What:
Dedication ceremony and renaming of the North St. Paul Post Office as the Mayor William “Bill” Sandberg Post Office.

Who:
U.S. Representative Betty McCollum
North St. Paul Mayor Mike Kuehn
Karen Sandberg-Drogt (Bill Sandberg’s daughter)
U.S. Postal Service Northland District Manager Anthony Williams

When:
Monday, June 22, 2009
10:30 a.m.

Where:
North St. Paul, MN Post Office
2523 7th Ave. E.
North St. Paul, MN

Background:
On October 13, 2008, at the request of U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, President George W. Bush signed into law legislation renaming the North St. Paul MN Post Office the Mayor William “Bill” Sandberg Post Office. This dedication recognizes Mayor Sandberg’s attention to the needs and well-being of the people of his community during his many years of public service.

Bill Sandberg was born in St. Paul in 1932. His family moved to North St. Paul soon afterward and he remained there for the rest of his life. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1954. After serving in the Army, he joined the family business, Sandberg Funeral Home.

Bill Sandberg was first elected mayor of North St. Paul in 1978 and was returned to office seven times. At the time of his death April 20, 2008, he was the longest-serving mayor in Minnesota, a tribute to his open mind, his good humor, his love of his community and his willingness to do the hard work of consensus building, no matter how controversial the issue. As he told the gathering before one potentially contentious meeting, “We were friends before this meeting, and while we might not agree on this, we’ll be friends when we walk out.”

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