Bernie Lieder, a key legislative supporter of CTS, died August 23. He was the 2004 recipient of the CTS Distinguished Public Leadership Award.
After a career as a highway engineer in Polk County, Lieder was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984, where he served through 2010.
Lieder chaired the Policy and Decision-Making Subcommittee of the Transportation Study Board (TSB) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which looked at the transportation needs of the state and recommended investments for the future. This included research funding for both the Minnesota Department of Transportation and CTS. One result was the language providing annual funding for CTS in the TSB bill that was signed by Gov. Arne Carlson.
“Bernie believed in the benefits of research, including local government research by Minnesota’s Local Road Research Board, since he was a former county engineer,” says Robert Johns, former CTS director. “He was a joy to work with, wanting to know what we thought would be best for CTS and the state. He was a great listener, always respectful and responsive.”
In 2008, Lieder chaired the House transportation finance committee and helped craft an infrastructure plan that included the first state gas-tax increase in 20 years. Lieder formed a coalition of urban and rural lawmakers that overrode a veto by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.