Next Rosenmeier Forum announced: “Political Leadership: The way it ought to be”

The next Rosenmeier Forum, titled “Political Leadership: The way it ought to be,” will be held from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Chalberg Theater, Central Lakes College Brainerd campus. Perspectives will be offered from speakers Roger Moe, former Majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate, and Steve Sviggum, former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The event is free and open to the public. The forum is presented by The Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government.

Steve Wenzel, who serves as executive director of the Rosenmeier Center said, “We are pleased to bring these two most experienced and respected public servants to Central Lakes College to give the people of the Brainerd lakes area an opportunity to know and understand how the legislative process worked in the last three decades of the 20th Century and how it compares to the current and recent past Minnesota Legislature. It was my privilege to serve in the Legislature with both Moe and Sviggum. I knew them to be individuals of great integrity and ability. Minnesota is a better state today because of their dedicated public service.”

 

Biographies:

Roger Moe

Roger Moe was born and raised on a farm near Ada, MN, and attended local schools in Northwestern Minnesota. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Mayville State College in North Dakota. He was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1970 and served until January 2003, completing 33 years of Senate service. Moe was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in the 1979-80 sessions of the Minnesota Legislature. In 1981, the Senate DFL Caucus elected him Majority Leader of the Senate and he served in that position until January 2003. He is believed to be the longest serving Senate Majority Leader of any state in the nation in modern American history. In 2002, he was the DFL candidate for Governor and lost to Rep. Tim Pawlenty. Since 2003, Moe has served as a consultant and legislative lobbyist for businesses and clients throughout the state, and he has testified before many legislative bodies in states throughout the nation.

 

 

Steve Sviggum

Steve Sviggum graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in Mathematics in 1973. He then taught math and coached football and basketball in two Minnesota towns (Belgrade and West Concord) for six years. In 1978 he ran for the state legislature and served until 2007 when he became Commissioner of Labor and Industry, followed by Commissioner of Management and Budget in 2010.

Sviggum was elected Speaker of the House in 1999, a position he held until 2007. Throughout his leadership positions, Sviggum was most proud of recruiting good people to run for public office and reaching out with cooperation to govern in the best interests of Minnesota.

After leaving the Legislature Sviggum served as a Humphrey School Legislative Fellow, where he taught classes at the university and prepared programs for Humphrey School students and fellows.

Sviggum has been married to his wife, Debbie, for 37 years and has three children. Now the joy of his life is the 10 grand children he and his wife have.

In addition to the public service, Sviggum has always farmed in a family partnership near Kenyon with his two brothers on a corn/soybean/beef cattle operation. Sviggum has also served on numerous volunteer community boards.