Dean Urdahl will Retire January 5th

After 22 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Dean Urdahl will be officially retired on January 5th. His eleven terms in the State Legislature have resulted in numerous local and state projects being accomplished.

Urdahl says he served on the Capital Investment Committee for 20 years – two of those years as chair when Republicans were in the majority – and he was able to get many projects included in the bonding bills – mainly for water and wastewater projects – for the small towns he represented, but also big projects such as $6-million for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center, and $10-million for the wastewater expansion project at First District Association which did not get signed into law this past session as the Senate did not get it passed in time for the midnight deadline, but he’s confident it will pass in the 2025 session. He says he was also instrumental in the huge preservation project for the State Capitol Building.

Urdahl says he worked for 7 years on a bill to get civics as a requirement for course credit for high school juniors and seniors and it finally passed, so it will be a requirement for graduation as of 2026. He says he also tried to get a state park located in his district, and eventually Green Leaf – in southern Meeker County – was designated as a state recreation area. He says he’d like to thank the people in this area for the opportunity he’s had to represent them these past 22 years.

Urdahl says his wife, Karen, encouraged him to retire at the end of his current term, and he agreed that it was time. He says they will spend time traveling and attending the events of their grandchildren, and he will also continue writing and hopes to produce another film this summer.