GOP lawmakers complain about DFLer's Twitter messages

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
May 29, 2009

Two Republican House members have filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Paul Gardner, DFL-Shoreview, over some comments he wrote on the social network site Twitter. Gardner says he has already apologized.

St. Paul, Minn. — The Republicans filed the complaint over comments Gardner wrote from the House floor on Twitter May 8. That day, the House was debating a controversial bill that would have raised taxes.

Gardner wrote entries about Republicans Tom Emmer of Delano and Mark Buesgens of Jordan. The two are among the most confrontational members of the House during floor debates.

In two separate entries, Gardner wrote, "Emmer seems to belittle his female colleagues (rage, sarcasm) on the House floor more than the men? Great face to the GOP?" and, "Why is Buesgens wearing sunglasses? Black eye?"

Emmer and Buesgens filed an ethics complaint against Gardner on May 8.

"Representative Gardner's communications were clearly designed to suggest that his colleagues are physically violent, and prone to harassment of female members of the House of Representatives," they wrote in the complaint.

They added that he violated the spirit and letter of the ethical rules of the Minnesota House of Representatives. They are asking Gardner be properly reprimanded and disciplined.

Buesgens declined comment beyond the written complaint. Emmer didn't return calls.

A spokesman for DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said Kelliher tried to broker a compromise, which resulted in Gardner apologizing to Emmer and Buesgens personally. Gardner also wrote a letter of apology to every member of the House.

But that compromise apparently was not enough. A Republican official said Emmer and Buesgens want Gardner to apologize on the House floor.

Speaker Kelliher declined comment to Minnesota Public Radio News, because the complaint is in the hands of the Ethics Committee.

For his part, Gardner said he doesn't understand what other remedy the two are seeking.

"I don't understand how many times you can say that you made a mistake and take ownership for your actions, and seek a remedy that seeks to resolve the issue," Gardner said. "But that doesn't seem to be enough, and I don't really understand that."

Gardner said he's still working on what he'll tell the House Ethics Committee when it meets on Tuesday to discuss the issue. But he said he'll also provide ample evidence showing Emmer has used offensive speech on the House floor.

Gardner didn't provide full details, but said Emmer has attacked several of his DFL colleagues personally.

"I'm not going to make any excuses for my actions," said Gardner. "But I will point out there has been a preponderance of disrespectful behavior demonstrated, in particular by Representative Emmer, over many months."
"My offensive behavior happened one time, on May 8, and it has ceased," Gardner continued. "And if you watch the House floor on a regular basis, you will see that disrespectful behavior against some of my colleagues has been chronic."

Pressed for an example, Gardner said Emmer has repeatedly mocked House colleagues, citing a fictitious constituent. Gardner says it's obvious Emmer is camouflaging an insult by the way he pronounces the name.

The House Ethics Committee will hold a preliminary hearing on the complaint on Tuesday.

The committee could decide to dismiss the complaint, find probable cause that it merits no further investigation, or call for a further investigation that includes additional hearings.

Minn. Governor's Residence Opens For Public Tours

Source: WCCO

ST. PAUL (AP) ― The nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion that serves as the official home of Minnesota governors opens for public tours starting Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his family spend part of their time there, while also maintaining their home in Eagan.Tours are open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m. on the first three Tuesdays of June, July and August. Photo identification is required to enter the building.

The 20-room house on St. Paul's storied Summit Avenue has nine fireplaces.

It was donated to the state by Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge in 1965.

Then-Gov. Karl Rolvaag and first lady Florence Rolvaag were the first gubernatorial family to move in, in 1966. It has housed every governor since.

The home was originally designated as the State Ceremonial Building

Rach's note: There is official website for the mansion in case if you want to get more look or get more information. I have been to the mansion on several occasions during Carlson, Ventura and Pawlenty's administrations. It is very beautiful house in really nice neighborhood.

Minnesota Governor's Residence website

Legislators to Pawlenty: Cut the state budget yourself

By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: May 30, 2009

In a sign that wounds remain raw after a bruising legislative session, only a handful of lawmakers have formally responded to Gov. Tim Pawlenty's request for ideas to help him balance the state budget under his controversial use of the so-called unallotment process.

More than a week after Pawlenty sent a letter to legislators asking that they respond by Friday, only 13 of the state's 201 lawmakers had written back.

Just eight of 133 DFLers had replied as of Friday, suggesting that many are troubled by the Republican governor's bold move to unilaterally make cuts to balance the budget and seem content to leave the choices -- and the political consequences -- to him.

