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>> Cathy: IT HAS BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE THE NEWS SHATTERED THE STATE THAT THE FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER, MELISSA HORTMAN, HER HUSBAND, AND DOG HAD BEEN KILLED IN A POLITICAL ASSASSINATION AT THEIR HOME.

OUR LONGTIME POLITICAL REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER KNEW HORTMAN HER ENTIRE POLITICAL CAREER, AS DID THE PERSON WHO HAS SERVED 17 DIFFERENT HOUSE SPEAKERS AND CREATED THE MEMORIALS AT THE CAPITOL FOR MELISSA.

HERE'S THE STORY.

[ BANGING GAVEL ] >> THE HOUSE WILL COME TO ORDER.

AM.

>> Mary: AS HOUSE SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN ALWAYS ACTED WITH AUTHORITY.

THE PERSON ADVISING HER AND SO MANY BEFORE AND AFTER.

IS THE HOUSE CHIEF CLERK PATRICK MURPHY.

>> INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING OF OUSE FILES 3348.

>> Mary: FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, MURPHY HAS WORKED IN THE HOUSE.

HE HAS SEEN A LOT OF LAWMAKERS COME AND GO.

HORTMAN STOOD OUT FROM THE START.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS?

>> MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MEETING MELISSA HORTMAN BACK IN 2004, SO I GO BACK WITH HER ALL 24 YEARS OF HER CAREER WAS THOUGHTFUL, A POLICY NERD, OBSESSED WITH ENERGY ISSUES, BUT FUN, AND VERY HUMAN AND SHE WOULD SWEAR A LOT.

SO I IMMEDIATELY LIKED HER.

>> I THINK YOU HAVE TO CALL [ BLEEP ] WHEN YOU SEE [ BLEEP ].

>> Mary: MURPHY, ALWAYS A KEEN JOURNALISM -- OBSERVER WAS A JOURNALISM MAJOR WHEN HE STARTED AS A HOUSE PAGE WAY BACK IN 1978 BEFORE RISING TO THE TOP STOP IN THE CHAMBER JUST LIKE HORTMAN.

>> AS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HER GREW, AS SHE ADVANCED THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP RANKS AND THEN BECOMING SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, THEN WE BECAME VERY CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT BE SPEAKER OR CHIEF CLERK WITHOUT THIS TRUST AND BOND BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU.

I HAD THAT VERY CLOSELY FOR OVER SIX YEARS.

AND WHAT I VALUED MOST ABOUT THAT WAS SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE INSTITUTION AND THAT IS MY ROLE HERE IS TO SPEAK FOR THE INSTITUTION AND TO REMIND THEM THAT THE INSTITUTION DOES NOT BELONG TO THE GOP OR THE DFL, IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE AND YOU CAN'T FORGET THAT.

SHE WOULD ALWAYS, LIKE, YOU GOTTA TELL ME AGAIN, I GOTTA KEEP FOCUSED ON THIS.

SO I ALWAYS APPRECIATED THAT.

BUT WHEN SHE FIRST BECAME SPEAKER, SHE REACHED OUT TO ME AND IN THIS VERY ROOM, WE HAD A TEN-HOUR CONVERSATION, PART CLASS, PART DIALOGUE, PART BUILDING THE TRUST, ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND HOW TO RUN THIS PLACE FROM THE FLOOR AND ALL THESE OTHER PROCEDURAL THINGS.

>> Mary: TEN HOURS.

>> TEN HOURS!

>> Mary: MURPHY HAS SERVED MORE THAN A DOZEN DIFFERENT SPEAKERS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE AND HAS PROVIDED TRUSTED, NONPARTISAN GUIDANCE FOR DECADES.

BUT NOTHING COULD HAVE PREPARED HIM FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF FORMER SPEAKER HORTMAN.

>> WHEN I GOT A CALL AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING FROM OUR SERGEANT AT ARMS THAT SHE HAD BEEN SHOT, I WAS HORRIFIED AND I HAD TO MAKE SOME OTHER CALLS TO PEOPLE.

AND THEN LATER IN THE MORNING, YOU KNOW, LIKE 6:00 IN THE MORNING, SHE HAD PASSED.

AND I HAD TO KIND OF LIKE, OH, MY GOD, DEAL WITH THAT, CALL SOME PEOPLE.

AND I, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, WAS LOST.

BUT I FELT I HAD TO DO SOMETHING FOR MY FRIEND.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT.

BUT I JUST WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THE 12 BIGGEST ROSES I COULD FIND HERE HERE IN St.

PAUL, I HAD THEM IN A VASE, CAME DOWN TO THE CAPITOL, MY SON, JORGE WAS WITH ME, I PUT THEM ON HER DESK AND IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM ENOUGH.

SO LITERALLY I WENT INTO ONE OF THESE SIDE OFFICES AND I DID RIP A PICTURE OFF THE WALL AND PUT IT THERE WHERE YOU SEE.

AND THEN I GOT A GAVEL THAT SHE USED TO USE AND PUT IT THERE.

AND I THOUGHT, OKAY, THIS IS IT.

AND I NEVER WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT.

I JUST WANTED TO DO IT.

BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS A LOUD, SIMPLE, ELEGANT, BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO OUR FRIEND.

>> Mary: THAT SIMPLE, BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE REMAINED ALL SESSION LONG.

BUT BEFORE THAT, THE PUBLIC WANTED MORE.

AND MURPHY QUIETLY PROVIDED.

>> I PUT TWO TABLES OUT THERE, EXPECTING MONDAY MORNING, THE PUBLIC WOULD BE HERE.

