25 Facts About Mike Opat

Michael Joseph Opat was born on March 25,1961 and is an American politician from the US state of Minnesota.

Mike Opat serves on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the governing body for the largest county in Minnesota, with more than 1.25 million residents and an annual budget of $2.4 billion.

Mike Opat represents District 1, an area that includes more than 170,000 residents and encompasses six suburban cities: Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo, and Robbinsdale.

Mike Opat has been described as one of the "most aggressive local government leaders", and said he considered a bid for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination for governor of Minnesota in the 2010 election.

Mike Opat was born on March 25,1961, in North Minneapolis to mother Joan and father Harold Mike Opat, an Ironworker.

Mike Opat attended the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities while working full-time at the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility, known as the county "workhouse", and coaching basketball.

In 1987, Mike Opat was awarded the Minnesota Correctional Officer of the Year award by the Minnesota Corrections Association, which he says motivated him to apply to Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Mike Opat was elected as the Chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in January 2009, replacing Randy Johnson, a Republican who had been the board's chair since 2004.

Mike Opat went on to chair the board for a total of nine years.

Mike Opat describes himself as a "lifelong Democrat," and is a member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party.

Mike Opat endorsed then Senator Barack Obama via a letter to the Star Tribune in January 2008, saying the election was "the most important" in his lifetime.

Mike Opat cited the importance of Obama's domestic agenda to improve our infrastructure through road and transit initiatives, as well as the prospects of reasonable immigration policy.

Mike Opat's district includes more Liberian immigrants than anywhere in Minnesota.

In 2004, Mike Opat led the charge for a change in the governing structure of HCMC, which, as Hennepin County's hospital, was governed by the County Board.

Mike Opat led the adoption of a task force's proposal to transfer day-to-day management of the hospital from the County Board to Hennepin Healthcare Systems Inc.

Mike Opat is the legal guardian of his brother, who is developmentally disabled, and has served on the Minnesota Special Olympics Board of Directors.

Mike Opat launched the Roadside Enhancement Partnership Program, designed to beautify the pedestrian areas near roadways, including streetscapes, sidewalks, landscaping, masonry and public art.

Mike Opat is credited for leading the revitalization for the avenue in the mid-1990s.

Mike Opat insisted the new neighborhood should offer home buyers a variety of housing that would be affordable to middle-class residents, provide enhanced views of Shingle Creek, and fit into the scale of homes found on Victory Memorial Drive.

In 1994 Mike Opat launched the "Productive Day" initiative which required inmates serving longer than a 15-day sentence at the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility to work or go to school for at least 8 hours per day.

In November 2007, while outside his home in Robbinsdale, Mike Opat was attacked by two assailants, one of whom wielded a sawed off shotgun.

Mike Opat was hit with the butt of the gun, then knocked down, kicked, and punched.

Mike Opat lost his vehicle, his wallet, and his cellphone, but escaped with only minor injuries.

In 2006, Commissioner Mike Opat led the effort with the Minnesota Twins to finance and build the new outdoor ballpark in downtown Minneapolis.

Mike Opat is a defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought forth by Kevin and Valerie Holler.