"If I felt like it was a genuine request for input, I'd be happy to provide it," said Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, echoing other DFLers who complained that the governor had a five-month session to listen to ideas from legislators. "I don't think he's too interested in our views."

In most cases, the reaction mirrors the political feuding between DFLers and Republicans that occurred in the last days of the just-finished session.

While Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, a 2010 gubernatorial candidate, said he could "almost picture ... a sneer" on Pawlenty's face as he wrote to legislators, Rep. Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, said the lack of letters from DFLers shows a continuing "lack of leadership" on how to solve the problem.

"We warned them" during the session, Dean said of the DFLers, that "we needed to actually put together bills that added up [to a balanced budget] at the end of the day ... there was never really a plan."

The session ended with projected spending exceeding anticipated revenues by an estimated $2.7 billion for the two-year budget period that will begin July 1. That is the gap that Pawlenty plans to plug, as each side blames the other for the problem.

Regular folks weigh in

While most legislators are giving him the silent treatment, Pawlenty said citizens are giving him an earful.

Since his administration created a website a week ago where citizens can send budget-balancing ideas, Pawlenty has talked publicly about the many people who have responded. As of Friday, according to a spokesman, more than 1,600 e-mails had been received -- and have included suggestions that Pawlenty reconsider state-authorized gambling as a way to raise money and even think about opening liquor stores on Sundays. Opening liquor stores, one e-mail said, would "create tax revenue. Create jobs. Save gas, as you wouldn't believe the [Minnesota] cars that line up at [Wisconsin] border towns waiting for the off sale [stores] to open on Sundays."

There also are indications that the governor's office is quietly getting feedback from some of the state's most influential interests, including the League of Minnesota Cities, which met Thursday with state Revenue Commissioner Ward Einess. Though the conversations were cordial, said Gary Carlson, a lobbyist for the league, it remained clear that cuts in state aid to cities are a likely target as Pawlenty weighs unallotment choices.

"Frankly, this is like going to your own execution and trying to give advice about which way you're going to take the pain," said Carlson, describing the talks.

The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, representing 12,500 government workers, on Friday sent its own suggestions to the governor, which included banning out-of-state travel except travel taken to collect revenue. The union also recommended that state agencies cut their management staff to no more than 15 percent of total employees -- and released a spreadsheet showing that 10 mostly smaller agencies and boards, but including the state finance department, have workforces where more than 30 percent of the staff are managers and supervisors.

Legal fight ahead?

With the governor expected to announce his unallotment plan in June, there continues to be speculation that Pawlenty could face a legal challenge over what detractors see as a misuse of the unallotment power. State law gives a governor the authority to reduce spending where necessary if projected expenses for a budget period exceed anticipated revenue. But Pawlenty's announcement in the closing days of the session to use it to settle an impasse between the GOP governor and DFLers when the 2-year budget period hasn't even started was seen as an unprecedented use of the process.

"Someone's going to be filing a [law]suit, and arguing what's going on with unallotment," said House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall.

Lawrence Massa, president of the Minnesota Hospital Association, whose 147 members are likely to face significant budget cuts, said lawyers for the association are "reviewing the [state] statute" related to unallotment but have not made any conclusions regarding legal action. Massa said the association had in the past week informally talked to Tom Hanson, director of the state's office of management and budget, about pushing the bulk of any cuts to next year but said Hanson was noncommittal.

While Seifert and Dean said Republicans were informally meeting with the governor's office on unallotment issues, those DFLers who did formally answer Pawlenty's letter seemed to use the occasion to again criticize the governor's handling of the legislative session.

"You made the decision to veto the Legislature's final balanced budget proposal and now you are left with few choices," wrote House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller in a joint letter released Friday. "You will be held responsible for the repercussions of those actions."

Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673

Minnesota's Senate race now comes down to 5 votes

By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune
Last update: May 30, 2009


Now it comes down to five votes.

Almost seven months after a U.S. Senate election that was too close to call, five justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on whether problems with absentee ballots justify reversing a lower-court ruling that declared DFLer Al Franken a 312-vote winner over Republican Norm Coleman.

Partisans across America will be watching, pronouncing judgment on a thousand blogs. The case may cast a blinding national spotlight on the state Supreme Court.

A decision upholding the lower-court ruling could end the protracted struggle and allow Franken to join the Senate, giving Democrats an invincible majority. A ruling for Coleman wouldn't return him to the Senate, but could keep his hopes alive and delay a final decision for months.