WERE THEY HERE?

OH, MY GOD, WERE THEY EVER HERE.

BECAUSE I PUT OUT TWO, FOUR, SIX, EIGHT, AND AT ONE POINT WE HAD 18 TABLES OUT THERE, YOU SAW THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT FROM AROUND THE WORLD, FRANKLY, AND THE FLOWERS AND SO JOANNE, MY ASSISTANT AND I, WERE OUT THERE FOR FIVE OR SIX WEEKS TENDING TO THE FLOWERS.

THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF THEM, AS YOU KNOW, NOT THAT I KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT FLOWERS, YOU BUT FIGURE IT OUT.

AND ALSO THAT MONDAY MORNING, I WENT OUT AND GOT SOME REMEMBRANCE BOOKS, WHICH, I MEAN, HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

OH, YEAH, I SHOULD HAVE THAT.

SO WENT OUT AND BOUGHT SOME OF THOSE.

AND THERE'S LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD THAT HAVE SIGNED THAT ON WHAT THIS MEANT TO THEM AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

IT WAS JUST -- WHO KNEW?

>> Mary: IT'S NOT KNOWN IF THE MEMORIAL WILL REMAIN THROUGH NEXT SESSION.

ALL SESSION LONG, THE FLOWERS, THE MEMORIAL, THAT HUNG OVER THE WHOLE SESSION.

>> YEAH, I THINK SO.

I THINK IT FOREVER CHANGED THIS PLACE.

>> I'VE HEARD YOU REFER TO THE FLOWERS ON YOUR SHOW.

IT IS A CONSTANT REMINDER TO MEMBERS AND TO THE PUBLIC.

THIS IS WHAT CAN HAPPEN.

TONE IT DOWN.

BE NICE.

BE KIND.

TO EACH OTHER.

AND, YES, WE CAN'T FORGET, MOSTLY IMPORTANTLY, WE CAN'T FORGET HOW WE LOST HER.

>> Mary: MANY TRIBUTES TO HORTMAN WERE CONSIDERED.

BUT THE LOW-KEY EFFORTS SEEMED MOST FITTING FOR THOSE WHO KNOW HER BEST.

I'VE HEARD SOME CLOSE TO HER SAY, SHE WASN'T A FANCY PERSON.

DON'T DO SOMETHING OO FANCY.

DO SOMETHING APPROPRIATE.

DO SOMETHING AT THE SCALE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?

>> SHE WAS TOTALLY NOT A FANCY PERSON.

THOSE OF US AT THE FUNERAL, I SAT WITH MEMBERS OF HER STAFF, ALL KNOWING HER THAT WELL, KNEW THAT SHE WOULD HATE THIS MASS, IT'S WAY TOO FORMAL AND WAY TOO LONG.

>> Mary: THE HONOR HAS TO FIT HER HUMILITY.

>> YES.

WHEN I PUT THAT MEMORIAL UP, I WAS THINKING OF THOSE THINGS, AS I SAID EARLIER, SIMPLE, ELEGANT, BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL.

THAT WOULD BE MELISSA.

NOT OVER THE TOP AT ALL.

YOU SEE IT, YOU IMMEDIATELY REFLECT ON HAT SHE MEANT.

THAT'S -- I HOPE WE DO SOMETHING ALONG THAT LINES.

SHE WOULD NOT WANT SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS, I DON'T THINK.

>> Mary: AS A LEGISLATIVE LEADER, MELISSA HORTMAN NAVIGATED THROUGH A PANDEMIC AND A TIE, UNIMAGINABLE CHALLENGES.

>> MELISSA SAID, PAT, WE'RE TIED, WHAT DO WE DO?

I SAID, OKAY, AND SAME THING WITH LISA, SO I MET WITH BOTH CAUCUSES NEXT DAY BECAUSE I WAS HERE IN 1979, AS YOUR FATHER WAS, AT THAT TIE, AND I PREPARE EVERY TWO YEARS, BECAUSE IF I PREPARE, IF WE'RE TIED, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

SO I WAS PREPARED AND IT HAPPENED, OF COURSE.

BUT, SO, KIND OF PRESENTING ON THAT.

AND THEN WITHIN DAYS OF THAT, MYSELF AND MATT GEHRING, THE HEAD OF HOUSE COUNSEL AND I WERE PART OF NEGOTIATIONS THAT WERE UP AND DOWN AND IN AND OUT FOR THREE AND A HALF MONTHS ABOUT HOW TO DIVIDE THE POWER EQUALLY.

I GIVE HUGE CREDIT TO MELISSA HORTMAN AND LISA DEMUTH AS BEING TWO VERY VERY WONDERFUL POLITICIANS, BEING ABLE TO SEEK HOW TO DIVIDE THIS EQUALLY.

>> Mary: HER LEGACY AT THE CAPITOL IS IMPORTANT.

ESPECIALLY IN A DIVISIVE, VIOLENT POLITICAL TIME THAT TOOK HER LIFE.

>> WE WOULD TALK ABOUT THIS.

KINDNESS IS NOT A WEAKNESS.

DON'T EVER MISTAKE THAT.

IT'S WISDOM.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT SHE ESPOUSED, SHE WAS ALWAYS KIND.

BUT DON'T EVER TAKE THAT FOR WEAK BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN THIS AGE WHERE OUTRAGE IS REWARDED INSTEAD OF OUTCOMES AND THE LOUDEST VOICE IS VALUED OVER THE MOST THOUGHTFUL ONE.

SHE WAS ALWAYS THE