Geoff Michel
Encyclopedia
Geoff Michel is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
who represents District 41, which includes portions of the southwestern Twin Cities
suburbs of Edina
and Bloomington
in Hennepin County
, which is in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Republican
, he was first elected to the Senate in 2002, succeeding retiring Senator Roy Terwilliger, who represented the area as District 42 prior to the 2002 legislative redistricting
. He was re-elected in 2006 and 2010.
Michel is currently the Senate's deputy majority leader
. He is chair of the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee and of the Senate Rules and Administration Subcommittee for Redistricting. He also serves on the Senate's Rules and Administration and Taxes committees, and on the Rules and Administration subcommittees for Committees and for Conference Committees. He was an assistant minority leader
from 2005 to 2011. His special legislative concerns include education, transportation, and taxes.
Michel is an attorney
, and works as a corporate counsel for Securian Financial Group. He also served as legal counsel for Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson
's office from 1990 to 1994, and was a legislative assistant to former U.S. Congressman Bill Frenzel
. He graduated from Minnetonka High School
in Minnetonka
, then attended Dartmouth College
in Hanover, New Hampshire
, earning his B.A.
degree. He went on to the University of Minnesota Law School
, earning his J.D.
degree.
Michel has served on various government and community boards and organizations. He is a former board member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and former chair of the chamber's education committee. He is also a former member of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizen Board. He is currently a board member of the Minnesota Children's Museum
, and of the Edina
Soccer Club.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
who represents District 41, which includes portions of the southwestern Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
suburbs of Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and Bloomington
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
in Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
, which is in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. A Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, he was first elected to the Senate in 2002, succeeding retiring Senator Roy Terwilliger, who represented the area as District 42 prior to the 2002 legislative redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
. He was re-elected in 2006 and 2010.
Michel is currently the Senate's deputy majority leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
. He is chair of the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee and of the Senate Rules and Administration Subcommittee for Redistricting. He also serves on the Senate's Rules and Administration and Taxes committees, and on the Rules and Administration subcommittees for Committees and for Conference Committees. He was an assistant minority leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
from 2005 to 2011. His special legislative concerns include education, transportation, and taxes.
Michel is an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and works as a corporate counsel for Securian Financial Group. He also served as legal counsel for Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson
Arne Carlson
Arne Helge Carlson, Sr. is an American politician and the 37th Governor of the state of Minnesota.-Early years, education and family:...
's office from 1990 to 1994, and was a legislative assistant to former U.S. Congressman Bill Frenzel
Bill Frenzel
William Eldridge "Bill" Frenzel is a former Republican Congressman from Minnesota, representing Minnesota's Third District, which included the southern and western suburbs of Minneapolis.- Early life and career :...
. He graduated from Minnetonka High School
Minnetonka High School
Minnetonka High School is a public comprehensive high school that is located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. With almost 3,000 students, it is the 3rd largest high school in Minnesota behind neighboring Wayzata and Eden Prarie high schools...
in Minnetonka
Minnetonka, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile . There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile...
, then attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, earning his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. He went on to the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
, earning his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree.
Michel has served on various government and community boards and organizations. He is a former board member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and former chair of the chamber's education committee. He is also a former member of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizen Board. He is currently a board member of the Minnesota Children's Museum
Minnesota Children's Museum
Minnesota Children’s Museum is a non-profit community organization located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Museum mission statement is “sparking children’s learning through play”, providing an environment where kids can touch, climb, splash, crawl, push, pull, and press it all...
, and of the Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
Soccer Club.
External links
- Senator Michel Web Page
- Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Geoff Michel
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Geoff Michel Profile
- Geoff Michel Campaign Web Site