Minnesotans want the dispute to end, recent polls show. Most people say Coleman should concede. Nearly two-thirds believe that Franken ultimately will be declared the winner.

But several former Minnesota Supreme Court justices say current members will consider the case carefully, ignoring outside publicity and pressure.

"The impatience of the people just has to be put aside," said former Associate Justice Jim Gilbert, who served on the court for seven years with most of the justices hearing the case. "You want a correct decision at this stage, not a fast decision.

"They will not be reacting to talking heads or political action groups ... or anything like that," Gilbert said. "This decision has to stand the test of time. It will be gone over with a microscope."

Former Chief Justice Russell Anderson agrees.

"They understand every decision they make has the potential to go to the United States Supreme Court," Anderson said. "They're not going to decide this on the publicity. They're going to decide this on the law."

One former Minnesota justice knows what it's like to issue an opinion in a politically overheated election case.

Five days before the 1990 gubernatorial election, then-Associate Justice A.M. (Sandy) Keith, once one of the state's most prominent DFL politicians, agreed with others on the court on a key issue: that Arne Carlson should take the place of Jon Grunseth on the ballot after Grunseth withdrew as the Republican candidate for governor. The ruling paved the way for Carlson to defeat Gov. Rudy Perpich, a DFLer who had just elevated Keith to take over as chief justice.

"I still carry that with me," said Keith. "The governor [Perpich] thought I was responsible for it. He tried to take the position away from me -- thought about it. He wouldn't even come to my swearing-in.

"I think it was the right decision, and I never had any hesitation about that," Keith said.

While Monday's hearing will produce yet another dramatic climax in this seven-month saga, some believe it will be mostly anti-climactic for the justices, who weeks ago received detailed briefs from the lawyers in the case.

"These justices will have had over two weeks, including three weekends ... to work on the case," said Richard Hasen, an elections expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who has followed the case closely.

"It would not be surprising to me that they would come into the arguments with their minds mostly made up, [and] also with drafted opinion or opinions in front of them."

Keith said arguments delivered in court rarely swayed him in the end.
"In many instances, I had made up my mind in the sense I thought it was going in this direction," he said.

The court and the challenge

The court will have two fewer members hearing the case than its usual seven because Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson sat on the state Canvassing Board for the recount and have declined to participate in related court proceedings.

Minnesota Supreme Court expert Peter Knapp, a William Mitchell law professor, has watched the remaining five in action. His thoughts:

• Alan Page: "Well aware of the importance common sense plays in the life of the law. You'll see opinions of his that remind the court, sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently ... that when a decision doesn't reflect that kind of common sense it may be out of kilter with where the law should go."

• Paul Anderson: "Really appreciates the value of history in shaping the law ... to a greater degree than some of the other justices."

• Lorie Gildea: Dissented when she "believed the court was making a decision that really belonged to the trial judge."

• Helen Meyer: "Writes opinions that I think reflect her experience and her values."

• Christopher Dietzen: A recent appointee with fewer written opinions, "It's much harder to tell ... anything about his particular cast of mind."

The five have ruled unanimously on earlier matters in the case, but split on the issue of allowing Coleman and Franken to veto the counting of some disputed absentee ballots. Paul Anderson and Page dissented.

On Monday, each side will have 25 minutes for arguments, with Coleman allowed an additional 10 minutes for rebuttal. He has the burden of proving that the three-judge panel that heard the trial made sufficient mistakes to overturn their verdict.

His legal team turns to Joe Friedberg to make their case, a veteran, high-profile criminal defense attorney but relative novice at election law. "Norm decided ... Joe is the best guy to make the argument," said Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg.

Franken will rely on Marc Elias, a national Democratic Party lawyer who specializes in election law.

Court experts will watch to see whether the justices direct more skeptical questions to either Coleman's or Franken's team. But such questioning could merely reflect a devil's advocate approach, in which judges interrogate the very side they are leaning toward.

Wide discretion

A Supreme Court decision could take days to months, with the prime options being upholding the lower court ruling for Franken or reversing it and ordering the panel to reconsider aspects of the case.

The court "cannot say that Coleman won," said University of Minnesota constitutional law expert Fred Morrison. "A Coleman 'victory' in the Supreme Court would mean several more weeks or months of more recounting-type stuff."

Aside from attacking the merits of Coleman's case, Franken argues that the Republican's key claims should be dismissed because he didn't bring them early enough in the trial.

"I think the justices will at least consider whether or not the public interest and timing is a relevant factor" before examining Coleman's claims, said Edward Foley, an election law expert at Ohio State University.

