MIKE ERLANDSON: "SIX YEARS OF BEING THE FIRE HYDRANT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS A LONG TIME."

I always thought Erlandson was "yellow".

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Erlandson bows out as DFL chairman

Saying "six years of being the fire hydrant for the Democratic Party is a long time," Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Mike Erlandson has decided not to seek a fourth term this spring.

Erlandson, 40, of Minneapolis, announced his decision to the DFL central committee Saturday. He has been moonlighting as an unpaid volunteer chairman while working full time as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo. "Now I'll have a little bit more time to spend with two kids under 2," he said Monday.

Chairing the party has been the "biggest honor of my professional career," he said. "I've enjoyed the job, in spite of the fact that it's not always fun. It is without a doubt the most thankless job in politics, regardless of whether you 're a Democrat or Republican."

Erlandson said he believes he will leave the DFL in its best shape in 20 years. Last fall, the party carried Minnesota for John Kerry by a bigger margin than Al Gore got in 2000, and it picked up 13 seats in the Minnesota House.

The party has gone from being in debt when he took over to having "several hundred thousand dollars in the bank," he said. The number of small donors has increased from about 25,000 to more than 100,000, and the party has recruited more than 100,000 volunteer workers.

Erlandson plans to remain active in politics. "If the right opportunity to seek public office comes along at the right point in my time, and I think I've got something to offer to whatever that job is, I certainly will look long and hard at it," he said.

Former state Rep. Betty Folliard of Golden Valley and Minneapolis DFL Chairman Brian Melendez are announced candidates to succeed Erlandson, and grassroots organizer Josh Syrjanaki of Bloomington said he expects to jump into the race. Other possible candidates include Hubert "Buck" Humphrey IV and state DFL Associate Chair Tarryl Clark.

The party's central committee will elect a new chair May 21. Source: Pioneer Press, February 8, 2005