Local Elected Leaders Reflect on Hortman, ‘She Was One of Our Sharpest’
Outside Brooklyn Park’s city hall, flags are half-staff. It’s a tribute to one of its own citizens: Rep. Melissa Hortman. Flags are also half-staff statewide, but here, there’s an especially somber feeling in the air.
Hortman’s peers and colleagues are reflecting on her legacy after she and her husband, Mark Hortman, were fatally shot Saturday morning.
“Our world is so much better because she was here,” said Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston.
A Local Impact
Winston knew Hortman before she ever ran for office. He worked for the DFL’s African American Caucus and met her then. He said she was eager to help and offered treats and assistance for young people involved in the group.
“I knew her as just a neighbor who really cared about the kids,” Winston said.
Once Hortman was elected in 2004, Winston said she helped build up Brooklyn Park and the state. He credits her with help in building the area up economically, including helping fund the future Highway 610 corridor project and providing funding for the city’s new teen center.
Winston also said he doesn’t think people know how much of a difference Hortman made in the state. He credits that to her humble nature.
“You know, this is just a huge blow to not just Brooklyn Park. The entire state, the country. Because this is someone who is so smart and empathetic, but made it seem all casual,” Winston said. “I can’t really do justice to the contributions that were made.”
Rep. Hortman and Mayor Winston pose for a photo.
‘Incredibly Impressive’
Hortman’s state House of Representatives colleague, Rep. Mike Freiberg of Golden Valley, saw a similar spark in her. He met her when she first ran for office. He was assigned to a few campaigns including hers. His job was to help her campaign, but he said he realized she didn’t need much help.
“It was immediately apparent that she was an incredibly impressive candidate. Just had the knowledge to do it, and the organization to run a really effective campaign,” Freiberg said.
Freiberg said Mark Hortman, a computer programmer, also played a role in the campaign. He said Mark designed a program for a Palm Pilot to help Melissa with door-knocking back in the early 2000s.
Hortman and Freiberg smile for a photo.
Years later, when Freiberg was elected to the House, he sat near Hortman and she served as a mentor. He wasn’t surprised when she was elected Speaker of the House.
“She was one of our sharpest, most hardworking members,” Freiberg said.
Beyond her political accomplishments, he said she focused on helping reduce lawmakers’ typically long, grueling hours. When Freiberg first worked in the House, they would stay until 5 or 6 a.m. some days trying to get deals done. Under Hortman’s guidance, he said late nights looked more like midnight or 10 p.m. Freiberg felt that benefited both parties and their staff.
“She really just emphasized the humanity of us, I feel like, as legislators. Because a lot of people don’t see elected officials that way,” Freiberg said.
He said her legacy will last even if she was quiet about it.
“For as accomplished and capable as she was, she was just very unassuming if you talked to her one-on-one,” he said. “And funny. I will just really miss that about her.”
Mark and Melissa Hortman were 58 and 55, respectively. They have two adult children.