But Knapp said the high court has wide discretion to ignore procedural arguments and consider the main question: Were the election and recount fair and accurate enough to bring this dispute to an end?

Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210

SENATE DISTRICT 56 DFL FAMILY PICNIC

FOR MORE DETAILS PLEASE GO TO SENATE DISTRICT 56 DFL WEBSITE.


When June 22nd, 2009 5:30 PM through 8:30 PM

Location
11455 20th St N
Tartan Park Picnic Shelter
Lake Elmo, MN 55042
United States

Contact
Phone: (651) 402-3184
Email: mswitte@comcast.net

Ticket Cost
Advance purchase ticket $ 9.00
Children 5 and under FREE

SECOND ANNUAL DFL PICNIC

Minnesota DFL website

PLEASE JOIN

Senator Amy Klobuchar

Senator-Elect Al Franken

Representative Jim Oberstar

Representative Collin Peterson

Representative Betty McCollum

Representative Keith Ellison

Representative Tim Walz

Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller

for the Second Annual Minnesota DFL Party SUMMER BARBEQUE

Saturday, June 27, 2009 4: 00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Minnesota DFL Party Headquarters 255 East Plato Boulevard St. Paul

$25 per person$10 for children 10 and under

Featuring… The First Annual DFL Horseshoe Tournament

Teams of four, mixed gendered: $200

Please contact Sarah Helgen at shelgen@dfl.org if you are interested in participating!

Bill to Help Homeowners Facing Problems with Contractors Vetoed

Source: Fox News 9 (Minnesota)
Published : Monday, 25 May 2009, 9:51 PM CDT

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Your home is the biggest purchase you'll ever make, but homeowners have few legal rights when it comes to disputes between them and contractors. A group of Minnesota lawmakers has been trying to change that but their fight has hit a major road block.

Brooke Simpson bought a Forest Lake home three years ago and had big plans for it. But fire put a stop to those plans in February 2008. Simpson hired a contractor to make repairs. But she claims he never properly removed mold and moisture that started to grow in the house in the weeks after the fire.

“The mask is for the overabundance of mold and toxins that are in our house that cause respiratory problems,” said Simpson.

She says tests show mold levels in the house are 50 percent greater than what is considered acceptable.

She'd like to sue the contractor for the damages but believes she won't be able to afford the expenses that come with taking a case like this to court.

In Minnesota, homeowners can't get their attorney fees reimbursed if they sue a contractor. If the award is $150,000 and the attorney's fees are $70,000 the homeowner doesn't have adequate funds to repair the damage done to their home.

This past legislative session representative Marsha Swails tried to get the law changed to help homeowners who win their cases in court.

But Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill along with four others designed to help homeowners with construction defects.

"We should be cautious about placing more burdens on the housing sector during this historic recession," said Pawlenty. Swails is not letting that stop her. She wants to start working on drafting new legislation this summer that would make the governor, the construction industry and homeowners happy.

“I am really hoping that bringing all the players together that we can come up with a solution,” said Swails.

Federal stimulus aid to help St. Paul Public Housing Agency

$10M will go toward makeover of McDonough Homes complex

By Jason Hoppin
jhoppin@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/28/2009 11:27:53 PM CDT

One of St. Paul's oldest public housing projects will get a $10 million infusion of federal stimulus dollars, the St. Paul Public Housing Agency announced Thursday.

The money will go toward revamping 120 row houses at McDonough Homes, west of Interstate 35E in the city's North End. The funds will help complete a $35 million overhaul of the 580 units at McDonough, which opened in 1952.

"It really is a total makeover," said Al Hester, housing policy director for the Public Housing Agency.

McDonough houses a diverse population of low-income residents, but Asians make up the largest minority group by far, including a sizable Hmong population.

Improvements include everything from new wiring to bathroom fixtures as well as making the grounds more community-oriented. The contract was awarded to Frerichs Construction Co. and is part of $3 billion distributed to public housing agencies across the country through the $787 billion federal stimulus package.

"We think we're one of the first housing agencies in the country to get the money under contract," Hester said.

Another $1 billion in discretionary grants through the stimulus package is also available, and the St. Paul Public Housing Agency is hoping to secure some of those funds as well.

The agency will also spend $591,000 for new sprinklers and fire alarms at the Iowa Hi-Rise complex and $363,000 to help 42 Summit-University duplexes fit into the neighborhood better.

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency faces a crushing demand for its services, with 6,310 families waiting for a spot in public housing and 8,017 families waiting for Section 8 vouchers.

