Met Council Chair Sue Haigh stepping down
Met Council Chair Sue Haigh announced this morning that she is stepping down from her position.
She was appointed to the post in the Twin Cities' regional planning agency as part of Gov. Mark Dayton's new cabinet in 2011. Haigh is the second member of Dayton's cabinet to leave as he prepares for his second term.
The Met Council is best known for running the metro's bus and transit system and oversees policies in other areas like housing, wastewater and parks.
During Haigh's tenure, the council opened the Green Line light rail line connecting the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and completed a 30-year long-range plan for the region.
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Haigh says she's confident progress will continue on the Southwest and Bottineau rail lines.
"We're one of only two metropolitan areas in the country that's actually in the design phase of these major transit-way projects," Haigh said. "The other city is Seattle. I'd like to think we're going to do a great job in this region and really be one of the top metro areas in this country."
Haigh also said she's proud of the work the Council has done to address equity in planning regional growth, housing and transit.
"It's probably THE most important conversation we can be having as a region: How do we make sure that the people who are going to live in this region in the future are going to both share in the opportunities and the challenges of growth and make sure that that is true no matter what your race, your ethnicity, your income. How it this region going to be a great place for everyone to live?"
Haigh says she's stepping down to concentrate on her work as President and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
MPR News' Sasha Aslanian contributed to this report.