Dario Anselmo (born May 2, 1962) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He is nonpartisan-affiliated.
Dario Anselmo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 49A district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Erhardt |
| Succeeded by | Heather Edelson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 2, 1962 |
| Political party | Nonpartisan (2019–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (until 2019) |
| Spouse | Jeanne Anselmo |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Whittier College Boston University University of Minnesota |
Early life, education, and career
editAnselmo was born on May 2, 1962.[1][2] His father was a district court judge in Duluth, Minnesota.[3] He grew up in Orono, MN and graduated from Orono High School before attending Whittier College, Boston University, and the University of Minnesota.[1]
At age 21, Dario co-founded a technology company that dealt with the emerging market for personal computers called Radix, Inc. After his first business, Anselmo went on to own the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis for 20 years before selling it in 2013.[4] He served on the boards of several non-profit and civic groups, including Edina Give and Go, the Edina Education Fund, and the Minneapolis Downtown Council. Anselmo was also the president of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, which later merged with the Mental Health Association of Minnesota.
He is a co-founder of the Warehouse District Business Association and a commercial real estate owner and operator.[2]
Minnesota House of Representatives
editAnselmo was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016, as a Republican representing District 49A in the southwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area. He sat on the Education Committee and Legacy Funding Committee.[5]
While in office, Anselmo introduced legislation to increase the age required to purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and chewing tobacco in Minnesota to 21[6][7][8] and co-sponsored legislation for universal background checks before gun purchases.[9] Later, Anselmo appeared on the Twin Cites PBS show Almanac to discuss the need for “Tobacco 21” legislation.[10]
He also passed a bill that reduced Social Security taxes by 50% and co-authored a bill to reduce property taxes for small businesses.[11]
According to the Pioneer Press, Anselmo held an W-NOMINATE score of 0.197, which made him one of the most moderate members of the state legislature during his tenure.[12]
In 2018, Anselmo lost his re-election bid to Heather Edelson.[13] After Anselmo's loss, he shared a drink with Edelson that ended up in a story on MPR News online.[14]
2020 Hennepin County Commissioner Election
editOn October 30, 2019, Anselmo announced his run for Hennepin County Commissioner in District 6.[15] The seat is currently held by Jan Callison, who announced that she would not be running for re-election.[16]
On August 11, 2020, Anselmo advanced from the primary election. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Personal life
editAnselmo and his wife, Jeanne, have resided in Edina, Minnesota for the past twenty years. They have three children, all of whom have or are currently attending Edina High School.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Anselmo, Dario". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Anselmo, Erhardt vie for House District 49A". Sun Current. ECM Publishers. October 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ Kaczke, Lisa (April 3, 2014). "Candidates endorsed for District 49 election". Sun Current. ECM Publishers. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ Riemenschneider, Chris. "Aqua owner buys Fine Line Music Cafe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Dario Anselmo". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Raise Minnesota smoking age to 21, GOP lawmaker says". MPR News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Almanac - Raising the Smoking Age to 21". Twin Cities PBS. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Almanac - Raising the Smoking Age to 21". Twin Cities PBS. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "OPINION EXCHANGE | Guns and public safety: Legislators are people, too — and sometimes an issue just hits home". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Almanac | Raising the Smoking Age to 21 | Season 2018 | Episode 26, archived from the original on April 6, 2023, retrieved August 29, 2020
- ^ "Edina's Anselmo running for county commission seat". hometownsource.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "We calculated how liberal or conservative each MN representative voted this year". Twin Cities. September 22, 2017. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ Uren, Adam. "Election rivals share a drink after the results come in". Bring Me The News. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Uren, Adam. "Election rivals share a drink after the results come in". Bring Me The News. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ Turtinen, Melissa. "Former State Rep. Dario Anselmo running for Hennepin County Board of Commissioners". SWNewsMedia.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison won't seek re-election in 2020". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.