The Section 8 waiting list is now closed, but when it opened for three days in 2007, more than 11,000 households applied.

Jason Hoppin can be reached at 651-292-1892.

Audit finds weak oversight of Minnesota IT projects

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Associated Press
Updated: 05/29/2009 10:54:55 AM CDT

A new audit finds that a state office created four years ago to monitor expensive state information technology projects isn't doing all it could.

The legislative auditor's report said the Office of Enterprise Technology should be tracking information technology and telecommunications projects more closely and develop better ways to manage project costs.

The audit said state agencies are spending more than $270 million on 137 information technology projects, ranging from an online unemployment insurance application portal to an integrated tax system.

But no project has a cost management plan.

State chief information officer Gopal Khanna said he agrees with most of the audit but his five-person office doesn't have enough resources and faces further budget cuts in the coming year.

Republicans to lose only officeholder in St. Paul

Conlon says he's leaving "with a heavy heart."

By EMILY JOHNS, Star Tribune
Last update: May 21, 2009 - 10:39 PM

As of July 6, there will be no more elected Republicans in St. Paul.
School Board Member Tom Conlon, the lone elected Republican, announced Thursday that he will be resigning this summer because he has bought an historic inn in Asheville, N.C., and is moving there to be the innkeeper.

"I'm leaving the school board with a heavy heart," said Conlon, who will keep his home in the Macalester-Groveland area of St. Paul. "It's a professional decision only. I'm really going to miss the school board, I've loved it. Unfortunately, I can't do both."

St. Paul Republicans have had a rough time in recent years, including the never-ending 2008 U.S. Senate race, in which Norm Coleman won only one precinct in the city he used to preside over as mayor. But Scott Walker, chairman of the St. Paul Republicans, thinks they can hold onto Conlon's seat.

"The fundamentals of education are usurped by political agendas," he said, "and I think Tom Conlon was one of the very few people that focused on student achievement rather than the political atmosphere of the day."

Conlon was elected in 1991, and is the board's longest serving member, an honor that will now belong to Anne Carroll.

Conlon is a self-employed photographer, and he will soon be awarded his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in work and human resource education. He also teaches in the College of Management at Metropolitan State University.

Conlon's seat will be filled by special election, during the November election when three of his fellow board members are up for reelection.

"It has always been a seat that the DFL could never pick up, even when they field four good candidates in that cycle," Darren Tobolt, chairman of the St. Paul DFL, said Thursday. "It's going to be interesting to see if people just want one Republican on the board, or if Tom is just that popular."

Conlon graduated from Highland Park Senior High in 1978, and went to college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He says that's where he created his ties to North Carolina and to Asheville, a tourism center in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Conlon said the Cedar Crest Inn is a 15-room, Queen Anne Victorian-style inn that is a half-mile from the Vanderbilt family's famous Biltmore House. It was built in 1891.

"He'll definitely be missed," said Kazoua Kong-Thao, school board chairwoman. She said that despite the political differences, the vast majority of the board's decisions have been unanimous. "He has a wealth of knowledge; 18 years is a real commitment. I applaud anybody that does this kind of work, under the heat, under the lights, for so long."

Of his time on the board, Conlon said he is proud of how well he has worked with his constituents, and believes that he has influenced the board's policies. The school board is now moving toward a neighborhood model of assigning students to schools, something Conlon says he has pushed for a long time.

Earlier this week, Conlon was the only dissenting vote when the board voted to change the name of Webster Magnet Elementary to "Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary," a change the school community voted on to reflect a new focus on service learning.

Conlon is hosting two goodbye receptions that will be open to the public. They will be from 3 to 6 p.m. June 8 and from 5 to 8 p.m. June 14 at Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 1849 Marshall Av., St. Paul.

Emily Johns • 612-673-7460

Eden Prairie City Council to delay new road

Eden Prairie's Riverview Road gets a reprieve from a city-style reconstruction after neighborhood residents appeal to the city.

By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune
Last update: May 27, 2009 - 1:39 PM

Eden Prairie's Riverview Road will get a coating of new black top this year but not a modern upgrading with curb, gutter and sidewalk.

The Eden Prairie City Council voted 3 to 2 last week to postpone the more extensive reconstruction until the area fully develops and the city has had time to stop bluff-line erosion caused by rain running off the street.

The segment, between Homeward Hills Road and Parker Drive in southern Eden Prairie, carries 2,500 to 3,000 cars a day at the crest of a bluff near the Minnesota River. The city's Public Works Department recommended bringing it up to modern standards to improve driver and pedestrian safety.

