Lourey out as Walz’s Human Services commissioner

National Politics

Lourey out as Walz’s Human Services commissioner

The Associated Press

July 15, 2019 08:06 AM

ORDER REPRINT


ST. PAUL, Minn.

Gov. Tim Walz’s Human Services commissioner has resigned just six months after being appointed.

The governor’s office announced Tony Lourey’s resignation on Monday without explanation. He leaves just days after two deputy commissioners announced their departures — also without explanation.

Lourey says in a resignation letter that a new leader is necessary to carry out the agency’s work.

Lourey was a Democratic state senator when Walz named him in January to head up one of the state’s biggest agencies. But Human Services has been under fire for its handling of alleged fraud, data breaches and other administrative problems.

Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month

Get full access to The Bellingham Herald content across all your devices.

SAVE NOW

Walz said in a statement that Pam Wheelock would take over as acting commissioner. Wheelock was commissioner of finance under Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.