Caledonia Argus

Merriam to head DNR

Posted: 1/21/03

Former longtime Minnesota state senator Gene Merriam, 58, of Coon Rapids has been named commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The announcement was made Friday morning at a press conference of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at the State Capitol. The governor also named Rep. Mark Holsten (R-Stillwater) as Deputy Commissioner of DNR.

ìGovernor Pawlenty and I share a commitment to public service, and an understanding of how important the outdoors are to the people of Minnesota,î said Merriam, a DFLer. ìI am excited to be part of this administration and I will work hard to promote and protect our natural resources.î

The DNR job is one of the most high profile positions on Minnesota state agencies.

Merriam is currently vice president and chief financial officer for ECM Publishers, Inc., Coon Rapids. ECM Publishers, parent company of The Caledonia Argus, publishes and prints 17 weekly newspapers and seven shoppers. ECM also prints the regional edition of the New York Times and prints the Minnesota Daily.

Following his retirement from the Minnesota Senate in 1996, Merriam joined ECM. He served 22 years in the Senate, representing the Coon Rapids area. He was former chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Merriam is also a former Coon Rapids City Council member.

Merriam is an avid outdoorsman, fisherman and hunter. He is also a very devoted birdwatcher.

Merriam continues to be a leader in state, regional and local non-profit and governmental organizations.

As a state senator, Merriam was the chief author on several hundred bills that became law. Among them were the land-mark Minnesota Waste Management Act of l980, the designation of the 610 Trunk Highway and the Minnesota Super Fund Law which requires the clean-up of hazardous and contaminated sites.

Minnesota, he says, is a leader among states in waste practices, particularly the volume of waste that gets recycled.

As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, he set up a more disciplined state governmental budgeting process thatís used today.

Gov. Ventura appointed him to two boards. One is the Minnesota Forest Resources Council which develops guidelines for sustainable forest practices and timber harvesting. The second is the Minnesota Zoo Board, which governs the zoo and interacts with the governor and the legislature on future plans for the zoo.

Preserving the environment is high on his list of priorities. He is chair of the State Solid Waste Advisory Commission, which examines how well local and state waste management practioners are following the principles of the State Waste Management Act.

Since 1996, Gene has been a member of the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, which raises money to acquire land for parks and develops and re-sells it to the government. For example, the council acquired adjoining private land when it became available to expand the Split Rock Light House Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

He was chair of the Environmental Trust Fund Coalition which succeeded in getting a significant portion of the state lottery funds dedicated to the Environmental Trust Fund.

Merriam is a Board Member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Audubon Society whose mission is environmental advocacy and public education, with the focus on birds.

Merriam has taken an interest in First Amendment Protection through his membership on the Minnesota Newspaper Association Legislative Committee. He also is involved in educating newspaper professionals through his membership on the Minnesota Newspaper Foundation where he is the chairman of the Finance Committee.

He is involved in his county and community organizations. He is a member of the Anoka Ramsey Community College Advisory Committee, serves on the board and is Treasurer of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and is a member of the Anoka Hennepin Technical College Foundation Board of Directors.

The Anoka County Board appointed him to the County Community Action Program Board, what assists people in poverty, with such programs as housing and Head Start. As a member of the Family Life Mental Health Center Board of Directors, he helps a non-profit Mental Health Clinic in Anoka which provides treatment for the mentally ill.

He officiates high school football games on Friday and Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games Saturday. Gene stays involved because he continues to see the need for things to get done, which requires someone to take charge. ìIf you get involved you can make things happen,î he says.

Merriam is in his seventh year as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for ECM Publishers, where he also is a member of the firmís Board of Directors.

Merriam has three children, Jeff, Brian and Katie and three grandchildren. Born in Minneapolis, Merriam graduated from Benilde High School and from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business administration and an accounting major. As a certified public accountant, he worked for Arthur Andersen and Company for seven years until he left to run for the Senate in 1973.

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