The times that Mark Andrew found a phalanx of hostile pickets outside his door stand out in his mind's eye as he prepares to end 16 years of service on the Hennepin County Board.
There was the time 12 years ago when he supported mandatory work requirements for certain welfare recipients. The picketers called Andrew cruel to the poor. The same charge was made when he backed Operation Clean Sweep, which allowed welfare recipients to volunteer for debris cleanup jobs that built their work histories.
When he supported construction of the county's garbage burner, the pickets came twice. They dumped ash on new office carpeting and dug through trash bins outside his home. When he favored providing syringes to intravenous drug users in the Whittier neighborhood to halt the spread of HIV, the picketers included several openly gay Whittier homeowners.
Repeatedly the abortion opponents came after he supported reinstating abortion services at Hennepin County Medical Center in 1993. They dumped garbage on his lawn, left hateful messages on his phone, threatened his wife and children.
Andrew doesn't cringe at such memories. He recalls them with pride - as well he should. For in each instance, Andrew's position sprang from a well-considered blend of compassion and pragmatism. Each time, in the face of nasty opposition, he stood his ground.
Such courage, conviction and care in setting policies that directly affect people's lives aren't always evident in elected officials. They've never been lacking in Andrew. That's why he was a leader among the County Board's seven members, and why his resignation on or about Feb. 1 will create a noticeable void.
Andrew, 48, cannot be faulted for wanting a fresh challenge. Nevertheless, his departure will be regrettable. It will remove from elected office a consistent champion of rights and opportunities for
the disadvantaged.
As the pickets attested, Andrew wasn't averse to asking those who receive government help to give something in return. He looked for new ways to lift the poor into self-sufficiency, and landed on
the creative notion of employing welfare recipients to construct new bike trails and parks in Minneapolis. He's the godfather of Hennepin Community Works and its first project, the Midtown Greenway.
But Andrew would never sit still for measures that would punish the poor. He spoke out for decent treatment of the homeless, the destitute new arrival, the chemically dependent. He pricked desensitized consciences into sharper awareness of the humanity of all people.
Minnesota counties are the lifeline of last resort for people in trouble. County boards ought to include commissioners who truly take that mission to heart. Mark Andrew has. The candidates who want to succeed him should resolve that they will, too.