| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| July 20, 2000 | Susan Maren (612-378-8700) |
(St. Paul) State Representative Harry Mares ( R - White Bear Lake) was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Teamsters Local 320. The award was given to Mares in appreciation for his dedication and service to the working people of the state of Minnesota by Teamsters Local 320. The union is composed of public employees from around Minnesota.
"Representative Harry Mares' commitment and dedication to the legislative concerns of public employees is visionary. He understands the needs of those involved with public safety issues, particularly law enforcement and correctional facility employees," said Susan Maren, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 320. Maren went on to say, "Harry has demonstrated that he grasps the issues important to public employees, and cares tremendously about public safety. Therefore, we chose to honor him with our first ever 'Legislator of the Year' award."
The Teamsters Local 320 "Legislator of the Year" award is issued to a legislator who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to public employees, public safety, and public pensions. This is the first year the Teamsters Local 320 have awarded a legislator this prestigious award. They plan to begin issuing the award on an annual basis.
Teamsters Local 320 is comprised of approximately 6,000 public employees. About half of the members work in law enforcement and correctional facilities, while the other half work in city, county, school districts, and University of Minnesota jobs throughout the state.
Representative Harry Mares was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1994. He currently serves as the chair of both the House of Representatives Committee on Education Policy and the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement. He also serves on the Governmental Operations and Veterans Affairs Policy, Rules, and K-12 Education Finance Committees.