Leadership

District 5 Debbie Goettel

Welcome to the homepage for Commissioner Debbie Goettel and District 5. We have the distinct honor of representing Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Richfield and parts of Minneapolis on the Hennepin County Board. A tireless champion of our suburban communities, Debbie served as the mayor of Richfield for ten years and on numerous local and regional planning bodies before her election to the Board in November 2016.

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Leadership positions

Hennepin County

Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, vice-chair
Administration, Operations and Budget Committee, chair
Audit Committee, member
Child Well-being Taskforce, chair
Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA), member
Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA), member
Hennepin Health, member
Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) Board Finance and Operations Committee, chair
Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) Quality, Safety, Audit, Compliance Committee, member
Resident Services Committee, vice-chair

Other positions

Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) District X, member
AMC Environment Committee, member
AMC voting delegate
Blue Line Extension Project Decisions Board, 2nd alternate
Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (CAP-HC), member
Green Line Extension Corridor Management Committee, member
Green Line Extension Community Works Steering Committee, member
Green Line Extension Executive Change Control Board, member
Hennepin History Museum, member
Library Board, liaison
Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) and Metronet, member
Partnership on Waste and Energy Issues, member
Regional Solid Waste Hauler Licensing Board, member
Transportation Advisory Board, member

Biography

When Debbie Goettel (pronounced “Go Tell”) took office in January 2017, she came prepared with the experience needed to be a strong advocate for her suburban district. Before joining the county board, she served 10 years as Richfield’s mayor. During that time, she spurred significant redevelopment in the downtown area and south side of the city. Her collaboration with the city council and staff also led to the city’s first comprehensive five-year plan to repave all city streets.

In addition to her brick-and-mortar contributions to the city, Debbie is proud of her human rights initiatives. In 2011, she and the city passed an ordinance for partnership agreements, providing same-sex couples with the same rights as married couples. The success in Richfield paved the way for collaboration with other city mayors to pass similar partnership agreements. Debbie and her mayoral colleagues were proud to support the efforts that led to statewide equality in 2013.

Outside of her service in public office, Debbie has been an active participant in local and regional civics. Her passion for creating a brighter future led to service on:

Richfield Foundation Board
Minnesota Environmental Initiatives Task Force
Richfield 4th of July Committee
Metropolitan Housing Policy Board
League of Minnesota Cities
Urban Land Institute's Regional Council of Mayors
Governor's 2013 Local Government Aid task force

Debbie has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and completed graduate studies on environmental sustainability at Harvard and University of Minnesota. In her professional career, she worked for international companies in the area of Sustainability, Environment, Health, and Safety. Debbie is married with three children and five grandchildren.