
North Dakota lawmakers and citizens are mourning the death of Liz Conmy, D-Fargo, who died in a plane crash in Brooklyn Park on Saturday.
Her partner, Joe Cass, a retired surgeon, was piloting the plane. He also died in the crash.
North Dakota House Minority Leader Zach Ista, D-Grand Forks said Conmy “brought a seriousness of purpose to the work, but a joyful spirit.”
“Liz had a real passion for the environment, for good stewardship of our state's resources [and] our state's land,” said Ista. “She had a real soft spot for pollinators. She did some work to make sure we were maintaining and growing our available habitat.”
Ista said Conmy also cared deeply about transparency and fairness in election processes, as well as reproductive rights and public education.

“She was a real champion for public education, serving on our Education Committee and making sure that our students and our teachers and our families were taken care of in public education,” he said.
Conmy was running for her second term in the Republican-led North Dakota House of Representatives.
Anastassiya Andrianova, a neighbor of many years, said Conmy encouraged her to run for a seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives and said she is still in shock over her friend’s passing.
"She was kind of an auntie to our daughter, and just a really, really great mentor,” she said. “She was always just a source of joy and wisdom.”
Andrianova said that Conmy was also a friendly person who “could talk to anybody and leave them a little more informed and in better spirits.”
Federal authorities are investigating the crash.
Use the audio player at the top of this story to listen to a conversation between Andrianova and Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
