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| (L-R) Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, retired LMC lobbyist Ann Higgins, and Deputy Secretary of State Beth Fraser photo: Jeff Korte |
Higgins, who worked at the League for 32 years first as a staff associate and then as a lobbyist, most recently chalked up receipt of a Medallion Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) for her work as a strong advocate for city election officials.
The Medallion Award is presented by secretaries of state to recognize outstanding service in the areas of elections, civic education, service to state government, or philanthropy within the states. It was given to Higgins by Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Deputy Secretary of State Beth Fraser at the Oct. 16 League meeting of the board of directors.
Ritchie credited Ann for being a driving force behind election issues that are integral to democracy and a point of pride for Minnesotans.
“Ann was there to provide the heat and the clarity to those issues,” he said.
Ritchie said Ann always wanted to bring different interests to the table to create policy solutions together, even when strong differences of opinion existed.
“Ann Higgins put a lot of thought into how to make sure we didn’t make it townships vs. counties, cities vs. the Secretary of State’s office, this party or that,” said Richie. “[She] said that the only way we’re going to be leaders and do the things we need to do is by doing it together.”
Before her retirement from the League in 2013, Higgins also received recognition for outstanding achievement by Minnesota Women in City Government, and by the Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators for her work on telecommunications and cable issues.
Congratulations to Ann from all of her friends and former colleagues at the League, and from all of the city officials she successfully represented at the State Capitol for more than three decades.