Jim Rhodes has been an active member of the St. Louis Park community, wearing many hats and making countless contributions throughout the years.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Jim moved to the Park in 1967 with his wife Judy and two daughters. At the urging of a friend, Jim ran for the School Board in 1980 and served for 12 years. In 1992 he was the Retail General Manager of Albrechts Clothing Stores.
In 1992 Jim won a special election as an Independent Republican and became Park’s representative in the State Legislature until 2004. From there he served as Legislative Director at the Minnesota Department of Administration Office of Enterprise Technology from 2004 to 2011. By 1999 his occupation was non-profit credit counselor.
An early lover of music, Jim learned the saxophone at age 10, played in his high school band, started his own band, and played in the Army Reserve Band. He met his wife at a dance where he was performing. Jim is a longtime member of St. Louis Park’s Community Band and in 1991 he started the “Gift of Music” program, which provides young musicians with free instruments. Over the years, the program has given out over 650 instruments to promising young musicians.
Jim is a member of the St. Louis Park Rotary Club and sits on the boards of many non-profit organizations, including the SLP Community Foundation and ClearWay Minnesota, an anti-smoking organization. In 2013 he joined the board of Citizens Independent Bank.
