“Let’s say we’re back in the majority,” said Holberg, of Lakeville, reflecting on a top goal of the state GOP in 2014. “I painted the most perfect picture of what that could mean for me, and I still couldn’t get excited about coming back. It became really clear to me it was time to leave.” It’s the Minnesota Legislature’s version of brain drain. A number of high-profile and influential legislators are trading the lofty policy debates, high-stakes budgeting, demanding schedule and chaotic politics of the Legislature for the comparatively staid and decidedly unglamorous world of county government.
In addition to Holberg, Rep. Mike Beard, R-Shakopee, will run for a commissioner’s seat in Scott County. Five former legislators also are running for county board posts — four DFLers and one Republican in both the metro area and greater Minnesota. Former legislators fill seats on a number of other county boards including in Ramsey, Carver and Olmsted counties.
“The county board pays about twice as much but it’s about half as much work,” said Beard, a 12-year House veteran from Shakopee. He quickly added: “That’s tongue firmly in cheek.”
The county jobs might look less powerful and prestigious, more low profile. But a handful of boards governing the state’s largest counties dangle paychecks that dwarf those of the average legislator.