Hennepin County Board Approves Pay Rate Increases for Themselves and Other Elected Officials

Hennepin County Board of Commissioners

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the Hennepin County sheriff, and the Hennepin County attorney are set to receive significant pay rate increases in the next two years after a pair of 6-0 votes from the county commissioners.

On Tuesday, the commissioners held one vote to increase their own pay rates and a separate vote to increase the pay rates of the county sheriff and county attorney. One commissioner, Debbie Goettel, was not present for the votes.

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Minnesota County Commissioner Candidate Downplays Concerns That Relationship with Moriarty May Pose Conflict of Interest

Jen Westmoreland, the partner of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and newly announced candidate for county commissioner, pledged on Wednesday she would recuse herself from voting on any county board actions that would “personally benefit Mary.”

“My personal relationship does not diminish my dedication to the responsibilities of being your next commissioner,” Westmoreland said. “There are well-established protocols for mitigating conflicts of interest in Hennepin County, and we have already been taking these precautions.”

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Report Exposes Shocking Details on DFL Sheriff’s Behavior During and After Drunk-Driving Crash

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to censure Democratic Sheriff Dave Hutchinson Thursday and made public the results of a human resources investigation into his behavior.

Hutchinson’s career imploded in December 2021 when he was involved in a drunk-driving accident in his county-issued vehicle.

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Hennepin County Board Passes Resolution Declaring Racism a ‘Public Health Crisis’

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday declaring racism a “public health crisis.”

Commissioners Angela Conley and Irene Fernando introduced the resolution, which passed in a vote of 6-1.

“Ultimately this resolution is about the health and well-being of Hennepin County residents who have borne the brunt of racial discrimination and racial inequity through various different systems,” Conley said in a press release after the resolution passed.

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Hennepin County Board Passes Resolution Declaring Racism a ‘Public Health Crisis’

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday declaring racism a “public health crisis.”

Commissioners Angela Conley and Irene Fernando introduced the resolution, which passed in a vote of 6-1.

“Ultimately this resolution is about the health and well-being of Hennepin County residents who have borne the brunt of racial discrimination and racial inequity through various different systems,” Conley said in a press release after the resolution passed.

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Two Hennepin County Commissioners Voted to Remove Medical Examiner Because of Floyd Autopsy Results

Two members of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of removing the county’s medical examiner because they didn’t like the results of his autopsy in the case of George Floyd.

Chief Medical Examiner Andrew Baker released a 20-page autopsy report last week with the permission of Floyd’s family and concluded that Floyd’s heart stopped while being restrained by officers. The report revealed that Floyd tested positive for the coronavirus, had fentanyl and meth in his blood, and had a number of underlying health conditions.

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