Former Washington Co. Administrator Jim Schug Died Tuesday: Officials

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Washington County is mourning the loss of another of its longtime leaders after former County Administrator Jim Schug died Tuesday morning.

Current County Administrator Kevin Corbid shared news of Schug’s death “with great sadness” in a message Wednesday morning to employees.

“Washington County colleagues of former administrator Jim Schug mourn his death,” Corbid said in a statement. “At the same time, those who worked with Schug during the 17 years that he served as county administrator will also smile at a remembered self-deprecating joke that he told, or a personal anecdote about a time that Schug provided a gentle nudge that resulted in policies that bettered the lives of county residents.”

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Schug was appointed as Washington County administrator in 1994 and served in the role until his retirement in 2012, Corbid said. He previously served as director of the county’s Community Services Department.

“Many of us had the honor to work for and with Jim,” Corbid said in his message to employees. “Jim was a tremendous leader and steered the county through a time of fast growth in population and service demand.”

Washington County’s population increased about 80 percent during Schug’s tenure as administrator, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported in 2012.

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As administrator, Schug oversaw several major projects, including the expansion of the Washington County Government Center and the construction of service centers in Forest Lake and Cottage Grove, Corbid said.

“For those of us who knew him well, it was clear that what he valued most was the services we provided to the residents of the county who were in the most need,” Corbid said. “He cared about people, those who we served and those who worked for the county providing the service.”

Corbid said Schug’s “greatest strength” was his kindness and caring, “followed closely by his gift of humor and storytelling.”

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Corbid encouraged employees to keep Schug’s wife, Connie, and his family in their thoughts.

“If you remember a story he told, or a joke he told, or an interaction you may have had with Jim, please remember that and smile, and know Jim has left a long-lasting legacy at Washington County through both his actions and decisions, and through those of us who he mentored and taught,” Corbid said.

Schug died Tuesday morning, officials said, less than two days after Washington County Attorney Pete Orput's death. Orput died Sunday night after a “brief but courageous” battle with stomach cancer, officials said.

Orput took office in 2011, a year before Schug’s retirement from Washington County government.

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