Minnesota Revenue commissioner will leave, creating another hole in Walz cabinet
Minnesota Department of Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly. (State of Minnesota / FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly is leaving the agency, leaving Gov. Tim Walz with a third open cabinet position to fill.
Unlike the other two, Bauerly is leaving on her own. In a statement announcing her departure, Walz praised Bauerly and said there would be a competitive hiring process to replace her.
"We are sad to see her go, and we are committed to finding someone with this same commitment to servant leadership," Walz said in an emailed statement that did not say whether Bauerly had taken another job outside state government.
The Republican-controlled Senate has fired two other commissioners, Labor's Nancy Leppink and Commerce's Steve Kelley, over the past six weeks. GOP senators are frustrated with Walz's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and also accused Leppink and Kelley of being hostile to business.
Budget Commissioner Myron Frans also left his position this summer. On the same day as Frans's decision was made public, Walz announced Jim Schowalter as Frans's replacement.