Rick Olseen
Encyclopedia
Richard "Rick" Olseen is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
, representing District 17, which includes portions of Anoka
, Chisago and Isanti
counties in the northeastern part of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Democrat
, he was first elected to the Senate in 2006. He was unseated by Republican
Sean Nienow
in the 2010 general election; he had previously unseated Nienow in the 2006 general election.
Olseen is currently a member of the Senate's Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee, the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee, and the Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the State Government Budget Division (of which he is vice chair) and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Elections. His special legislative concerns include transportation, education, health care, and property tax relief.
Olseen is a truck and trailer repair estimator
by profession. He attended White Bear Mariner High School in White Bear Lake
, then went on to the District 916 Vocational-Technical College (now part of Century College
) for auto body repair and painting. He is a former member of the Teamsters
and the International Association of Machinists.
Olseen served on the North Branch
School Board from 1991 to 2001, then as a Chisago County Commissioner from 2002 to 2006. He is a former member of the North Branch Community Education Advisory Board, former president of the North Branch Parent-Teacher Organization, and former co-chair of the North Branch Parent-to-Parent Communication Network. He is also a former member of the Chisago County Core Committee.
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...
, representing District 17, which includes portions of Anoka
Anoka County, Minnesota
Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest.As of 2010, Anoka...
, Chisago and Isanti
Isanti County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2010, there were 37,816 people, 14,331 households, and 8,415 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 12,062 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
counties in the northeastern 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 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 2006. He was unseated by 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:...
Sean Nienow
Sean Nienow
Sean Robert Nienow is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 17, which includes all or portions of Anoka, Chisago and Isanti counties in the northeastern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area....
in the 2010 general election; he had previously unseated Nienow in the 2006 general election.
Olseen is currently a member of the Senate's Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee, the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee, and the Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the State Government Budget Division (of which he is vice chair) and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Elections. His special legislative concerns include transportation, education, health care, and property tax relief.
Olseen is a truck and trailer repair estimator
Auto mechanic
An auto mechanic is a mechanic with a variety of car makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly...
by profession. He attended White Bear Mariner High School in White Bear Lake
White Bear Lake, Minnesota
White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 23,797 at the 2010 census. The city is located on White Bear Lake, one of the largest lakes in the Minneapolis-St...
, then went on to the District 916 Vocational-Technical College (now part of Century College
Century College
Century College is a two-year community college located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. As a part of the MnSCU system, it is the largest two-year community and technical college in Minnesota...
) for auto body repair and painting. He is a former member of the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
and the International Association of Machinists.
Olseen served on the North Branch
North Branch, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,023 people, 2,815 households, and 2,147 families residing in the city. The population density was 224.9 people per square mile . There were 2,900 housing units at an average density of 81.3 per square mile...
School Board from 1991 to 2001, then as a Chisago County Commissioner from 2002 to 2006. He is a former member of the North Branch Community Education Advisory Board, former president of the North Branch Parent-Teacher Organization, and former co-chair of the North Branch Parent-to-Parent Communication Network. He is also a former member of the Chisago County Core Committee.