Dario Anselmo (born May 2, 1962) is an American politician and former member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

. He is nonpartisan-affiliated.

Early life, education, and career

Anselmo was born on May 2, 1962. His father was a district court judge in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. He grew up in Orono, MN and graduated from Orono High School before attending

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

, and the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. At age 21, Dario co-founded a technology company that dealt with the emerging market for personal computers called Radix, Inc. After his first business, Anselmo went on to own the Fine Line Music Cafe in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

for 20 years before selling it in 2013. He served on the boards of several non-profit and civic groups, including Edina Give and Go, the Edina Education Fund, and the Minneapolis Downtown Council. Anselmo was also the president of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, which later merged with the Mental Health Association of Minnesota. He is a co-founder of the Warehouse District Business Association and a commercial real estate owner and operator.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Anselmo was first elected to the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, as a Republican representing District 49A in the southwestern

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

metropolitan area. He sat on the Education Committee and Legacy Funding Committee. While in office, Anselmo introduced legislation to increase the age required to purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and chewing tobacco in Minnesota to 21 and co-sponsored legislation for universal background checks before gun purchases. Later, Anselmo appeared on the Twin Cites PBS show Almanac to discuss the need for “Tobacco 21” legislation. He also passed a bill that reduced Social Security taxes by 50% and co-authored a bill to reduce property taxes for small businesses. According to the Pioneer Press, Anselmo held an W-NOMINATE score of 0.197, which made him one of the most moderate members of the state legislature during his tenure. In 2018, Anselmo lost his re-election bid to Heather Edelson. After Anselmo's loss, he shared a drink with Edelson that ended up in a story on MPR News online.

2020 Hennepin County Commissioner Election

On October 30, 2019, Anselmo announced his run for Hennepin County Commissioner in District 6. The seat is currently held by Jan Callison, who announced that she would not be running for re-election. On August 11, 2020, Anselmo advanced from the primary election. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Personal life

Anselmo and his wife, Jeanne, have resided in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota. Edina began as a small farming and mil ...

for the past twenty years. They have three children, all of whom have or are currently attending Edina High School.

References

External links

Dario Anselmo Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anselmo, Dario 1962 births Living people Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians Whittier College alumni Boston University alumni University of Minnesota alumni People from Edina, Minnesota