Star Tribune
Melanie Benjamin will not run again to lead Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
After serving more than two decades as the popularly elected chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Melanie Benjamin announced she will not seek a sixth term in office this year.
Benjamin, who was first elected to the role in 2000, is one of the longest-serving chief executives in the history of the east-central Minnesota band of 4,700 members, 2,300 of whom live within the reservation boundaries.
During her tenure, Benjamin diversified the band’s economy by expanding its commercial enterprise beyond gaming and situating the band as the largest employer in its region, according to a news release issued Thursday. She also worked to protect the band’s tribal sovereignty.
“She has aggressively fought to protect the existence of the Band’s reservation, defeating claims by Mille Lacs County that it was disestablished over 100 years ago,” the release states. “Under Benjamin’s determined leadership, the Band ultimately secured legal confirmation that its reservation remains intact in a 2016 legal opinion from the U.S. Interior Department Solicitor and in a 2022 federal court decision.”
During her tenure, Benjamin also worked to expand programs focused on preserving the Ojibwe language and testified before Congress on multiple issues, including tribal self-governance, public safety, and investments in infrastructure, health and education.
“Serving as chief executive for my band has been the greatest honor of my life,” Benjamin said in the release. “I love public service, but I have now accomplished what I first set out to do as chief executive. I learned from Art Gahbow, our past chief executive, that one of the most important jobs of any leader is to prepare the next generation to take over. That has been a focus of my work, and I am very proud of our new warriors. They are now ready to lead our tribe with vision and skill.”
The band’s general election will be June 11. The newly elected chief will take office July 8.
Benjamin said after her term ends, she hopes to continue focusing on advancing leadership development and opportunities for Native women and youth. She also plans to continue her public service as a board member for organizations including the Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations, the American Indian Law Resource Center and the state’s Housing Finance Agency.
Transforming the heart of both downtowns, which have much larger buildings than old warehouses, is going to take a lot more money, creativity and time. Josh Talberg, managing director at downtown Minneapolis brokerage JLL, said with no major apartment buildings on the drawing board in either downtown, the fleet of empty office buildings present a golden opportunity to create more housing and lead both cities in a new direction.
“You can can certainly see the fundamentals improving, and you can feel that vibrancy, and that’s ultimately the foundation that’s needed to get investors to reinvest in the city,” he said. “But it’s not as if these 18-wheelers can turn on a dime.”
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed part of a state highway Wednesday evening near Austin because of a “major hazardous materials release” in the area.
Hwy. 56 from Hayfield to Waltham, a stretch covering about five miles, was closed in both directions and drivers were directed to follow a detour to Blooming Prairie on U.S. Hwy. 218.
No information on the hazardous materials released was immediately available.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a 2023 traffic stop.
The decision is the latest development in a case that has drawn heated debate over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Criminal charges against Londregan were dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in June, saying the prosecution didn’t have the evidence to proceed with a case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel granted Londregan’s motion to dismiss the civil suit, arguing he acted reasonably when he opened fire as Cobb’s vehicle lurched forward with another state trooper partly inside.
Londregan’s attorney Chris Madelsaid Wednesday that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice. Ryan Londregan has finally arrived.”
On July 31, 2023, the two troopers pulled over Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis for driving without taillights and later learned he was wanted for violating a felony domestic no-contact order. Cobb refused commands to exit the car.
With Seide partly inside the car while trying to unbuckle Cobb’s seatbelt, the car moved forward. Londregan then opened fire, hitting Cobb twice.
In her decision, Brasel said the troopers were mandated by state law to make an arrest given Cobb’s domestic no-contact order violation. She said it was objectively reasonable for Londregan to believe Seide was in immediate danger as the car moved forward on a busy highway, which would make his use of force reasonable.
