Help wanted: Minnesota seeks new state commissioners

Want to be a state commissioner?

Minnesota has six cabinet openings for the top jobs at the departments of Health, Education, Public Safety, Revenue, and Labor and Industry, as well as the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB).

Gov. Tim Walz announced this month that Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm was retiring and that Education Commissioner Heather Mueller, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington and IRRRB Commissioner Mark Phillips were choosing "not to seek reappointment."

Labor and Industry Commissioner Roslyn Robertson retired in August and Revenue Commissioner Robert Doty left to work for the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Those wanting to apply for the jobs must contact gov.appointments@state.mn.us and request an application. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday and should be addressed to the governor, officials said.

Salaries for the six vacancies range from $140,000 to $155,000. But a warning: The jobs aren't for the faint of heart.

Malcolm managed the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past couple of years, while Harrington helped lead Minnesota through the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police.

Mueller, the former education commissioner, came under fire from Republicans who said she failed to swiftly shut down Feeding Our Future, the nonprofit accused of orchestrating the nation's largest pandemic fraud.

Walz told reporters Monday that he wants to have new commissioners in place by mid-December. The DFL governor must craft a two-year budget proposal to present to the Legislature when it convenes in January.

"All of them are really important to do that," Walz said. "The good news is a lot of the fundamental framework of this is put together, but that's why I think we're pushing this aggressive timeline."

The governor will work with the Legislature to decide how to spend Minnesota's multibillion-dollar budget surplus.

Walz's office will be looking nationally for the new commissioners, he said. He noted he had never met some of his current commissioners until he interviewed them for their jobs.

"Get your packets in, folks," Walz said. "This idea that there's a broad pool out there that maybe doesn't know if they can be involved in this, I would encourage people to put their names in."

Walz also announced last week that his administration had hired an addiction and recovery director, a new position created to address those issues. Jeremy Drucker, who held several positions in former DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's administration, was appointed to the role and will report directly to Walz.

"People can and do recover, especially when they have access to the support, care, and resources they need to achieve long-term recovery," said Drucker, who's in long-term recovery himself, in a statement. "I am excited to get working on making this a reality for more Minnesotans."

Staff writer Rochelle Olson contributed to this report.