Photo courtesy of Senate Media Services Sen. Gary Dahms speaks with family and friends of former Granite Falls Mayor Dave Smiglewski in St. Paul on Monday. This week, members of the Minnesota Senate voted to approve a bill naming the U.S. Highway 212 bridge in Granite Falls the “Mayor Dave Smiglewski Memorial Bridge.”

ST. PAUL — This week, efforts to name a major highway bridge in Granite Falls after former mayor Dave Smiglewski took a step forward.

On Monday, members of the Minnesota Senate unanimously approved a bill designating the bridge on U.S. Highway 212 over the Minnesota River as the “Mayor Dave Smiglewski Memorial Bridge.”

Naming the bridge in memory of Smiglewski was “a fitting tribute,” Sen. Gary Dahms said.

“He was certainly deserving of this,” Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, told the Independent. “It’s a good way for us as a legislative body to remember David.”

A similar proposal in the Minnesota House is also being included in the House’s transportation bill, said Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent. Dahms said he had considered the option of including his bill as part of a Senate transportation bill, but opted for a standalone bill “so we could get it on the floor.”

Smiglewski served as mayor of Granite Falls for more than 25 years, up until his death in September, following complications of ALS. He was 70.

On Monday, members of Smiglewski’s family, friends and Granite Falls city officials watched from the Senate gallery in St. Paul as the bill was passed. Dahms said it was “a real honor” to be able to introduce the family in front of the Senate.

The bill re-naming the bridge also received positive comments from Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul.

“This is a very important piece of legislation,” Murphy told senators on Monday.

“If you’ve spent much time at all in the western part of the state of Minnesota, you will have met Mayor Smiglewski. He was a welcoming voice. He was a leader in a community that required transformational leadership,” Murphy said.

Smiglewski first joined the Granite Falls City Council in 1979 at the age of 26, and was appointed mayor after the death of former Mayor Roy Lenzen in 1996. As mayor, Smiglewski helped lead the city of Granite Falls through natural disasters including floods in 1997 and 2001, and a tornado that tore through the city in 2000. He was also an active member in Granite Falls community organizations, and advocated for transportation improvements. At the time of his death, Smiglewski was in Washington, D.C., lobbying in support of rural Minnesota transportation infrastructure.

“He worked very hard for the city of Granite Falls, to improve their quality of life,” Dahms said.