But residents along the stretch argued that Eden Prairie has turned all but 10 miles of its original rural roads into curb-and-gutter, urban-style streets and that Riverview should be saved as a picturesque, curving country half-mile.

After a public hearing last week, Council Members Cathy Nelson, Ron Case and Jon Duckstad voted to delay the street's reconstruction indefinitely and instead repave the section of street this year.

Nelson said future development would likely tear up the road if it were reconstructed now, so it makes sense to wait. In the meantime, she suggested enjoying the pretty road. "It would be nice if somebody would sprinkle some wildflower seeds along it," she said.

While Case favored putting off the reconstruction, he said the erosion problems along the bluff area should be addressed immediately. Duckstad favored the blacktopping alternative as a way to save money.

Mayor Phil Young voted against delaying the reconstruction, saying it felt like passing the buck to a future council. "What I haven't heard yet tonight is how the problem with this road gets better if we push it off to another council to make the decision.''

Council Member Brad Aho also opposed the temporary fix, saying that resurfacing it now and reconstructing it later would cost more than a single improvement. "I think we would be better served to do it right the first time.''

Aho also predicted that speeds on the road will increase once it's resurfaced, creating a hazard for pedestrians because that section of road has no sidewalk.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711

Ritchie is sued over voter-registration records

A group says that updates to Minnesota's registration system are lacking and that '08 vote totals exceed voters in the system by 406,000.

By PATRICIA LOPEZ, Star Tribune
Last update: May 28, 2009 - 9:17 PM

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is being sued in the state Supreme Court by the group Minnesota Majority, several Republican legislators and others over alleged vote discrepancies in the 2008 election.

The suit, filed Thursday, says that the state's voter registration system has not been adequately updated and that vote totals from canvassing boards exceed the stated number of registered voters by 406,398. Ritchie disputed the claims.

"We don't want to take this step," said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, referring to the lawsuit at a State Capitol news conference. "But it is the last step in a democracy."

The suit is based on research by Minnesota Majority, a "traditional values" advocacy group that compared the statewide registration system to the 2008 State Canvassing Board report.

By federal law, the voter registration system is supposed to be updated immediately after an election, and state law says updates should occur within six weeks. But, according to Minnesota Majority, 17 counties hadn't filed any reports to the registration system, and another eight, including Hennepin and Ramsey, reported more ballots than they had registered voters. Election officials in the counties are also targets of the suit.

Ritchie responds

Ritchie said Thursday that his office updated voter registration lists in April and continues to do so. "All lists are updated every day of the week," he said. "People die, people move. The counties continuously update the lists."
He said the goal was to match voter registration and the certified

canvassing board totals within 1,000 names. "You'll never get a perfect correlation between the two," he said. "We were at 40,000 in April. We're at about 30,000 now."

Ritchie deflected more detailed questions to the counties themselves. "You'll have to ask the counties about their own numbers," he said.

Ritchie said he didn't know why some counties turned up with zero registered voters in Minnesota Majority's report. "Their number is so far different from the actual number in the database that it's not possible for me to speak to it," he said.

Aitkin County was listed in the report as having zero registered voters and 9,455 certified ballots. But Auditor Kirk Peysar said his county had reported its registered voters and that the number matched the ballots.

In St. Louis County, Elections Director Paul Tynjala said the county's results also were up to date. "I have no idea why they wouldn't show up," he said.

Minnesota Majority's research showed the county, a DFL stronghold, with 119,435 certified ballots and zero registered voters posted in the system.

"Something's wrong there, because all of our updates have been done since January," Tynjala said. "If they weren't, the secretary of state would have gotten ahold of us right away."

Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, a former secretary of state, isn't part of the lawsuit but said she supports the action. She said there was "no excuse" for not updating the voter registration system and reconciling ballot discrepancies six months after one of the most drawn-out and heavily litigated U.S. Senate races in history.

Kiffmeyer said that the group wasn't accusing anyone of fraud, but that until the number of registered voters and number of ballots cast are reconciled, "we don't know what went on. The potential is there."

Jeff Davis, president of Minnesota Majority, said his group had tried to work with Ritchie's office since November to reconcile the numbers but had requests for information "ignored or dismissed."

The GOP legislators listed as plaintiffs in the suit are Buesgens and Reps. Tom Emmer and Matt Dean. Minnesota Majority said Sens. David Senjem and Warren Limmer also are plaintiffs.

