Tom Hackbarth | |
|---|---|
| Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives from the 31B district 50A (1995–1997, 1999–2003), 48A (2003–2013) | |
| In office January 5, 1999 – January 2, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Kathleen Sekhon |
| Succeeded by | Cal Bahr |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 6, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Kathleen Sekhon |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Sekhon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1951-12-28)December 28, 1951 (age 73) |
| Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | North Hennepin Community College |
| Occupation | salesman,firefighter |
Thomas M. Hackbarth (born December 28, 1951) is aMinnesota politician and former member of theMinnesota House of Representatives. A member of theRepublican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 31B, which included portions ofAnoka County in the northernTwin Cities metropolitan area.
Hackbarth graduated fromAnoka High School inAnoka, and then attendedNorth Hennepin Community College inBrooklyn Park. He has been afirefighter for theOak Grove Volunteer Fire Department since 1983.[1] He is also a retired salesman in the automotive parts industry.[2]
Hackbarth was first elected in 1994 and served one term. He ran again in 1998, was elected, and has been re-elected every two years since then. Before the 2002 legislativeredistricting, he represented the old District 50A. He chaired the Environment and Natural Resources Committee from 2003-2006.[2]
Hackbarth was slated to chair the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the legislative session beginning in 2011. The House Republican Party caucus reneged on the chairmanship after an incident on Tuesday, November 16, 2010.[3][4] On that date, Hackbarth was questioned and briefly detained by police who found him with a loaded gun, for which he had a permit to carry, acting suspiciously in aPlanned Parenthood parking lot in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hackbarth stated he was looking for a girlfriend, he had recently met through an online dating site.[5]
Hackbarth is a key proponent of building a new stadium for theMinnesota Vikings. On October 5, 2009, he announced a renewal of the effort to build a Vikings stadium without increasing taxes on Minnesota citizens. The plan proposed a constitutional amendment authorizing the use of revenue from the addition ofslot machines at existing Twin Cities areahorse racing facilities for Vikings stadium funding.[6]
Hackbarth lost theprimary election for theRepublican nomination for re-election in 2016, losing toCal Bahr.