This weekend will mark one year since former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot in their home, and the heaviness of that loss is still felt by many who loved and worked with them.
"Item 11, resolution 26-946, honoring the life and legacy of Mark, Melissa, and Gilbert Hortman and proclaiming June 14, 2026 as Mark, Melissa, and Gilbert Hortman Day in Saint Paul," announced St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker.
She was introducing a resolution in the Hortmans honor, followed by heartfelt and emotional statements including from Melissa Hortman's close friend, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.
"She would stock the caucus room with snacks so that people, and she did this out of pocket, that she cared so much about all of us," recalled Mayor Her who also served in the Minnesota House. "And that that's how you make sure that your team stays together. So when people ask me why I make egg rolls, when I know that our firefighters had a tough day, or that if I know that an animal passed away at the zoo, I'll stop by with cards. It's because that's what Melissa taught me."
The St. Paul City Council ended up passing this resolution that marks one-year since the tragic day the Hortmans were gunned down in their Brooklyn Park home. The alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, also seriously injured another state lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in what prosecutors call a politically motivated attack.
Minnesota House DFL Caucus Leader and Melissa Hortman's close friend Zach Stephenson were among several lawmakers speaking at Wednesday's council meeting.
"Many of you will remember the remarkable statement that Colin and Sophie Hortman made in those terrible days after June 14th, where they said, 'the best way to remember our parents is to do something, whether big or small, to make someone else's life a little bit better in your community.'"
Boelter made an appearance in federal court on Thursday and did plead guilty to all six counts against him, including the murder of the Hortmans, after federal prosecutors announced the death penalty wouldn't be pursued in the case.
