Keith Downey (politician)
Encyclopedia
Keith S. Downey is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 41A, which primarily includes portions of the cities of Edina
and Minnetonka
in Hennepin County
in the southwestern part of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Republican
, he is also a consultant for state and local governments on strategy, operations and technology.
Downey was first elected in 2008, succeeding nine-term Rep. Ron Erhardt
, and was re-elected in 2010. He is currently a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Taxes Committee, and also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division, on which he is the ranking minority party member, the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division, and the State Government Finance Division.
Downey grew up in Edina, attending Morningside Elementary School, Southview Middle School, and East High School, graduating in 1979. He went on to the University of Wisconsin
in Eau Claire
, where he earned his B.B.A.
in 1983 and, later, his M.I.S.
. Prior to his current consultant work, he was a partner with Virchow Krause, and also worked for Unisys
and Epic Systems.
Active in his community, Downey is a member of the Minneapolis Regional and Edina chambers of commerce
. From 2004-2007, he served the Minneapolis Regional Chamber as a board member, executive committee member and public policy committee chairman. He was a member of the Hennepin County SW Transportation Corridor Policy Advisory Committee from 2006-2008. In 2008, Governor Tim Pawlenty
appointed him as a board member of the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation.
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 and a member of 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...
representing District 41A, which primarily includes portions of the cities of Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and Minnetonka
Minnetonka, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile . There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile...
in Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
in the southwestern part of the 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. A Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, he is also a consultant for state and local governments on strategy, operations and technology.
Downey was first elected in 2008, succeeding nine-term Rep. Ron Erhardt
Ron Erhardt (politician)
Ron Erhardt is a Minnesotan politician and former Representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives, having served Edina in Hennepin County for 18 years. Until July 2008, Erhardt had been a registered Republican and had always ran as a Republican. For nine terms he achieved fairly easy...
, and was re-elected in 2010. He is currently a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Taxes Committee, and also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division, on which he is the ranking minority party member, the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division, and the State Government Finance Division.
Downey grew up in Edina, attending Morningside Elementary School, Southview Middle School, and East High School, graduating in 1979. He went on to the University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire is a public liberal arts university located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has an annual enrollment of more than 10,000 students...
in Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
, where he earned his B.B.A.
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
in 1983 and, later, his M.I.S.
Management information system
A management information system provides information needed to manage organizations efficiently and effectively. Management information systems involve three primary resources: people, technology, and information. Management information systems are distinct from other information systems in that...
. Prior to his current consultant work, he was a partner with Virchow Krause, and also worked for Unisys
Unisys
Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
and Epic Systems.
Active in his community, Downey is a member of the Minneapolis Regional and Edina chambers of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. From 2004-2007, he served the Minneapolis Regional Chamber as a board member, executive committee member and public policy committee chairman. He was a member of the Hennepin County SW Transportation Corridor Policy Advisory Committee from 2006-2008. In 2008, Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
appointed him as a board member of the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation.
External links
- Rep. Downey Web Page
- Project Votesmart - Rep. Keith Downey Profile
- Session Weekly 2/6/2009: "Planning for the future: Downey hopes to offer proactive ideas for state's future"
- Keith Downey Campaign Web Site
- Keith Downey on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- Keith Downey on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...