Greiling's Farewell Speech to Colleagues

Mindy Greiling will participate tonight in her last town hall meeting as a state representative.

The Roseville DFLer decided this past winter to retire after serving 10 terms in the state House of the Minnesota Legislature.

The town hall meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. today (Tuesday) in the chambers of the state House at the Minnesota Capitol.

The following is Greiling's farewell speech to her House colleagues at the recent end of the 2012 state legislative session:

"Other legislators have told me over the years that when it is time to retire from the Legislature, you will know. I know.

It has been a great privilege to serve in this body and this building, which I am relieved we are finally going to more aggressively repair.

The best part is the people. The really great people are the staff. Rep. Garofalo tweeted recenty that there are some really smart staff people here  and, if we listen to them, we can learn a lot.  (Keep listening Pat.)

Really smart research people I have worked with the most and am grateful to know are: Shannon Patrick, Tim Strom, Greg Howe and Lisa Larson.

Here in this Chamber we are so lucky to have Chief Clerk Al Mathiwitz and his great team. We sometimes have chaos on the House floor, but think what it would be like without the front desk.

Mike Charbonneau

And even though I've been here 20 years, I've only had four and one-half legislative assistants, all fantastic: Mary Ann Goschy, Kathleen Kerr, Kyrstra Niedernhofer, and Liz Mandelman, and Travis Reese for session this year.

Each year, incumbent legislators are asked for a pearl of avice for the first termers' orientation. Mine is always the same: focus. Pick one or two areas you will focus on during your time here. Areas where you will try to do some good. Don't be one of those legislators who feel they should be the authority on every topic, always popping up on the House floor, no matter the subject. You know who you are!

I have focused on education and mental health. I'm not proud of the state of the funding in either area when I leave.

My proudest moment was when I got to carry the New Minnesota Miracle funding and reform legislation. And my biggest disappointment is that we don't collectively believe we can ever fund it.

I am bitterly unhappiy that I am leaving while we owe our schools $3 billion counting all the tabs and that, on top of that, we have decided this biennium for the first time not to event count that bill in the forecast. This serves to sweep the debt of our students under the rug. 

The best year for mental health funding was 2004. We secured $70 million new funding which was the most new funding ever for mental health in any single biennium-a figure close to the one Tax Chair Gre Davids called a "rounding error" when he described the tails on his tax bill. But it meant the world to them. I have been saddended that much of even that progress has been sacrificed on the cutting floor since.

I don't expect to be back at the Capitol a lot, but my spirit will be roaming the halls moaning: Pay back our schools. Fund our schools. Do right by people with mental illness, especially by putting them to work.

In closing, I have to acknowledge that I have been a strong critic of many things here at the Capitol. I am a "J" on the Meyers Briggs: a judger.

I have found much to dislike, especially the partisanship and the wolf pack behavior by caucuses.

But i have to also say that legislators as individuals are the very best people I have ever known. Contrary to public opinion, you are hard-wokring, smart, fun, caring, energetic people of action. You all came here to make the state a better place and set about trying to do that.

I have loved working with my Senate District mate: Rep. Bev Scalze, my education partner, Rep. Carlos Mariani, my fellow "D" in the DFL Caucus, Rep. Alice Hausman and even the gang in the back row, even Rep. Joe Mullery.

I have enjoyed working with each and every one of you in the House of Representatives and will always be proud to have been a legislator.

Despite being a critic and being ready to depart, I am really glad I came. Thank you.