Branded a "political novice,[5]" Opat decided to run for Hennepin County Commissioner in 1992, declaring that the incumbent, John Derus, was motivated by self-interest.

Saying that the 2010 gubernatorial election "will be won or lost in the suburbs," Opat, whose Hennepin district is 90 percent suburban, has said he is considering entering the race.

He cited the importance of Obama's domestic agenda to improve our infrastructure through road and transit initiatives, as well as the prospects of reasonable immigration policy.

[12] Between 1997 and 2003, HCMC lost about $17 million annually in federal and state support and was unable to continue making significant investments in new technology, facilities maintenance and employee compensation.

[13] Opat led the adoption of a task force's proposal to transfer day-to-day management of the hospital from the County Board to Hennepin Healthcare Systems Inc., a nonprofit governing board composed of doctors, local professionals, health-care executives and two county commissioners (Opat and Randy Johnson).

[14] Opat, in advocating the new arrangement said that it would "...let the hospital manage its labor costs more efficiently, move more nimbly in a competitive health care market, raise money for crucial capital investments and even seek out profitable new lines of business to subsidize its public mission.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune's editorial board called the new governance proposal "...a serious effort to solve a problem that no one else wants to acknowledge."

In addition it has been recognized in excellency for oncology, pregnancies, burn treatment, hyperbaric medicine and obstetrics, and has consistently earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report's list of best hospitals.

Opat is the legal guardian of his brother, who is developmentally disabled,[11] and has served on the Minnesota Special Olympics Board of Directors.

[22] "We have to announce when help for the mentally ill or chronically homeless is threatened," he added "Our obligation is to minimize our clients' pain and preserve their independence and dignity as best we can.

[24] Home to a major hospital (North Memorial), North Hennepin Community College, Hennepin Technical College, a railway, two lakes, three creeks, and a major regional park,[25] Bottineau was chosen in the "Metropolitan Council 2030 Transportation Policy Plan" as a corridor to advance for development as a busway.

Guided by the legislatively created Victory Memorial Drive Task Force, which is co-chaired by Opat and Commissioner Mark Stenglein,[27] and the principles of the Park Board's Victory Memorial Drive 2005 Master Plan, Hennepin County has programmed $3.5 million in its capital budget toward: In 2009, the Minnesota State Legislature awarded $1 million in the Omnibus Bonding Bill for the project, as well as $40,000 in the "Omnibus Cultural and Outdoor Resources Finance Bill" for parks and trails.

[29] Opat also launched the Roadside Enhancement Partnership Program, designed to beautify the pedestrian areas near roadways, including streetscapes, sidewalks, landscaping, masonry and public art.

[34] In 2008, Kingsley Commons was completed on the Greenway, featuring 25 units, and becoming one of the nation's first apartment buildings designed to provide independent living to people with multiple sclerosis.

Opat cited the need to "motivate residents to develop skills, habits and abilities necessary to successfully integrate into the community and...gain economic self-sufficiency upon release" as a driving principle behind this initiative.

[39] In 2006, Commissioner Opat led the effort with the Minnesota Twins to finance and build the new outdoor ballpark in downtown Minneapolis.

"I am proud that we are building this important public amenity at a time when jobs are crucial," Opat has said "It's the first of many investments on the new edge of downtown Minneapolis, and will pay many dividends into the future.

Opat proposed three new initiatives: A local blogger said the address as demonstrated "a progressive in command of his message and in sync with his constituents.

Comments by Opat and Stenglein "might be read specifically as intending to damage the Hollers' reputation and to shame them into selling the property," wrote a three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals.