Oct 19

Oct 19 Pair of lieutenants to speak at Rochester luncheon

News | 2017

Two big names in Minnesota politics will share the stage at an upcoming event in Rochester.

Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith and former Lieutenant Governor Joanne Benson are scheduled to attend "Women in Leadership: Why It Matters” on Nov. 2 at the Rochester Golf & Country Club. Smith also chairs the Destination Medical Center Corporation Board.

The event is being hosted by More Women on the Move, a non-partisan, grassroots organization aimed at "empowering women committed to inclusive, equitable, healthy communities and seeking and supporting women to run for elected office."

The effort is led by local volunteers, including co-chairs Anna Richey and Brittney Marschall. According to a news release, the movement picked up steam in the early part of 2017 as a 2.0 version of the original Women on the Move group.

“After the elections in 2016, a group of local women were unhappy that more women had not been elected to office,” said Olmsted County Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden. “The women decided not to sit on the sidelines but to form an ad hoc committee to actively encourage and support local women to run for office.”

Profits from the event will benefit an upcoming training series for individuals interested in learning about running for public office or enhancing their leadership skills and expertise.

Ticket information is available here.

Changes to city charter

Local students have successfully gone about updating the language in the Rochester Home Rule Charter to be gender-neutral.

Here's a note that popped in Med City Beat's inbox from one of the group's members, Mayo High School senior Leah Folpe:

"Last spring, four students from Rochester's Century and Mayo high schools formed a Youth Action Committee in order to remove male-specific pronouns from the text of the Rochester Home Rule Charter, a sort of city constitution that described roles such as mayor, city councilor, and other city officials using exclusionary pronouns. With the support of Mayor Ardell Brede and several other local leaders, the students presented nearly 100 changes to the Charter to both the city's Charter Commission and City Council."

The revised charter will be published to the city website and available in hard-copy from the Rochester Public Library. The group, led by mentors Rose and Eric Anderson, is inviting anyone who wishes to learn more about the changes to attend the Charter Commission meeting on Nov. 14, 4:30 p.m. in Room 104 of City Hall.

Cover: Smith in 2016 / Photo by Lorie Shaull