Martin Sabo, Vice Chair

Martin Olav Sabo was appointed to the Minnesota Ballpark Authority in 2011 by Governor Mark Dayton.  Sabo is a former United States Representative for Minnesota’s Fifth District where he served for 28 years – the second longest tenure in either house of Congress in Minnesota history.

Sabo’s political career began in 1960 when he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives at the age of 22. He served as minority leader (1969–72) and as the first Democratic House Speaker (1973–78). During his tenure in the state house, he served terms as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Legislative Conference and was a presidential appointee to the National Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

As a U.S Representative,  Sabo chaired the House Budget Committee in 1993-94.  In the 109th United States Congress, he sat on the House Appropriations Committee and was the ranking member of that committee's Homeland Security subcommittee. He also served on the Intelligence and Ethics Committee.  In addition, Sabo participated in the Annual Democrats vs. Republicans baseball game for 20 years and was the Democrat’s team manager for 19 years.

On March 18, 2006 he announced that he would not run for re-election for the 110th Congress, ending 46 years as an elected official.

Since 2008, Sabo has served as a co-chair of the National Transportation Policy Project of the Bipartisan Policy Center. For his work on acquiring funding for transportation projects (specifically pedestrian and bicycling funding), the Midtown Greenway bridge in Minneapolis was named the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge in 2007. 

Commissioner Sabo is married and has two children and six grandchildren.