Connecting with Government: Public Forums with Minnesota's Elected Officials with Senator Norm Coleman

The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance hosted a series of public talks by prominent government leaders as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering informed and substantive discussion on important matters of public policy. Connecting with Government will allow Minnesota's elected officials the opportunity to rise above the talking points and fractious back-and-forth of the legislative process to make substantive statements about issues of importance for Minnesotans. It also creates a forum for students and citizens to listen and raise questions with their elected officials. Norm Coleman is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota, elected to the Senate in 2002. Coleman is a member of four Senate committees, including the Foreign Relations Committee; Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From 1994 to 2002, Coleman served as the mayor of Saint Paul. Previously a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Coleman switched to the Republican Party in 1996. Coleman’s other public service includes 17 years in the Minnesota Attorney General’s office where he prosecuted cases throughout Minnesota and was involved in a wide variety of public policy matters including drug abuse and civil rights. Coleman holds degrees from Hofstra University and the University of Iowa Law School