Two Minnesota Senate hearings Thursday will focus on women Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton picked to run state agencies.
Thursday morning the judiciary and public safety committee will take up the confirmation of Public Safety Department Ramona Dohman. Dohman is a former Maple Grove police chef who won praise from Republican Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers. who is from Maple Grove as is Sen. Warren Limmer, the chair of the Senate committee. She may not have a controversial background but she's been behind some of Dayton stances on the controversial issues of guns and immigration.
Thursday afternoon the Senate's energy committee will focus on the confirmation of Public Utilities Commissioner Ellen Anderson. Anderson, a former Democratic Senator, has pushed energy-related positions that are in stark opposition to those held by many in the Senate's Republican Majority. As a former Senate committee chair the longtime lawmaker likely also left some ruffled GOP feathers in her wake.
Commissioners can serve in their posts without confirmation but if the full Senate decides against confirmation, they must leave their jobs. When Democrats were in charge of the Senate, they ousted Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's picks for Education Commissioner and Transportation Commissioner. His first Transportation Commissioner was also his Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau.
So far, the only high profile member of Dayton's cabinet the Senate has confirmed is Larry Shellito, his pick to run the department of veteran's affairs. Shellito is a major general and was Pawlenty's pick to run the Minnesota national guard. Last week, he tangled with lawmakers over the potential impact of their budgets on veterans. He and the Dayton administration hold that the budget could hurt veterans and members of the military. Lawmakers said that position is just a ploy and Dayton is using veterans as political pawns in the budget fight.
