Met Council UpdateMary Hill Smith
Metropolitan Council Member
District 3
Mary Hill Smith has served on the Metropolitan Counci I since 1993, when she was first
appointed by Governor Arne Carlson. She was reappointed by Governor Jesse Ventura
in 1999, and by Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2003 and 2007. She represents District 3,
which includes Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Orono, Wayzata, and
several other Lake Minnetonka communities.
Hill Smith chairs the Council's Transportation Committee and also serves on the
Management Committee. She is the Council's liaison to the Metropolitan Airports
Commission, and serves on the Central Corridor Management Committee.
"The biggest issue facing the region today is how to accommodate the projected growth
while preserving the quality of life we value, and at the same ti me addressing the issue
of traffic congestion," said Hill Smith. "At the Council we are working with communities to
reach the goals we're setting in the Development Framework."
Hill Smith is very active in civic and community affairs. She is a member of the University
of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies executive committee and is chair of the
governance committee. She was chair of the Wayzata School Board for many years,
and has also served on the boards of the Guthrie Theatre, the YWCA, the Metropolitan
State University Foundation, the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, the Minnesota
Transportation Alliance Suburban Board, the Hennepin County Library Foundation, and
several other boards. The Women in Transportation Seminar named Hill Smith its
Woman of the Year in 2001. The Center for Transportation Studies bestowed its
Distinguished Public Service Award on Hill Smith in 2002.
Hill Smith lives with her husband, Andrew, in Orono. They have three grown children and
five grandchild. Mary enjoys time with family, travel, her flower garden, and
needlework — including pillows, plaques, purses, footstools and paperweights.
To contact Hill Smith, you may call 952- 475 -1388, or e -mail:
mary.smith @metc.state.mn.us