Rep. Steve Gottwalt announces intention to resign

Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) announced his intention to resign the seat to which he was elected to serve a fourth term.

In a letter to House members, Gottwalt said his new position as director of state legislative policy for the Center for Diagnostic Imaging of St. Louis Park will not allow him the time needed to “represent the people of District 14A as their State Representative.”

His position with the healthcare company will mean working nationally to “… translate the complex state healthcare regulatory environment” in the states in which the company is active, he noted. “It quite simply is more than a full time job.”

Gottwalt was first elected to the House in 2006. When the Republicans controlled the House during the 2011-2012 biennium, he chaired the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee and served on the House Health and Human Services Finance, and Taxes committees.

In recently announcing the 2013-2014 committee structure, House Speaker-designate Paul Thissen (DFL-Mpls) named Gottwalt to the Republican Lead position on the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee and as a member of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee.

“I thank you, my colleagues, for our years of service together, and my constituents for their confidence in electing me to represent them,” Gottwalt wrote.

He is expected to resign before the end of January. It will be up to the governor to call a special election to fill the seat.

Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter) announced Dec. 19 that he will not be seated in the new Legislature. He accepted a position in Chicago. The governor has not yet announced when a special election will be held to fill the District 19A seat.