Rep. Fran Bradley To Retire from MN House

12/16/2005

Paul Munnis
December 15, 2005

Rep. Fran Bradley, of Rochester, MN, a six term veteran of the MN House of Representatives, has announced his planned retirement.

Rep. Bradley has a long and distinguished career in public service and was first elected to the MN House in 1994 and currently serves on the following committees: Health Care Cost Containment Division; Health Policy and Finance (Chair); Jobs and Economic Opportunity Policy and Finance; Ways and Means.

Rep. Bradley is well known for his deep understanding of MN Health programs and he led many changes and reforms to health programs during his term of public service in the MN House.

Rep. Bradley is a retired engineering manager from IBM Rochester and he holds a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University and has performed Graduate work at the University of Minnesota. He is Married 37 years to his wife Mary, and has four children and three grandchildren whom he always mentions fondly about when talking to people.

Among his many apointments are these:

- Appointed in 2000 to: Joint House/Senate Long Term Care Task Force; MN Advisory Council on Mental Health

- Appointed in 2001 to: MN Legislative Commission on Health Care Access; Council of State Governments Health Capacity Task Force; Nat’l. Council of State Legislatures Executive Committee; Council on Black Minnesotans;
MN Legislative Task force on Small Business Health Insurance; Joint Governor/Legislature Task Force on Health Care Costs and Quality.

- Appointed in 2002 to the MN Children’s Mental Health Task Force

Kim Norton ran against Rep. Bradley in 2004 and in a tight contest she came within 311 votes of a tie. Asked about her perception of Rep. Bradley’s announcement she made it a point to say that “differences between her and Rep. Bradley were political and not personal” and she thanked him for his many years of service to Rochester and wished him well in his future activities.

Kim Norton is expected to seek the endorsement of the Democratic DFL Caucus in 2006 to run as candidate for District 29B to the Minnesota House.

Presently Norton serves as the head of the Rochester School Board and she has a strong background in public education. She is an advocate for education excellence and she seeks sound and responsible state support for education including proper student nutrition and child healthcare. Her website is: http://www.kimnorton.org

So far, the GOP has not announced a candidate to replace Rep. Bradley on the ballot for the 2006 election.