Minnesota Report
The tally for loss of legislative years, being kept by League of Cities Intergovernmental Relations Director Gary Carlson has hit 547 years, with the announced retirement of Sen Carrie Ruud (R-10, Breezy Point). We expect there will be more announcements, but the void being created reflects a truism, which is you never know what you have lost until its gone.
2023 will be a vast change, depending on the election results and who presides over each chamber. The dependency on staff will become far greater in the beginning, and losses there will also be felt. The electoral class of 2022, will have large moccasins to fill and if they are adherent to listening to their constituents and focusing on and becoming experts at a specific category of legislation, they will chart a very useful course. If not, they will just be placeholders.
If this cohort is wise, they will seek advise of multiple sources and event us media types, because Checks & Balances Publisher is sitting with the fourth largest amount of media experience and remembers names, positions and other issues of concern far better than most. Just saying.