Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz must replace his top health, education and public safety leaders after announcing the largest shakeup of his cabinet.
State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, Education Commissioner Heather Mueller and Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commissioner Mark Phillips have "chosen not to seek reappointment," Walz announced Wednesday.
Malcolm and Harrington had served with the DFL governor since he took office, helping lead the state through the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by police, respectively. But Mueller's exit from the Department of Education comes less than two years into her tenure and amid recent calls for her to resign for failing to swiftly shut down Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit accused of orchestrating the nation's largest pandemic fraud.
"I am honored and humbled to have been asked to serve alongside the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, particularly in such a tumultuous time for our public schools," Mueller said in a statement. "As this term comes to an end, I feel like this is the perfect opportunity for me to close this chapter in my life."
Mueller declined an interview request, a department spokesman said. She was appointed in April 2021 after former Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker resigned. Mueller joined MDE several months into Walz's first term, serving as deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner before leading the department. She started her career as a social studies teacher at Mankato Area Public Schools, where the governor also taught.
Newly elected Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, issued a statement Wednesday setting his expectations for the next education commissioner. He said that person should prioritize "meeting grade level expectations" above all else.
"We all know pandemic closures led to historic learning loss as students, teachers and parents struggled to cope with distance learning, however, students' test scores were declining well before COVID," Johnson said. "A new commissioner should prioritize getting kids back on track."
Malcolm served as state health commissioner from 1999-2003 in Gov. Jesse Ventura's cabinet. She was appointed again in 2018 by Gov. Mark Dayton, and continued in the role under Walz. As Malcolm managed the state's response to the pandemic, her contemporaries called her "Minnesota's Dr. Fauci," likening her to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"In my book, Jan Malcolm is eligible for sainthood," Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said. "We were just so fortunate as a state that she was at the helm when COVID struck."
Malcolm said in an interview Wednesday that she was "incredibly proud" of the state Health Department, local health agencies and health care providers for their pandemic work.
"I wish the public had a better sense of the level of effort that this has taken, the duration of this, the unrelenting pressure for three years. It's hard to get your head around," said Malcolm. The timing was right for her to retire, she said.
Walz's office praised Harrington, the public safety commissioner, for serving the state "through historic times, including the murder of George Floyd," and overseeing "significant police reform initiatives."
In his own statement, Harrington thanked Walz for appointing him to the influential public safety role. He declined an interview request.
"I also thank all the members of the department — whether they work in victims' services, emergency service, law enforcement, or Driver and Vehicle Services, they are the true backbone of the department that allows all the work to be done," Harrington said.
Cabinet turnover between terms is not uncommon. The governor also reappointed 16 other commissioners, including those heading the departments of Human Services, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Transportation.
Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan now must fill those four leadership vacancies, along with the heads of the Departments of Revenue and Labor and Industry. Revenue's Robert Doty left to work for the Science Museum, and Labor and Industry Commissioner Roslyn Robertson retired.
"I'm grateful to our entire cabinet for their years of service to Minnesota," Walz said in a statement. "Together, we made historic investments in education, achieved the lowest unemployment rate of any state in history, and protected the health and safety of Minnesotans. I look forward to building the team that will help us kick off our second term."
Staff writers Jeremy Olson and Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
