Feb. 23, 2012 - Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the members of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner’s Transportation Finance Advisory Committee. Governor Dayton announced the establishment of this group on January 12.
About the Advisory Group, Governor Dayton said, “After traveling the state and meeting with business owners across Minnesota over the past several months, I have been reminded of how essential transportation infrastructure is to business success in Minnesota. Workers need to be able to get to and from work, and businesses need to be able to get goods to and from their markets. We must either improve our transportation systems or else suffer the consequences of their decline. I have asked Commissioner Sorel to gather the best and the brightest minds together to help us find new, innovative ways to finance improving our transportation systems.”
The Advisory Committee will identify investment opportunities to support a thriving economy and a high quality of life for Minnesotans over the next twenty years, select and analyze the potential of various revenue sources and non-traditional approaches to transportation financing, as well as examine opportunities for public-private partnerships to invest in transportation improvements. The group will also help develop a strategic marketing plan to obtain public support for the investment plan and any additional steps needed to obtain the funding.
MnDOT will staff and facilitate the Advisory Committee meetings, according to MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel. “We are bringing together a cross section of some the best in transportation and finance from across the state,” Sorel said. “The intellectual synergy of these people should lead us to some new ways of thinking about how we finance transportation in Minnesota. The group will prepare a written report of its recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by December 1, 2012.
Members of the Advisory committee and their affiliations include:
• Tom Sorel, Commissioner, MnDOT
• Mark Phillips, Commissioner, Department of Employment and Economic Development
• Susan Haigh, Chair, Metropolitan Council
• Cal Brink, Executive Director, Marshall, MN Chamber of Commerce
• Charlie Zelle, President and CEO, Jefferson Lines
• Dan Riley, Vice President, Property Development Operations, Target Corporation
• Art Rolnick, Senior Fellow, University of Minnesota (formerly with Federal Reserve)
• Corey Hoeppner, Director, RBC Capital Markets
• Shawn Mason, Mayor, International Falls, MN
• Adolph Ojard, Executive Director, Duluth Seaway Authority
• Shar Knutson, President, AFL-CIO
• Peter McLaughlin, Commissioner, Hennepin County
• Toni Carter, Commissioner, Ramsey County
• Harlen Madsen, Commissioner, Kandiyohi County
Four Minnesota state legislators, two from each house and selected by legislative leadership, will also serve on the group.
