Jon Fure

1. What's your name?
Jon Fure

2.  Where do you live?
St. Paul

3.  Which Minnesotan do you most admire, and why?
My late grandpa, Odvin Fure, who was a farmer in Blue Earth County (Keister / Briclyn area). He had such a positive attitude and sense of genuineness and sincerity that I often reflect on how I could be more like him.

4.  What do you do for work? 

I have worked in communications for several state agencies, most recently as the communications director for the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. My work is a combination of technical writing, publication coordination, web design, and graphic design. I am currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration degree at Hamline University, which is enabling me to expand my skills in all aspects of public sector management and administration.

5.  What do you like most about your job? 

It is very rewarding to create printed materials or web pages that are informative, effective explanations of how and why tax dollars are spent. My main objective is to provide information to the public that makes government spending more transparent.

6. Why are you working in public service? 

I enjoy using my skills to try to make government more efficient and effective. Also, I appreciate the complexity of competing values that influence public policy. For example, if a new business does something that generates pollution or causes homes to be damaged by flooding, it is the job of government to sort out solutions that balance the rights of all involved. Obviously we need profitable businesses, but the right to make a profit sometimes needs to be balanced with the rights of neighboring citizens to maintain their quality of life. As a communications professional, I want to use my skills to help people understand how government works and how they can be involved in creating public policy.

Barb Jacobs

1. What's your name? 

Barb Jacobs

2.  Where do you live? 

I live in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.

3.  Which Minnesotan do you most admire, and why?

Hubert H. Humphrey--I love how he appealed to people's goodness (We could all learn a lot from that these days!)  

4.  What do you do for work? 

I am a legislative assistant at the Minnesota Senate.

5.  What do you like most about your job?  

I love that I'm constantly meeting new people and learning. My job really keeps me on my toes.

6. Why are you working in public service?  

I believe service to my community will ultimately help me, my family, and my neighbors have better lives. It's the Wellstone thing: when we all do better, we all do better.