Plymouth Council Member Ginny Black Retires After Nearly 18 Years On City Council

Little did Ginny Black know that being on the Audobon Wetland Watcher Program would lead her to the Plymouth City Council.

But that's how it started for Black, who will retire Sept. 30 after nearly 18 years on the council.

"Audobon referred some homeowners to me as a local representative," Black said. "They were worried about the wetlands near possible housing development by French Park."

A few years later, those who she helped asked her to run on Plymouth City Council, and she did. The rest, as they say, is history.

Born in St. Paul, Black grew up in Richfield and went to the University of Minnesota. Black is a self-proclaimed "tree hugger," which she says she always has been since her youth.

"My grandparents had a farm in Monticello and being on it as a kid I got a real appreciation for the outdoors," Black said.

She's always lived in Minnesota. She moved to Plymouth in 1990 after looking for something away from the Minneapolis area, but still in the metro. She's lived in the same rambler home in northeastern Plymouth with her husband Rick since the 90s and doesn't plan on moving anywhere after she's retired. 

Her retirement from work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in September comes little more than a year after Rick's own retirement. Work retirement prompted Black to look at what she wanted to do, which includes traveling around the world.

"We've traveled a little bit already, but we've never been to Europe or Africa and those are places we'd like to see," Black said.  

Because she hopes to be traveling a great deal, Black didn't think it was fair to also be on the council if she would only make it to one or two meetings during the year. She decided to resign from representing Ward 4 on the council, sending the city a letter Aug. 2 and announcing it formally at the Aug. 13 council meeting. Her term expires Dec. 31, 2014.

"It has been my pleasure to represent the residents and businesses of Ward 4 and those of the city at-large even though technically I was not elected by most of them," Black wrote in her resignation letter. "I have had the honor of serving with many fine city councils including the present and with working with the dedicated city staff."

An advocate for the environment professionally and personally, it's not hard to guess what accomplishments Black looks back at. 

She has been a composting aficionado for some time and shared her knowledge at the Eco Experience exhibit at the State Fair for years.

She has even been a guest on "Ask a Patch Pro" where she took questions from Patch readers about composting. 

"First and foremost are the open space and parks referendums, which the voters of Plymouth saw fit to pass authorizing spending of $11 million dollars to purchase open spaces and parkland," Black wrote in her letter. "If I have left no other legacy, this is one I am proud of. Now that I will have some time (I hope) I look forward to visiting those areas and enjoying them."

Not many people know her work on those referendum took root from her work to help those residents in the beginning protecting wetlands by French Park, Black said.

"The first open space and parks referendum was for $2 million and the second for $9 million," she said. 

Black only regrets leaving before the Northwest Greenway work is completed and before redevelopment of the old Four Seasons mall area.

"I wish I could have done that," Black said about the mall. "I'm sorry nothing's come forward yet from Walmart, but there is rezoning issues to resolve."

Black won't be gone for long on her trek around the globe. She hopes to keep up her gardening and composting work (including being chair of the Minnesota Compost Council) as well as stay on the Bassett Creek Commission. She'd also like to reconnect with Audobon, which she hasn't worked returned to since before her time on the council. 

Black has expressed interest in taking her volunteerism abroad and working on programs that help bring wells to villages in need or similar projects. She hasn't settled on anything yet. 

At the Aug. 13 council meeting, council members expressed their sadness in her resignation. Longtime council member Judy Johnson even suggested that Black could retire and come back to the council in the future. Black smiled and chuckled. 

At the Aug. 13 meeting the council approved a resolution to start accepting applications for those interested in filling in the rest of the term for Ward 4. Read more about that process, where to get an application and more in our Patch story: "Tonight: Ginny Black to Announce Plymouth City Council Resignation." 

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