DULUTH – Sen. Robert Farnsworth was elected chair of the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board during a special meeting, replacing former state Sen. Justin Eichorn, who resigned from the Senate after his recent arrest.
Farnsworth, a Republican from Hibbing, has been a board member since 2023, along with other state senators and representatives from districts that have one-third or more of residents within the agency’s service area. Another is appointed by the Senate’s majority leader.
After resigning from his Senate seat, Eichorn, who had been on the board since 2017, was no longer eligible to be the IRRR board chair.
He was elected to the position in February.
Eichorn, 40, was charged last week in U.S. District Court with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He was arrested as part of an underage prostitution sting.
Rep. Roger Skraba, the vice chair, called the IRRRB’s special meeting, held Wednesday in St. Paul. With Eichorn out, an open seat remains on the board. The IRRRB focuses on economic development in northeastern Minnesota.
A special election will be held to fill Eichorn’s former Senate seat in District 6. The person who is elected will also serve on the IRRRB, according to a news release from the organization. The district includes parts of Cass, Crow Wing and Itasca counties.
