Mary Jo McGuire
Encyclopedia
Mary Jo McGuire is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
who represents District 66, which includes portions of Ramsey County
in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. She previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives
from 1989 to 2003, representing District 54A. Prior to the 1992 legislative redistricting
, the area was known as District 63A.
, McGuire is an attorney and an adjunct professor in the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Political Science departments at St. Catherine University
in Saint Paul
, and the state director for Project Citizen, a part of the Learning Law and Democracy Foundation. She is also the co-founder and CEO
of Great Women's Gear, an online resource for outdoor enthusiasts.
during the 1993–1994 Biennium, and was chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Data Practices from 1993–1999.
During her time in office, McGuire served on the House's Appropriations, Crime Prevention, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Environment and Natural Resources Finance, Ethics, Family and Early Childhood Education Finance, Governmental Operations, Housing, Judiciary, Judiciary Finance, Labor-Management Relations, Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs, and Rules and Legislative Administration committees. She was also a member of various subcommittees relevant to each committee.
resigned to accept appointment by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
as chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
. A DFL Primary was held on March 29, 2011, with McGuire challenging District 66A Rep. John Lesch
and attorney Steven Marchese. Prior to the primary election, she received the endorsement of District 66B Rep. Alice Hausman
, with whom she had previously served in the House. She subsequently won the primary, garnering 54.07% to Lesch's 36.39% and Marchese's 9.54%. She won the April 12, 2011, special election, garnering 80.25% to GOP challenger Greg Copeland's 19.59% She was sworn in on April 18, 2011.
, McGuire graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville
, then went on to the College of St. Catherine, receiving her B.A.
in Business Administration. She went on to the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, receiving her M.P.A.
. She earned her J.D.
from Hamline University School of Law
in Saint Paul. After graduating, she served as a criminal investigator with the Saint Paul City Attorney's Office, and was the director of the Neighborhood Mediation Project.
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 Senate
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...
who represents District 66, which includes portions of Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
in 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. She previously served 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...
from 1989 to 2003, representing District 54A. Prior to the 1992 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...
, the area was known as District 63A.
Professional background
A DemocratMinnesota 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...
, McGuire is an attorney and an adjunct professor in the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Political Science departments at St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University
is a private university in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. It was established first as a women's junior college in 1966 and became a women's four-year university in 1988. It became a co-educational university in 2004.-External links:*...
in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, and the state director for Project Citizen, a part of the Learning Law and Democracy Foundation. She is also the co-founder and CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Great Women's Gear, an online resource for outdoor enthusiasts.
Service in the Minnesota House
McGuire was first elected to the House in 1988, winning a seat that became vacant after the death of Rep. John Rose on July 19, 1988. She was an assistant majority leaderMinnesota House Majority Leader
This is a list of Majority Leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives- Notes on Minnesota political party names :*Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: On April 15, 1944 the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota...
during the 1993–1994 Biennium, and was chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Data Practices from 1993–1999.
During her time in office, McGuire served on the House's Appropriations, Crime Prevention, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Environment and Natural Resources Finance, Ethics, Family and Early Childhood Education Finance, Governmental Operations, Housing, Judiciary, Judiciary Finance, Labor-Management Relations, Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs, and Rules and Legislative Administration committees. She was also a member of various subcommittees relevant to each committee.
2011 state senate campaign
On March 14, 2011, McGuire announced her candidacy for the open Senate District 66 seat. The vacancy arose after Senator Ellen AndersonEllen Anderson
Ellen Anderson is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 66, which includes the northern portion of the city of Saint Paul, as well as the entire city of Falcon Heights in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A Democrat,...
resigned to accept appointment by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
as chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is the consumer protection agency in the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with the regulation of public utilities such as electric and telephone service. Its commissioners are appointed by the governor....
. A DFL Primary was held on March 29, 2011, with McGuire challenging District 66A Rep. John Lesch
John Lesch
John Lesch is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and a prosecuting attorney for the city of Saint Paul. He has served as a state representative for District 66A since 2003. The district includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities...
and attorney Steven Marchese. Prior to the primary election, she received the endorsement of District 66B Rep. Alice Hausman
Alice Hausman
Alice Hausman is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 66B, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County, which is part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A Democrat, she is also a retired educator.Hausman was...
, with whom she had previously served in the House. She subsequently won the primary, garnering 54.07% to Lesch's 36.39% and Marchese's 9.54%. She won the April 12, 2011, special election, garnering 80.25% to GOP challenger Greg Copeland's 19.59% She was sworn in on April 18, 2011.
Service in the Minnesota Senate
McGuire currently serves on the Senate's Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee and the Local Government and Elections Committee.Education and early career
A life-long resident of Falcon HeightsFalcon Heights, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,572 people, 2,103 households, and 1,434 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,487.9 people per square mile . There were 2,136 housing units at an average density of 953.7 per square mile...
, McGuire graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville
Roseville, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,690 people, 14,598 households, and 8,598 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.9 people per square mile . There were 14,917 housing units at an average density of 1,126.4 per square mile...
, then went on to the College of St. Catherine, receiving her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Business Administration. She went on to the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, receiving her M.P.A.
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
. She earned her J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Hamline University School of Law
Hamline University School of Law
Hamline University School of Law is a private law school affiliated with Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The School of Law was founded in 1972 as the Midwestern School of Law by a group of legal professionals. In 1976, it was absorbed by Hamline University as its own School of Law,...
in Saint Paul. After graduating, she served as a criminal investigator with the Saint Paul City Attorney's Office, and was the director of the Neighborhood Mediation Project.
External links
- Senator McGuire Web Page
- Mary Jo McGuire Profile at Great Women's Gear
- Mary Jo McGuire Campaign Web Site