A woman holding a "Revote Coleman '09" sign was at Thursday's news conference, but Davis said that she wasn't officially part of the group and that the lawsuit wasn't seeking specific action in Republican Norm Coleman's appeal of the U.S. Senate election trial. In that trial, a three-judge panel ruled that DFLer Al Franken finished 312 votes ahead of Coleman. The state Supreme Court will hear that case, with oral arguments Monday.

Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288

Minn. public takes crack at fixing deficit

By MARTIGA LOHN , Associated Press
Last update: May 29, 2009 - 12:18 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesotans are looking everywhere from liquor sales on Sunday to racetrack gambling to bring more money into the state budget. Others want to save on items as big as entire government programs and as small as printing fewer legislative directories.

So far, more than 1,600 people e-mailed ideas to Gov. Tim Pawlenty as he prepares to cut and delay $2.7 billion in spending to balance the budget. The Republican governor will make the cuts without legislative approval because the session ended last week without a deal.

Democrats tried fixing the budget with a last-minute mix of taxes and school payment delays destined for a veto. Now, Pawlenty plans to erase the remaining shortfall on his own by reducing spending and delaying payments.

Pawlenty plans to announce the reductions before the new state budget begins on July 1.

Suggestions have been coming into an e-mail address, budgetideas@state.mn.us, that started receiving messages on May 19.

Pawlenty's office wouldn't release all the e-mails, citing state data practices law and an office policy to protect constituents' privacy, but selected five samples after removing names and identifying information.

One saw tax money sitting in cars that cross the border to buy booze: "Allow MN liquor stores to open on Sundays. Create tax revenue. Create jobs. Save gas, as you wouldn't believe the MN cars that line up at WI border towns waiting for the off sale to open on Sunday."

Another pitched a money-maker that Pawlenty has dismissed and got little attention during the session: State-backed gambling, such as a casino at Canterbury Park racetrack in Shakopee. The writer said similar racinos are working elsewhere.

"They are providing state and local governments with BILLIONS," the e-mail said.

The lack of a budget deal between Pawlenty and Democrats who control the Legislature left a shortfall heading into the upcoming two-year budget, even with all major spending bills signed into law. Pawlenty plans to use a gubernatorial power called unallotment to cancel or delay payments during a deficit.

Unallotment authority is limited to already approved spending, which means the governor can't single-handedly create a state-run casino or change liquor laws.

Pawlenty said Thursday he aims to make the bulk of the reductions in the second year of the cycle, starting in July 2010.

"That will give the Legislature some time to come in and review some of those decisions and alter them or change then if they choose," he said at the Capitol.

Other e-mails released by Pawlenty's office urged cuts — evenly across state government or for specific programs and services.

Gubernatorial spokesman Brian McClung said about 30 percent of the messages urged Pawlenty not to cut health and welfare programs, compared with about 6 percent who wanted to spend less on those programs. Another 20 percent supported the budget-balancing actions and slightly less than 10 percent wanted taxes raised.

McClung said four Republican legislators and one DFL lawmaker have contacted the office.

DFLers also collected thousands of public comments on the budget earlier this year in a series of statewide public hearings and through the House and Senate Web sites. About 6,000 people submitted ideas to the House Web site alone.

A review of those messages showed a mix of ideas, from the general ("Do not cut education budgets," one said) to the very specific: "School gyms could be wedding spaces etc. Think of the income that could be generated!!"

Others looked to save by turning down the heat in state offices, reducing the number of school sports games, eliminating farm subsidies and mowing roadside ditches less often.

One mayor went against his counterparts who have been pleading with Pawlenty not to cut too much into their state aid, using the governor's new e-mail to say his city is prepared to take another reduction.

"I'm ok with them doing more severe cuts to local government aid in St. Bonny, because we've already been planning for this," said Rick Weible, mayor of St. Bonifacius in the western Twin Cities. "But my preference would be that they make the cuts sooner than later."

The lack of a budget deal between Pawlenty and Democrats who control the Legislature left a shortfall heading into the upcoming two-year budget, even with all major spending bills signed into law. Pawlenty plans to use a gubernatorial power called unallotment to cancel or delay payments during a deficit.

Unallotment authority is limited to already approved spending, which means the governor can't single-handedly create a state-run casino or change liquor laws.

Pawlenty said Thursday he aims to make the bulk of the reductions in the second year of the cycle, starting in July 2010.

"That will give the Legislature some time to come in and review some of those decisions and alter them or change then if they choose," he said at the Capitol.

