Veteran Dem Senator Fills Minn. Education Post
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Another Democratic veteran is leaving the state Senate to take a full-time position in Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's cabinet.
Dayton said Friday that Minneapolis Sen. Larry Pogemiller, who for four years was Senate majority leader, will fill the top job at the Office of Higher Education. He replaces Sheila Wright, who left the department in September.
The agency administers state financial aid programs and provides research on college enrollment, finance and trends.
Pogemiller has spent 30 years in the Legislature, serving a single term in the House before winning an election to the Senate. He led Senate Democrats from 2007 until they lost control of the chamber last fall.
The appointment was first reported Thursday night by Minnesota Public Radio News, which cited unnamed sources.
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