Please answer the following question: Facts: - residence: minneapolis , minnesota - preceded: carl kroening - party: minnesota democratic-farmer-labor party - state senate: minnesota - spouse: brian bushay - district: 58th - term end: january 7 , 2013 - succeeded: '' district redrawn '' - term start: january 7 , 1997 - state: minnesota - name: linda higgins - birth date: 11 november 1950 - occupation: legislator , writer - image: linda higgins.jpg - birth place: algona , iowa - alma mater: iowa lakes community college mankato state college Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of linda higgins .
Answer:
linda higgins -lrb- born november 11 , 1950 -rrb- is a minnesota politician and former member of the minnesota senate who represents district 59 , which included portions of the city of minneapolis in hennepin county , which is in the twin cities metropolitan area .a democrat , she was first elected to the senate in 1996 , and was re-elected in 2000 , 2002 , 2006 and 2010 .she served as a majority whip from 2001 to 2006 .in the fall of 2011 , she announced that she would not be seeking reelection after the current term ends in 2012 .however , since hennepin county district 2 commissioner mark stenglein later announced that he is resigning in june 2012 , higgins is now running for that position .on may 20 , 2012 , she was endorsed by the dfl party for the position .higgins was a member of the senate 's capital investment , environment and natural resources , and health and human services committees .she chaired the senate state and local government operations committee from 2003 to 2007 .her special legislative concerns included housing , early childhood issues , health , communities of color , and the environment .higgins is a writer , having worked as an editor for '' the physician and sportsmedicine '' medical journal for mcgraw-hill healthcare publications , and was also an assistant to minneapolis city council member joe biernat .she attended titonka high school in titonka , iowa , then went on to iowa lakes community college , where she received her a.a. degree , and to mankato state college in mankato , where she received her bs degree in teaching .higgins has served on the boards of the cedar-riverside people 's center , the council on black minnesotans , the greater lake country food bank , and the minneapolis institute of arts .she is also a member of the saint anthony falls heritage board.she served on the executive committee of the council of state governments .she is a former member of the minneapolis city charter commission .