Woodbury commissioner's death stuns colleagues

Four commissioners in Washington County will convene today with an empty chair at the table, just days after the fifth commissioner, Greg Orth, died in a fall in Mankato.

"Just a tragedy, a very unusual incident," said Commissioner Dennis Hegberg, who had sat next to Orth at county board meetings. "It will be a loss to our county board and to the city of Woodbury. It will be a strange feeling, an eerie feeling, to see that he's not there."

Orth, 60, died Saturday after he fell over a railing and dropped four floors to a courtyard at the Holiday Inn Civic Center. Mankato police said they believe the fall was accidental.

The County Board could either order a special election for Orth's replacement or appoint an interim commissioner until November's general election, said Jim Schug, county administrator. Orth represented District 5, which covers most of Woodbury. His term would have ended in December 2010.

A decision about filling Orth's seat probably won't be made until next week, said Hegberg, the board's chairman.

Schug said that if commissioners decide in favor of a special election, the law requires it to be held no sooner than 30 days and no later than 90 days after Orth's death. The law doesn't specify how the board should go about appointing someone, he said.

"The sooner we have representation the better, but we have no pressing issues," said Woodbury Mayor Bill Hargis. "The immediate concern we have is giving Greg proper remembrance."

Woodbury officials have good working relationships with all county commissioners and will ask them for help if needed, Hargis said.

Orth was a key player on several east-metro issues, including discussions to improve transit along the Interstate 94 corridor from Woodbury into the Twin Cities. He was also working on committees that dealt with public safety, community corrections and emergency preparedness, Schug said.

Hegberg said he wants to make sure that the board "doesn't take on any situations that would involve Woodbury until it's represented." He said he didn't know of any Woodbury issues that needed immediate action but said that Orth's constituents could address their concerns to him or to Schug.

John Jergens, 53, was the last Washington County commissioner to die in office. Jergens, of Forest Lake, died in August 1989 from complications from cancer. Hegberg was elected to that seat in a special election.

Orth was a police officer in Woodbury for more than 30 years. He was the city's police chief from 1975 to 2002 and served as public safety director after the city police and fire departments merged. He was elected to a four-year term on the County Board in November 2006.

"Greg didn't talk much because he didn't have to. He led by example," said fellow commissioner Bill Pulkrabek. "He was a great representative of Woodbury and Washington County. Above that, on a personal level, Greg was a kind, caring and sincere person ... a good man."

Another commissioner, Gary Kriesel, said Orth volunteered for extra committee assignments and brought broad knowledge to the board. "He worked extremely hard to do everything he could to be an effective and knowledgeable commissioner," Kriesel said.