MCW Chair
Jim Campbell, Chairman and CEO, Wells Fargo

Mayor of Minneapolis
Mayor R.T. Rybak

Hennepin County Commissioners
Commissioner Mike Opat
Commissioner Peter McLaughlin
Commissioner Gail Dorfman

Minneapolis City Council Members
Council Member Robert Lilligren
Council Member Dan Niziolek
Council Member Dean Zimmermann
Council Member Gary Schiff

Metropolitan Council
Ted Mondale, Chairman

Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board
Commissioner Marie Hauser

Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Denny DeNarvaez, CEO

Target Corp.
Nate Garvis, Vice President Government Affairs

LISC
Paul Williams, Senior Program Director

Midtown Greenway Coalition
Bob Corrick, President

Xcel Energy
Dan Pfeiffer, Manager, Community and Local Government Relations

Reliant Energy Minnegasco
Gary Cerny, President and COO



Counsel
Louis Smith, Smith Parker, P.L.L.P.

4/1/02

Mike Opat is chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the governing body for the largest county in Minnesota, with more than one million residents, an annual budget of $1.6 billion and some 13,000 employees. The County Board approves the county budget and property tax levy, establishes policies for delivery of services, approves contracts, oversees operations and appoints key staff members.

Hennepin is one of only 12 counties nationwide to earn triple-A credit ratings ­ the highest possible ­ from all three national rating agencies; a rating Hennepin has maintained for 25 years. County services include:
• A correctional system which oversees 25,000 people in the jail, workhouse, Juvenile Justice Center and adult and juvenile probation programs
• A transportation system including 571 miles of roads and 163 bridges
• An award-winning system of 26 libraries which serves 5 million visitors a year and is ranked among the top five library systems in the nation
• Hennepin County Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center and one of the nation's premier public training and teaching hospitals, which treats 400,000 patients a year and has been on U.S. News and World Report's annual list of best hospitals in the nation for three years running.

Commissioner Opat was elected to the board for the first time in 1992 and has served from 1993 to the present. He represents a district of approximately 160,000 people, which includes parts of North Minneapolis and the northwest Minneapolis suburbs. Before being elected to the board, Opat worked for 10 years as a corrections officer and supervisor at the county Adult Corrections Facility. In 1987 he was named Minnesota Correctional Officer of the Year. His correctional background helped him develop such programs as the Productive Day Initiative, which requires inmates to be productive ­ working or studying ­ eight hours a day. During his first two terms, Opat focused his efforts on Hennepin Community Works, a revitalization program that creates open space as a catalyst for economic development; creation of the county's Domestic Abuse Service Center; and construction of the new Adult Detention Center.

Commissioner Opat has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Before becoming board chair, he served as chair of the county Public Service Committee and vice chair of the Health Committee. He also serves on these committees and boards: Health Executive Policy, Jail Executive Policy, the Alliance for Families and Children, Community Corrections, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board. He is a member of numerous private associations, including the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the Minnesota Special Olympics Board of Directors, the Knights of Columbus Youth Organization, and the Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee of the National Association of Counties.

Commissioner Opat lives with his wife Kim and son Luke in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.