Mark Liedl has agreed to join Crow Wing County as the land services director.
The county began negotiations for the position last week. Liedl's appointment is subject to county board approval on April 22. If confirmed, Liedl is expected to begin working in the newly created post on April 28.
The land services director will manage the county's planning and zoning department and oversee other departments - the county surveyor's office, the land department (which includes the parks department) and waste management, along with Geographic Information Systems.
Liedl, an owner and operator of Culver's restaurant of Baxter, has previous ties to the county. The Breezy Point resident was an assistant county attorney from 2000 to 2002. Recently, he served as an independent consultant creating a 267-page document as a summary and action plan related to the county's land use policies. The summary document was designed to bring all land use policy, plans and practices together. Liedl also served on a planning commission before joining the county attorney's office.
Liedl was a finalist for the job along with Todd Holman and David Maroney.
The county reported Liedl's senior management experience includes multiple leadership assignments for the state of Wisconsin, including top executive positions with the state Department of Workforce Development and the Department of Agriculture, as well as serving as a senior member of the governor's office staff. Liedl's experience at the federal level includes the Department of Justice, where he served as special counsel to the U.S. attorney and director of special projects for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Liedl and his wife, Bea, have owned the Culver's restaurant in Baxter since 2002, gaining national recognition for operational performance and service excellence. The county reported Liedl's "customer focus and service-oriented leadership was an important consideration for this assignment and was identified as a key strength and of great importance to this role."
Liedl received his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and received his law degree from Georgetown University. He serves on the Pequot Lakes School Board, the Central Lakes College Business Advisory Board and the Lakes Area Interfaith Caregivers Board.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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