James Metzen
Encyclopedia
James P. Metzen is a Minnesota
politician, a state senator
and a former president
of the Minnesota Senate. A Democrat
, he was first elected to the Senate in 1986 after serving 12 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives
. He represents District 39, which includes portions of Dakota County
in the southeastern Twin Cities
metropolitan area.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Metzen served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987, representing the old District 52A before the 1982 legislative redistricting
and District 39B thereafter. He was also a member of the South St. Paul City Council from 1967 to 1974.
. His father, Butch, was a union organizer
and one-time Dakota County
Commissioner. His brother, David, is a former University of Minnesota
hockey
standout, and a current regent
of the University of Minnesota. David's wife, Leslie, is a sitting district court
judge in Dakota County.
Metzen started in the banking business at Southview Bank, working his way up the chain of command until he sold his interest in the bank in 1992. He is now Vice President of Community Affairs at Key Community Bank, which has branches in Inver Grove Heights
and South St. Paul—a bank he helped get off the ground.
just hours after the 2007 legislative session came to an end. The arrest occurred less than a mile away from his home. During a field sobriety test, he blew a 0.15, which is nearly twice the Minnesota legal limit of 0.08. He wrote a letter of apology for the incident to Senate Majority Leader
Lawrence Pogemiller
and his peers. On June 14, 2007, he was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $377 fine for the arrest.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician, a state senator
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
and a former president
President of the Senate
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
of the Minnesota Senate. A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, he was first elected to the Senate in 1986 after serving 12 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
. He represents District 39, which includes portions of Dakota County
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...
in the southeastern Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area.
Service in Minnesota House and Senate
Metzen currently serves on the Senate Capital Investment Committee, the Senate Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, and the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee. He was Senate president from 2003 to 2011. He was chair of the Senate Business, Industry and Jobs Committee from 2007 to 2011, chair of the Senate Telecommunications, Energy and Utilities Committee from 2001 to 2003, chair of the Senate Governmental Operations and Veterans Committee from 1995 to 2001, chair of the Senate Governmental Operations and Reform Committee from 1993 to 1995, and chair of the Senate Economic Development and Housing Committee from 1991 to 1993. He has also chaired multiple subcommittees.Prior to his election to the Senate, Metzen served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987, representing the old District 52A before the 1982 legislative redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
and District 39B thereafter. He was also a member of the South St. Paul City Council from 1967 to 1974.
Personal and professional background
Metzen and his wife, Sandie, reside in South St. PaulSouth St. Paul, Minnesota
South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, immediately south and southeast of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is also southeast of West St. Paul, Minnesota. The population was 20,160 at the 2010 census. It is notable as one of the historic major meat packing cities in the United...
. His father, Butch, was a union organizer
Union organizer
A union organizer is a specific type of trade union member or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers....
and one-time Dakota County
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...
Commissioner. His brother, David, is a former University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
standout, and a current regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the University of Minnesota. David's wife, Leslie, is a sitting district court
Minnesota District Courts
The Minnesota District Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Minnesota.The Minnesota Constitution provides that the district court has original jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases and such appellate jurisdiction as may be prescribed by law.Each district...
judge in Dakota County.
Metzen started in the banking business at Southview Bank, working his way up the chain of command until he sold his interest in the bank in 1992. He is now Vice President of Community Affairs at Key Community Bank, which has branches in Inver Grove Heights
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,751 people, 11,257 households, and 7,924 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,038.8 people per square mile . There were 11,457 housing units at an average density of 400.1 per square mile...
and South St. Paul—a bank he helped get off the ground.
DUI arrest
On the morning of May 22, 2007, Metzen was arrested for Driving under the influenceDriving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
just hours after the 2007 legislative session came to an end. The arrest occurred less than a mile away from his home. During a field sobriety test, he blew a 0.15, which is nearly twice the Minnesota legal limit of 0.08. He wrote a letter of apology for the incident to Senate Majority Leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
Lawrence Pogemiller
Lawrence Pogemiller
Lawrence "Larry" J. Pogemiller is a politician from Minnesota, and a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he represents District 59, and served as the senate's majority leader from 2007 to 2011...
and his peers. On June 14, 2007, he was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $377 fine for the arrest.
External links
- Minnesota Senate - Senator James Metzen Web Page
- In Touch With Senator Metzen Web Site
- Minnesota Public Radio - Votetracker: James P. Metzen Voting Record
- Project Vote Smart - Senator James Metzen Profile
- Follow the Money - James Metzen Campaign Contributions