Dayton picks Habitat head to chair Met Council
Gov.-elect Mark Dayton filled another cabinet post Wednesday with his selection of Susan Haigh as Metropolitan Council chair.
Haigh is currently CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, where she said she plans to continue her work. She also served 10 years as a Ramsey County Commissioner and 12 years as a chief deputy county attorney. In a news release, Dayton called Haigh a "proven leader and consensus-builder."
The governor appoints the 17 member Met Council which oversees the work of 3,700 employees and an annual budget of about $780 million.
The Met Council is the regional planning agency for the seven counties that make up the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It also operates the regional systems for mass transit and waste water treatment.
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Haigh said she regards the chair position as part time.
"Statutorily it is and so I'm looking forward to bringing my skills, that I've developed over many years in my career, as a consensus builder and as a collaborator and as someone who really listens to and understands local government to this work," she said.
Haigh will succeed Peter Bell, who led the Met Council for eight years under Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Dayton will be sworn in as governor on Monday, but so far he's filled just four of about two-dozen cabinet posts.
