A rare leader lost

Never have I ever had the nightmare that a friend of mine could be the victim of a political assassination in the United States of America.

Never have I ever looked to the sky, as I did on Saturday afternoon, admiring three great blue herons over the Mississippi River, which flows from Minnesota to Iowa, then starkly recognize the majestic birds are flying in “missing man formation.”

Never have I ever met a public servant quite like Melissa Hortman.

In recent days, I burst into tears when I see the image or hear the name of my friend. When I do not cry, I spit nails in rage.

Melissa was murdered for doing the work of the people of Minnesota. The deaths of Mark and Melissa Hortman at the gunpoint of a political predator is a blow against democracy.

I first met and worked with Rep. Hortman — who later became leader of Minnesota House Democrats, then Speaker of the Minnesota House — at meetings of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and National Conference of State Legislatures. We also crossed paths as part of the State Innovation Exchange.

I am also friends with Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman who, with his wife Yvette, were shot multiple times in their home in the middle of the same night. They survived. I met John at some of the same meetings, including the Mississippi River Legislative Caucus.

Here is what I learned from both Melissa and John, along with the delegation of multiple Minnesota lawmakers who usually accompanied them to such meetings:

Melissa and her colleagues came to legislative meetings to work. They didn’t skip meetings. They didn’t hesitate to speak up, engage, share their experiences. That engagement brought results.

Melissa and her colleagues displayed great personal rapport, mutual respect and collective identity with each other and on behalf of their state. While they all no doubt brought with them different backgrounds, skill sets, priorities, opinions and leadership/communication styles, there was never a sense of ambition, competition, judgment or political gamesmanship among them.

Melissa and her colleagues extended those courtesies to legislators from other states. The Minnesota delegation welcomed and embraced you. Always valued your viewpoints.

Perhaps most important in these increasingly partisan times, Melissa, John and their Democratic colleagues did not separate themselves from or speak ill of their Minnesota Republican peers who almost always attended the same meetings. Outside observers would have difficulty seeing red or blue when Minnesota legislators of both parties were together. Which is not to say Melissa was a wilting lily when other politicians earned her reproach.

Melissa modeled behaviors her colleagues shared and to which others aspired. If you followed Melissa’s “rise to power,” you could see who she was increasingly reflected in the institution she helped lead.

As one of her last public acts, in a powerful gesture of political self-sacrifice, Melissa cast the lone Democratic vote to support a compromise she agreed to, so none of her colleagues would have to fall on the sword. To avoid a shutdown of state government, the deal undid a signature piece of Democratic legislation extending health care to all. The Minnesota House is split evenly: 67 Republicans, 67 Democrats, operating under a power-sharing agreement Melissa negotiated. So compromise is essential. Melissa was that rare political leader who could effectively balance idealism with realism. Then take your case back to the voters.

Melissa and I shared a cross-section of common interests and concerns on environmental issues. But the high regard I have for my friend was not based on a transactional issue agenda.

True colleagues are people with whom you can sometimes disagree. I found the response to Melissa’s death by her Republican counterpart in leadership both remarkable and hopeful:

“I am devastated by the loss of Speaker-Emerita Melissa Hortman. She was respected by everyone at the Capitol as a formidable advocate for her values and her caucus. She battled fiercely, but never let it impact the personal bond that we developed serving as caucus leaders. Few legislators have had as large an impact on the State of Minnesota, and she was a nationally recognized leader in energy policy. She has had a profound impact on this institution and on my own leadership,” said Rep. Lisa DeMuth, speaker, Minnesota House of Representatives, and a Republican.

More testimony that resonated with me:

“If you can think of something that came out of law in Minnesota, whether it’s the bus you rode to work, or the street you drive on to work, the meal, the lunch, the breakfast your child receives at school for free, the time off you receive to care for your loved ones … if you see a solar panel in this state it’s because of Melissa Hortman. She advocated for planting trees across her state because we know we need trees to combat climate change, so people have what they need to keep their homes cool. She loved trees. She loved gardening. She loved the outdoors.

“Melissa Hortman made your life better in Minnesota. Melissa was the kind of person who would tell us to take off our blue jerseys and red jerseys when you go to work and be human. And Melissa made it possible (for us to) govern the state of Minnesota so effectively over the past couple of years. She was a fierce negotiator but she was a good friend. She was funny. She liked to have fun. We have all lost a giant, an incredible person. And we also lost Mark Hortman, who was one of the sweetest, kindest people, who loved Melissa so much and who was so proud of the work Melissa was doing in St. Paul.” — Minnesota State Rep. Sydney Jordan, interviewed on MSNBC.

In my last interaction with Melissa, we agreed to trade gifts after a football game between Iowa and Minnesota. I would receive Minnesota wild rice. Melissa would get Iowa sweet corn. Didn’t matter who won. I don’t recall that we completed the exchange. We both had campaigns to worry about.

Never did I ever think that would be our last connection.

In gratitude for her friendship, I hope to contribute to a fitting living memorial to support public servants who want to make a difference, inspired by Melissa’s memory.

Listen to their children, Sophie and Colin, and you will learn about their parents.

“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.

“If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following:

Chuck Isenhart is a recovering Iowa state legislator offering research, analysis, education and public affairs advocacy. His writing can be found at his Iowa Public Policy Geek blog.