Gov. Mark Dayton is leaving office in January after eight years with a far-reaching legacy that will endure for decades.
A glassy new Vikings stadium rises on the east edge of downtown Minneapolis, ringed by new office towers and condos. Rochester is on the verge of a dramatic, multibillion-dollar state-backed transformation. Minnesota’s rainy-day fund is at record levels and the unemployment rate is at an 18-year low. Education spending is up more than $2 billion.
Through a mix of good economic fortunes, shrewd political skill and the missteps of his opponents, Dayton’s tenure has reshaped Minnesota in innumerable ways. He locked in higher spending that will be difficult to roll back, with the help of new taxes on high earners. A vast expansion of the Medical Assistance program reduced the number of uninsured. He’s appointed more than half of the state’s judges, a pool that is more racially diverse and female than ever before.
View the complete December 23 article by J. Patrick Collican on The Star Tribune website here.