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Long-time city, council official dies

By Staff | Jun 24, 2012

Former Blue Earth mayor Loren Lein died last Monday, June 18.

Lein spent nearly 35 years in public service.

He was on the Blue Earth City Council for 18 years, serving eight of those years as mayor of the city.

He was first elected to the council in 1971, then in 1978 was elected mayor pro tem after the death of then mayor Ed Leland.

He ran for the office of mayor in 1985 and was elected. He also ran for the Minnesota state senate but lost or as he put it, “he came in second.”

In 1991 he was elected to serve on the Faribault County Board of Commissioners, a position he held for 16 years. “Loren was always very active in the community,” Blue Earth mayor Rob Hammond Jr. says. “He was very involved in many aspects of the city when he was on the council and as mayor, working on many projects, such as the fitness center and the downtown redevelopment project.”

Hammond says Lein continued to be a presence in the area even after his years on the council and the county board.

“Loren had a passion for public service,” the mayor says. “He was a strong advocate for the things he believed in.”

Lein was recently involved in the county board issuing a moratorium on dumping into the Blue Earth River.

Besides local politics, Lein was also an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish whenever possible.

He was an active member in Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, National Turkey Federation, NRA, Lura Lake Sportsmans Club, Minnesota Crossbow Association and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association as part of his passion for the outdoors.

Lein was also active in the community, as a member of the American Legion Post, Blue Earth Kiwanis and the Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce.

Lein was honored by the chamber in early 2009 with the 2008 Community Service Award.

In a story in the Faribault County Register in January 2009, Lein says he was most proud of two things which were accomplished during his terms as mayor the Juba SuperValu expansion and bringing Custom Foods (now Kerry Ingredients) to Blue Earth.

In the 2009 story, Lein is quoted as saying, “I wanted to serve everyone to the best of my ability and for the people to be represented well. Representing the people of Blue Earth and Faribault County has been my greatest accomplishment.”

Lein’s complete obituary can be found inside this week’s Register.