Governor of Minnesota

Governor of Minnesota

Incumbent
Mark Dayton

since January 3, 2011
Style The Honorable
Residence Minnesota Governor's Residence
Term length Four years, no term limit
Formation May 24, 1858
Deputy Tina Smith
Salary $120,303 (2013)[1]
Website http://www.governor.state.mn.us/
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Minnesota

The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor, also served as state governor several years later. State governors are elected to office by popular vote, but territorial governors were appointed to the office by the United States president. The current governor of Minnesota is Mark Dayton of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).

Powers and qualifications

Like the U.S. President, the governor has veto power over bills passed by the Minnesota State Legislature. As in most states, but unlike the U.S. President, the governor can also make line-item vetoes, where specific provisions in bills can be stripped out while allowing the overall bill to be signed into law.

The minimum required age of a candidate for the Governor of Minnesota is 25 years (having been a Minnesota resident for one year before the election).

Since a 1958 amendment to the Minnesota Constitution governors are elected to four-year terms. Previously, they served two-year terms. There is no term limit for governor of the state.[2]

Cabinet

The governor has a cabinet consisting of the leaders of various state departments. The governor appoints these department heads, who, other than the head of the Department of Military Affairs and the chairs of the Metropolitan Council and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, are called commissioners. Cabinet-level departments include:[3]

Residence

The Minnesota Governor's Residence is located in Saint Paul, at 1006 Summit Avenue.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. "The Green Papers: Minnesota 2006 Midterm Election". Richard E. Berg-Andersson, Research and Commentary. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  3. Governor's Cabinet

External links