KEN WOLFE
By Bob Reiss From the Re-Echo, Spring 2005

The first Council of the new St Louis Park Charter City consisted of the former elected Village trustees and two additional appointees. This Council governed for all of 1955, but the members were required to run for reelection in 1955 for staggered terms until 1959.

With the new slate in 1956, the complexion of the Council changed. Newcomers Gene Schadow, Robert Erhenberg and Ken Wolfe replaced the traditional old guard. Erhenbeig and Schadow were new to the political arena, but Ken Wolfe had been active in the St Louis Park Community for many years - although not in any elective capacity.

Ken Wolfe moved to the Park in 1941 and with his family, had run Associated Lithographers on Lake Street across from me football field. He started his community service as an air raid warden in 1942. He became active in the Better Government League and in the St. Louis Park Rotary Club.

The Council seat that Wolfe won was for a four-year term ending in 1959. At the end of that term, with support from the existing Mayor, Herb Leffler, he ran successfully for the office of Mayor. He served in this position for four two year terms and in 1966 his supporters urged him to run for governor of Minnesota. Instead he ran for State Senator from District 30. He won that seat and tried to serve as State Senator and Mayor, but it was too much. He resigned as Mayor, and represented District 30 until 1972.

Throughout his years as Council man, Mayor and State Senator, Ken Wolfe was an exceptional public servant. He gave more time and energy to the City than his constituents had a right to expect. He was really a full-time Mayor and a part-time businessman.

Forceful and creative. Ken Wolfe seemed always in the center of controversy. In 1958, he tendered his resignation from the Council over annual salaries. He believed strongly that the Councilmen should not have to set their own salaries every year. A letter with 250 signatures urging him not to resign convinced him to continue on the Council.

Ken Wolfe was one of the plaintiffs to petition a panel of judges for reapportionment because he thought the suburbs were underrepresented. He and Mayor Melton Honsey of New Hope paid most of the court costs for this action. He was verbally abused by Minneapolis Mayor Arthur Naflin in a meeting at Central Junior High School over the issue of transferring Minneapolis General Hospital to a county hospital operation. By a vote of 13 to 0, the Minneapolis City Council publicly censured him in 1962 for his advocacy for a metro sewer district.

During Ken's tenure there were a great many new needs, and he put his energy into addressing them. He had very strong feelings about the need for a Metropolitan Council and metropolitan services such as transit, airports and sewers. For the Park, he established a citywide acquisition and development program for parks and playgrounds. Wolfe Paik is a monument to him. He established open council meetings and appointed a library committee. He changed the city elections to November when everyone else voted, and he extended the Mayor's term of office to four years.

In 1972, the St. Louis Park Sun ran the banner headline:

Ken Wolfe: "The Little Giant" Steps Down.




 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.