With his wife Nicole Novotny by his side, Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, was officially sworn in to his first term as a state representative on Tuesday, Feb 11, 2020, after taking the oath of office administered by House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
By Josh Moniz Community Editor, Elk River Star News
“I made a 10-item bucket list when I retired from the (Sherburne County) Sheriff’s Office six years ago. I finally did the first one in January. I need to start getting after that,” Elk River-area Rep. Paul Novotny joked in an interview following his Friday, March 13, announcement that he will not seek reelection to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Novotny represents Minnesota House of Representatives District 30B, which represents Elk River, Otsego, Nowthen and a portion of Oak Grove.
In his release on his decision, he said, “For the past 40 years, it has been my immense honor to serve my neighbors — first as a law enforcement officer for 33 years and then as their voice in the Minnesota Legislature for the past 7 years. This decision has not come easily. I have loved representing my community and first responders across the state while advocating for common sense in St. Paul.
“However, I feel the Lord is calling me to step away from public office and enjoy retirement with my family, especially as we look forward to welcoming our first grandchild this summer...I leave the Legislature with no regrets and with my head held high, grateful for the opportunity to serve and optimistic about the future of our state.”
In an interview, he felt it was the right time because he has many life events going on, there are several capable lawmakers with a background in law enforcement to carry the torch when he’s gone and running again would mean another multi-year commitment.
He feels proud that he was able to support his community while “strengthening public safety, supporting first responders, advancing judicial accountability and protecting children.”
He also doesn’t want to risk creating a special election, recalling the challenges and cost associated with the February 2020 special election he won when he ran for the House for the first time.
He also dispelled rumors that he was going to run for higher office, stating he has no plans “other than being a good husband, a good grandpa and a good father.”
In 2024, he was named the MPPOA Legislator of the Year, the Legislator of Distinction by the League of Minnesota Cities and received the Guardian of Small Business award from the NFIB. He also received the Guardian award in 2022.
He said he will miss the friends he made at the Legislature, stating that “after going through battles together, just like in the Sheriff’s Office, you end up pretty tight.”
Sen. Eric Lucero, Rep. Kristin Robbins and Sherburne County Commissioner Gregg Felber all recently congratulated Novotny on his retirement.
Lucero, who represents the same communities as Novotny, called it “bittersweet.”
“It’s bittersweet...It’s been an honor serving alongside Paul in the Minnesota Legislature (for years), working side-by-side for the values and the priorities of our great community,” Lucero said. “Paul is a good man, a friend, a brother in Christ and a true servant-leader. May the Lord bless Paul and his family as they begin the next chapter in their lives.”
Legislative career
Novotny never imagined himself running for elected office, much less doing it for four terms and becoming the co-chair of the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.
He also serves on the Ways and Means and the Higher Education Finance and Policy committees.
“I never had the urge. It was kicking and screaming as I was dragged in,” Novotny joked. “I’ve always been a sit in the back of the room guy.”
While finishing the final year of his three-decade career in law enforcement, former Rep. Nick Zerwas announced he was resigning mid-term to spend time with family after heart surgery.
Because Zerwas had been a strong advocate for law enforcement, Novotny was asked to run to continue the tradition with his experience as a cop, prior work with the local Republican Party and availability due to his pending retirement.
The special election was a whirlwind due to its condensed length. He won his race on a Tuesday, had to return to his Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office job the next morning and he was on the House floor by the next Tuesday.
He retired from law enforcement in May 2020.
He credits his daughter Emily, who has been involved in politics since she was 14, for helping him with the campaigning learning curve by serving as his campaign manager.
He also said he couldn’t have run without the support of his wife Nicki, his two daughters, his family and his friends.
As if a special election wasn’t crazy enough, the COVID-19 pandemic hit about a month and a half into his first term. He recalls the Legislature effectively closing until they transitioned to video conference calls.
“The session, as a whole, was surreal. A single voice vote could take 20 minutes just to run through all 134 names,” Novotny said.
He still feels Gov. Tim Walz using his emergency powers and continuing restrictions longer than other states still has a lingering impact on the state and student achievement.
Novotny also feels the state is still dealing with legislation passed during the DFL trifecta’s control of the Legislature. He criticized their approach to legislating during that period.
“Under DFL control in the House, they would grant you a pity hearing that would go nowhere and then lay the bill over, never to be heard of again,” Novotny said. “In the five years under DFL control, I have never had a standalone bill voted off the floor.”
Current session
He also reflected on being appointed as the chair of such an important committee, something he never could have imagined happening.
He feels being a chair requires you to “keep a lot of balls in the air” instead of just showing up, coordinating witnesses and letters of support and finding a way to work across the aisle so they can all agree to pass a bill to help Minnesotans.
Since lawmakers can file any number of bills at any time, he feels it is impossible to hear all the bills within the limited time they have in committees, so you will always have “a whole bunch of people disappointed that their bill didn’t get heard.”
He is proud of a bill he got passed last year, which requires officers to take annual training on conflict de-escalation and their duty to intercede when another peace officer uses excessive or unreasonable force.
He has pushed the bill since George Floyd’s death, recalling his own experience with how chaotic it was coordinating with multiple agencies after a 5-county police pursuit that occurred towards the end of his law enforcement career. He hopes it will make a difference.
He blames DFL political gamesmanship over them not wanting the other side to get a “win” for how many years it took to pass it.
When reflecting on what he learned over his seven years with the Legislature, he said, “The government is OK at solving yesterday’s problems. It’s slow, and there are many different factors pushing and pulling at you every day. If you’re looking to the government to solve your problems, you will most likely be disappointed,” Novotny said. “That being said, there’s still a lot of great people who serve down there, and a lot of great nonpartisan staff that really do want to do what’s best for the state. They just need the leadership to carry it out.”
He feels honored and humbled to have been allowed to serve.
“I’ll be on the (House) floor...looking up and just be absolutely amazed that a farm kid from Elk River, who finished in the top half of the bottom third of his class in 1983, is allowed to just walk on the floor,” Novotny said. “I’m thankful the people of Elk River and my district that sent me here. This is still a great state, and I feel very thankful.”
