FEBs talk back to Washington: Minnesota
Ray Morris is the executive director of the Minnesota Federal Executive Board.
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San Francisco
Ray Morris
Minnesota FEB Executive Director
What’s the best part of working in your FEB area?
Minnesotans are highly educated, nice folks who have an outstanding work ethic. The Twin Cities is a metropolitan area of 3 million people keeping the small town spirit alive. Each weekend the cities empty out as the urban dwellers head to cabins and resorts surrounding the waterline of Minnesota’s 10,000+ lakes.
What is the biggest drawback of working in your FEB area?
If you don’t like cold weather and winter, it won’t be fun.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give a fed moving to your area?
Bring a warm parka, mittens and snow boots! It’s going to be cold, so prepare to embrace the winter possibilities and sports. There is much to do in the winter in Minnesota but you need to go outside to enjoy it. Summers are also fantastic and lovely.
In a word, describe feds in your area.
Hardworking.
How are feds perceived in your area and how does that affect morale?
The current trend of attacking Federal workers has taken its toll but many people in the community are privately supportive of the good work Federal employees do each day.
What’s the average commute for feds in your FEB area, or your personal commute?
Commuting in the Twin Cities metro of Minneapolis and St. Paul can be daunting each day but other areas of the state are marked by very enjoyable trips to work.
Is the distance from D.C. a blessing or a curse?
Blessing.
What’s your area’s can’t miss attraction?
The hundreds of kitschy roadside sculptures from the 55 foot tall “Jolly Green Giant” standing guard in Blue Earth to Minnesota legend Paul Bunyon and his blue ox “Babe” next to the lake in Bemidji.
Check out more from the series “Talk Back to Washington.”
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