Anoka County Board, District 7: AFL-CIO endorsed Mandy Meisner seeks re-election

Mandy Meisner: A commissioner who advocates for union values on the board

By Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review editor

FRIDLEY — “I’m in that sweet spot where I’ve learned the role, established relationships,” says Mandy Meisner. “I’m able to do solid work for my district.”

Meisner is running for re-election for a third term for the District 7 seat on the Anoka County Board with the endorsement of the AFL-CIO.

District 7 includes Fridley, Columbia Heights, and Hilltop and is the most diverse Anoka County commissioner district.

Meisner makes it a point to meet quarterly with the mayors, administrators and police chiefs of each of the cities in District  7. “That’s something I put into practice from year one,” she says. “It’s a way to get updates” and informs her work on the board to “really make sure District 7 has a voice.”

Meisner points to her work to secure funding for District 7, including: $3.5 million in state and federal funds to renovate a new building for the Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf; $1 million towards a new city hall/community center/emergency shelter for Hilltop (“we’re still not done”); a new main pavilion for Kordiak County Park in Columbia Heights, fully-funded with federal funds, with construction to begin in spring 2025.

Good governance is another priority for Meisner. In the search for a new county administrator, “finally we did a best practice,” she says, and hired a search firm to help conduct a national search.

“I am absolutely a commissioner that keeps union values in mind and continues to advocate for that in the board room,” Meisner says.

When the county undertook county-wide wage adjustments for staff based on market rates, workers in collective bargaining units weren’t included in the first round of adjustments. “I said that was absolutely unacceptable — you can’t give some county employees a market rate adjustment but not union employees.”

Now, she reports, the situation has been corrected, for all but one unit.

When issues affect county employees, “I’m always looking out for them,” Meisner says.

Meisner comes from a union family. “My entire personal history has been afforded to me because of unions.” A grandfather worked as a union member in Cloquet, Minnesota’s paper mills and her father was a CWA member working for Northwestern Bell and U.S. West.

In running for a third term, Meisner reports, “I’m working really hard. I don’t take this election for granted.”

Website:
votemandy.com