the Council on regional land use and comprehensive planning, and in matters of metropolitan significance as defined by state law.
The committee is chaired by Council Member Wendy Wulff and has 17 other members — one from each Council district plus one additional member to ensure that each county has representation. All 17 seats were up for appointment in January 2019. Appointments to the committee include a mix of local elected officials and residents:
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Jonathan Bottema — Corcoran City Council (District 1)
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Mark Nelson — Eden Prairie (District 3), executive vice president, United Properties
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Kathi Mocol — Shakopee (District 4 - reappointed), former Shakopee City Council member
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Gerald Bruner — Watertown supervisor (District 4 - reappointed)
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Suado Abdi — Bloomington (District 5), planner, City of Minneapolis
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Kathi Hemken — New Hope mayor (District 6 – reappointed)
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Courtney Schroeder — Minneapolis (District 7), diversity and inclusion manager, General Mills
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Noah Keller — Minneapolis (District 8), affordable housing construction manager
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Jennifer Geisler — Coon Rapids City Council (District 9 - reappointed)
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Dan Roe — Roseville mayor (District 10)
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Phillip Klein — Hugo City Council (District 11 - reappointed)
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Steve Morris — Woodbury City Council (District 12)
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Trista Matacastillo — Ramsey County commissioner (District 13)
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Mitra Jalali Nelson — Saint Paul City Council (District 14)
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Vince Workman — Burnsville City Council (District 15)
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Karl Drotning — Lakeville (District 16 - reappointed), Lakeville Planning Commission
The Council is still seeking someone to represent District 2 (Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, and Spring Lake Park).
Parks commission
The Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission advises the Council on matters related to the regional parks and trails system. The commission has nine members — eight district representatives and a chair who represents the region at large, all appointed by the Council. The terms are for four years and staggered. April appointments:
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Jeremy Peichel, Roseville. Peichel is the founder/owner of Civic Intelligence LLC, providing technical assistance to local governments with policy analysis, spatial analysis, and statistical assessment and modeling. He has worked for the U.S. Forest Service.
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Cecily Harris, Marine on St. Croix. Harris is a development consultant with a long career in parks/open space and natural resources management.
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Anthony Taylor, Saint Paul (reappointment). Taylor is adventures director for The Loppet Foundation and a longtime businessman. He is vice president of the National Brotherhood of Cyclists, a group of grassroots African-American cycling clubs.
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Todd Kemery, Lakeville (reappointment). Kemery is vice president of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Minnesota, and is a peer mentor at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. He is active in wheelchair sports and advocacy.
Additional committee appointments are pending
The Council is interviewing applicants for several other committees and will be making appointments in May. These committees include the Audit Committee, Equity Advisory Committee, Livable Communities Advisory Committee, Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee, and Transportation Advisory Board.