Maureen Flahaven, a civic leader and activist who played important roles working for DFL candidates, promoting Minnesota and rebuilding St. Paul's downtown sports arena, died of cancer March 2 in her St. Paul home. She was 71.
In one of her most prominent roles, Flahaven served on the board of the St. Paul Civic Center Authority in the 1990s and helped secure $65 million in state financing to rebuild the downtown sports arena, now called Xcel Energy Center and home to the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
She also served as executive director of Celebrate Minnesota, a statewide promotion designed to be like a "homecoming" and timed to coincide with the 1990 Summer Olympics Festival that brought thousands of visitors to the state.
Flahaven also managed the governor's residence under former Gov. Rudy Perpich's two administrations in the 1970s and 1980s.
Flahaven had a deep interest in politics, and met her future husband, Pat Flahaven, in 1968 when both served on the staff of the late U.S. Rep. Joseph Karth, a Democratic congressman from St. Paul. They were married in 1969, and she moved from her native Washington, D.C., to St. Paul.
Joe O'Neill, an attorney and former Republican state legislator who served with Flahaven on the civic center authority, said her people skills helped at the State Capitol in 1999 as they urged lawmakers to authorize a financial package to help construct a new arena.
"Things like this can be a political nightmare," O'Neill said, "but she didn't allow it. She worked with citizens on both sides. We had no political missteps. We were all together."
He said Flahaven earned respect over many years for her public service.