Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier Retires Amid Health Concerns, Emergency Guardianship Proceedings

(KNSI) – Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier is stepping down from the board after weeks of allegations and questions about his health and mental capacity.

An email sent to KNSI News by Lenzmeier’s lawyer, Michael Pepin, stated that he submitted his retirement letter to the board on Wednesday. It reads:

“This is my official notice that, effective immediately, I am retiring as Stearns County District 4 Commissioner. Please Respectfully accept this retirement. I am proud of my service as Stearns County Commissioner for over 34 years. The residents I have served, the board members I served with and the staff I worked with will always be the highlight of my life, and hopefully my legacy.”

He went on to say, “No one wants to quickly step aside from anything that is special to them. To say being a commissioner has been special is a huge understatement. This was not an easy decision, or a quick one for me to make. But, I realize today, it is the right thing to do for me, my family, the board, and the residents of my district and Stearns County as a whole.”

The news comes following a closed-door hearing earlier in the day on whether the commissioner’s wife, Alice Lenzmeier, should have her emergency guardianship over her husband made permanent. A review hearing on the guardianship has been set for May 22nd.

According to court records, Commissioner Lenzmeier’s wife was given emergency guardianship of her husband on April 7th. Filings show Lenzmeier has been living in a memory care unit at Havenwood of Buffalo since April 29th, 2024. Before that, he had spent a couple of weeks at another supervised care facility, Park View Senior Health & Living in Buffalo. Lenzmeier was taken to the emergency room after falling and being unable to get back up on March 31st, 2024. He was found by one of his children. Lenzmeier stayed at the hospital until April 8th and was discharged on the condition that he be placed at an assisted living facility.

Alice told the court he had been suffering from declining mental ability for well over a decade, with a “rapid acceleration” over the past three or four years. Alice cited a report written after a neuropsychology exam in the fall of 2024, saying he “demonstrated rapid forgetting” and could not appreciate how disruptive his condition is on his quality of life. The report went on to say Lenzmeier needs to be in a regulated care setting, can’t drive, and recommended he step down from his role on the Stearns County Board of Commissioners.

Lenzmeier has stated he believes he can still serve as a commissioner and disputes some of the claims about his mental capacity.

A special Stearns County Board of Commissioners meeting has been called for Monday, April 28th, to discuss and consider action regarding Lenzmeier’s seat.

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