Fired By Minn. Senate, Anderson Takes Dayton Offer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former state Sen. Ellen Anderson says she has accepted a job offer from Gov. Mark Dayton that came after Republican lawmakers rejected her confirmation to lead the Public Utilities Commission.

Anderson tells Minnesota Public Radio News on Tuesday that she will serve as a senior advisor to Dayton on energy and environmental issues. Dayton said a day earlier that Anderson would earn the same salary she'd been drawing at the PUC, which was just over $88,000 a year.

The GOP-controlled Senate voted on party lines Monday to reject Anderson's confirmation. Republicans say Anderson was biased against traditional energy sources, but Dayton bashed the vote as purely partisan.

Anderson is a former DFL state senator from St. Paul. She says the responsibilities of her new position have not been totally defined.

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