♪ >> Cathy: THE HEAD OF THE MET COUNCIL IS STEPPING DOWN FROM HIS POSITION NEXT WEDNESDAY AFTER MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE.

APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR WALZ IN JANUARY 2020, THE CHAIR OVERSAW THE ONGOING CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL PROJECT AND LED THE COUNCIL DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC.

DECLINING RIDERSHIP AND CRIME ARE LINGERING EFFECTS ON METRO TRANSIT.

THERE'S ALSO BEEN CRITICISM OF THE MET COUNCIL BEING MADE UP OF UNELECTED MEMBERS.

MET COUNCIL'S CHARLIE ZELLE IS HERE WITH US NOW, DAYS BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE.

WELCOME BACK.

I BET YOU'RE JUST COUNTING THE DAYS TOO.

[ Laughter ] SO WE FIRST RAN INTO WHEN YOU WERE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CHAIR, HEAD, D.O.T.

AND NOW YOU'RE WITH MET COUNCIL, COMMISSIONER OF THE D.O.T.

WHICH JOB DID YOU LIKE BETTER?

>> YOU KNOW, I'M PROBABLY MORE NATURALLY A MET COUNCIL BUS GUY.

AND -- BUT IT'S MORE THAN TRANSIT.

I THINK WHAT IS WONDERFUL ABOUT BOTH AGENCIES HAT IT'S ABOUT COMMUNITY, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, IT'S ABOUT CONNECTING PEOPLE.

AND I LOVE BOTH AGENCIES, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN WITH MET COUNCIL NOW, IT REALLY RESONATES, PLANNING, WASTEWATER, PARKS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

IT'S NOT JUST TRANSIT.

BUT THAT'S IMPORTANT TOO.

>> Cathy: WE SHOULD SAY YOU'RE A BUS GUY BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY FOUNDED JEFFERSON BUS LINES.

>> YES, MY GRANDFATHER, OVER 100 YEARS OLD.

>> Eric: THE COUNCIL GOT A LOT OF HEAT FOR THE SOUTHWEST RAIL EXTENSION, STILL UNDERGOING.

I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH THIS PAST WEEK, AND THE HENNEPIN COUNTY BOARD KIND OF TOSSED THIS TO THE MET COUNCIL BEFORE YOU WERE THERE.

>> YOU THINK?

[ Laughter ] >> Eric: AND I >> Eric: AND I WONDER IF THAT WAS THE PROPER SEQUENCE OF EVENTS?

>> I'VE LEARNED A NUMBER OF THINGS IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND THAT IS YOU OWN THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE BEFORE YOU.

AND THE REALITY IS, SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL, THE GREEN LINE EXTENSION, HAS ALREADY STIMULATED OVER $3 BILLION OF DEVELOPMENT AND IT WAS A COMPLICATED -- IT IS A COMPLICATED AND MASSIVE PROJECT.

AND I JUST THINK WHEN I CAME IN, IT WAS NOT RECOGNIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.

SO BRINGING IN OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS, RENEGOTIATING ALL THE MAJOR CONTRACTS, RESEQUENCING IT, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S -- THANK YOU, HENNEPIN COUNTY, AND OUR PARTNERS, BECAUSE THEY GOT THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO FINISH WHAT IT REALLY NEEDED TO BE ALL ALONG.

AND THEY'RE GOING TO START TESTING TRAINS THIS MONTH.

NEXT MONTH.

SO IT'S ON SCHEDULE.

MAYBE SLIGHTLY A LITTLE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

>> Eric: '26 OR '27?

>> '27.

>> Eric: OKAY.

>> Cathy: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE JOBS YOU'VE HELD THEN, AS COMMISSIONER OF MnDOT AND THEN ITH THE ET COUNCIL, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU LOOK BACK AND YOU THINK, OH, WISH I COULD HAVE DONE THAT?

>> WELL, THE THING YOU LEARN, AND THAT'S WHY ACTUALLY HAVING 13 YEARS IN PUBLIC SERVICE HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE, OVER TWO ADMINISTRATIONS, AND THEY'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, TWO GOVERNORS, GREAT, EACH ONE'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

I APPRECIATE THAT EFFORTS THAT ARE GOOD TAKE TIME.

THEY TAKE YEARS.

SOME OF THE CULTURAL SHIFTS AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MET COUNCIL, WE'RE PROBABLY TWO AND A HALF YEARS IN A FIVE-YEAR PROJECT TO REBUILD THE CULTURE.

WE HAVE ABOUT 80% NEW LEADERSHIP AND THEY'RE HRZ SUCH AN ESPIRIT.

IT'S IN SUCH GOOD SHAPE AND IN TERMS OF GOVERNANCE, I THINK THAT THE 17-PERSON COUNCIL IS ACCOUNTABLE TO MORE THAN THE GOVERNOR, BUT TO THE LEGISLATURE AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT WRITE THEM EVERY DAY.

SO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT HAPPENED.

BUT THEY TAKE TIME.

THIS MORNING, THERE WAS A FLAG RAISING, A TRIBAL FLAG PLAZA CEREMONY AND I THOUGHT BACK, TEN YEARS, WITH GOVERNOR DAYTON, AND I'VE TALKED TO GOVERNOR WALZ ABOUT THIS TODAY.

WOW, HE TOOK IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL, BUT HE'S BUILDING ON THE MOMENTUM THAT TAKES TIME, THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR TRIBAL NATIONS.

SO I'VE BEEN REALLY BLESSED.

I'VE LEARNED A LOT.

I'VE BYE I'VE BY DEVELOPED ALL THESE GRET RELATIONSHIPS.

>> Eric: THIS IS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR COMMISSION.

WOULD IT BE DIFFERENT IN IT WAS ELECTED?

>> I THINK THAT IF IT WERE ELECTED, I THINK IT'D BE LIKE ANOTHER LEGISLATURE WITH THE SEVEN COUNTIES THAT IS MORE THAN HALF THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF THE STATE.

I THINK IT WOULD BE VALUE CANNIZED AND HONESTLY THE FACT THAT 17 THAT 1 17 VERY DIFFERENT MEMBERS CAN COME TOGETHER AND THINK REGIONALLY AND BE TOGETHER AND DO THE RIGHT THING, SO I THINK IT IS A VERY GOOD KIND OF STRUCTURE.

I THINK THEY COULD BE TWEAKING IT, MAYBE STAGGERED TERMS.

WE'RE NOT ARGUING ABOUT THE AIRPORT.

STAGGERED TERMS, RUNNING PROFESSIONALLY.

BUT WHAT I LIKE IS THAT THE COUNCIL TAKES A REGIONAL VIEW, EXURBS, SUBURBS, 180 CITIES, YOU KNOW, MINNEAPOLIS, BIGGEST CITY, BUT IT'S ONLY 11% OF THE POPULATION.

WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE ENTIRE NETWORK.

>> Cathy: IS THIS RETIREMENT FROM WORKING OR RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC SERVICE?

>> YOU KNOW, I AM STILL THINK BEG THAT BUS COMPANY.

AND I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.

AND I HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN ITS GROWTH.

WE JUST AGUIRREED A COMPANY IN MONTANA, IN BOZEMAN.

AND SO WE'RE EXPANDING THAT COMPANY QUITE A BIT.

I THINK I COULD SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME, BUT NOT A JOB.

LOOKING ORWARD TO FREE TIME AND, YOU KNOW, JULIE'S WORKING ON HER CROP ART.

>> Eric: THERE YOU GO.

>> BE ATTENTIVE.

>> Eric: WE'LL SEE YOU ON THE BUS.

>> THA