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Politics and Government
Alex V. Cipolle

Hennepin commissioner LaTondresse to resign, takes top position with housing nonprofit

A man in a suit smiles
Hennepin County Commissioner Chris LaTondresse.
Courtesy of Nancy Kuehn

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Hennepin County Commissioner Chris LaTondresse is resigning his office to take a job with an affordable housing nonprofit, forcing the county to hold a special election to fill the seat. LaTondresse announced his resignation Thursday.

Statements from the commissioner and Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative say he will become the next CEO and president.

LaTondresse says his resignation is effective on Sept. 21. His term would have ended in January 2025.

“I really just think this comes down to a pretty extraordinary opportunity to serve. It’s an issue that's near and dear to my heart,” said LaTondresse, who has been in talks with Beacon since April. “It's not an opportunity that I sought out, it kind of came unexpectedly. As I looked at the really vital work that Beacon is doing [and] my background as a leader in the moment that we find ourselves in, it seems like a pretty extraordinary convergence.”

Since 2021, LaTondresse has served District 6 spanning 16 west metro cities including Edina, Minnetonka, Orono, Wayzata and Hopkins.

“Right now there's a Beacon housing project going up in Hopkins, my hometown, a couple of blocks from Main Street,” LaTondresse says. “It's 50 units, families are going to be moving into these homes in the next year or two, and that kind of work just gets me really excited.”

He was also chair of the county's Housing and Redevelopment Authority. His early departure, he says, is due to a growing housing crisis in Minnesota. In his new role, LaTondresse says he will focus on growing the housing advocacy movement and strengthening government partnerships.

“I think it sends a message that housing is an increasingly important topic on the minds of policymakers, advocates, community members, and voters alike — that we all need to be paying more attention to and scaling our response to.”

The county board says it will announce the date of a special election to fill his vacancy in the coming days.