Other e-mails released by Pawlenty's office urged cuts — evenly across state government or for specific programs and services.

Gubernatorial spokesman Brian McClung said about 30 percent of the messages urged Pawlenty not to cut health and welfare programs, compared with about 6 percent who wanted to spend less on those programs. Another 20 percent supported the budget-balancing actions and slightly less than 10 percent wanted taxes raised.

McClung said four Republican legislators and one DFL lawmaker have contacted the office.

DFLers also collected thousands of public comments on the budget earlier this year in a series of statewide public hearings and through the House and Senate Web sites. About 6,000 people submitted ideas to the House Web site alone.

A review of those messages showed a mix of ideas, from the general ("Do not cut education budgets," one said) to the very specific: "School gyms could be wedding spaces etc. Think of the income that could be generated!!"

Others looked to save by turning down the heat in state offices, reducing the number of school sports games, eliminating farm subsidies and mowing roadside ditches less often.

One mayor went against his counterparts who have been pleading with Pawlenty not to cut too much into their state aid, using the governor's new e-mail to say his city is prepared to take another reduction.

"I'm ok with them doing more severe cuts to local government aid in St. Bonny, because we've already been planning for this," said Rick Weible, mayor of St. Bonifacius in the western Twin Cities. "But my preference would be that they make the cuts sooner than later."

Doing thyme: OH inmates growing food to save money

Could someone from MN Department Corrections adopt this idea since MN is facing budget defecit just like everywhere. Growing own food is one of way to save money. If I was a Commish for MNDOC, I would adopt this idea as well. Its also would be good for county jails across Minnesota too. During winter they should have green house.

Source: KARE 11

FREMONT, Ohio -- A county sheriff in northern Ohio who banned pancakes from the jail menu to cut costs has found another way to save: He's having the inmates grow their own food.

Sandusky County Sheriff Kyle Overmyer got the idea for a vegetable garden at the jail in Fremont after he was forced to reduce his budget by $75,000 this spring.

Low-risk inmates who are allowed to mow lawns and do other chores around the county planted about an acre and a half of fruits and vegetables on jail grounds three weeks ago.

One inmate says everyone will enjoy the fresh food because budget cuts have made meals less appetizing.

State probing 'Jon & Kate' for child labor laws

Source: KARE 11

WERNERSVILLE, Pa. -- Jon, Kate and their eight children have attracted a huge TV audience, screaming tabloid headlines and, now, a state labor investigation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor says it's looking into whether the hit reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is complying with child labor laws.

The TLC series follows Jon and Kate Gosselin as they raise their eight young children, including 8-year-old twins and sextuplets who just turned 5. The show drew nearly 10 million viewers for its fifth-season premiere Monday following reports of trouble in the Gosselins' marriage.

Labor Department spokesman Justin Fleming tells The Associated Press that the department is looking into a complaint against the show.

TLC says it "fully complies" with state laws and regulations.

Medical marijuana proponents want voters to decide

Source: Minnesota Public Radio

May 28, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. (AP) — Supporters of medical marijuana in Minnesota may try to put the question directly to voters.

Medical marijuana backers are preparing to try to put a constitutional amendment -- ensuring the right of the sick and dying to smoke marijuana -- on the state ballot next year.

If backers can persaude the Legislature -- a big if -- to put the measure on the ballot, a statewide campaign won't come cheap.

However, the Marijuana Policy Project, a national group pushing the legislation, appears to have the money to launch a serious campaign.

Since 2005, the group has spent nearly $900,000 lobbying the Minnesota Legislature with money raised at events like its recent fourth annual Playboy Mansion fundraiser.

"While nobody's drawn up a budget yet, our basic approach is we would spend what's needed," said Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the group.

Last week Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill that would have allowed medical use of marijuana for terminally ill patients. He cited law enforcement concerns about expanded drug use.

"While I am very sympathetic to those dealing with end of life illnesses and accompanying pain, I stand with law enforcement in opposition to this legislation," he wrote in his veto letter.

It promoted a quick promise of a constitutional fight from one of the chief sponsors of the bill.

"For the governor to veto this legislation, even after the House narrowed it so much that thousands of suffering patients would have been without protection, is just unbelievably cruel," said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.

One question for Election Day in 2010 might be how the issue affects other races, including what is expected to be a close gubernatorial campaign.

"There's definitely a second layer any time you think about a constitutional amendment or a ballot question," said Mike Zipko, a political consultant at St. Paul's Goff & Howard. "You could see how someone from a progressive point of view (could use the issue) to push voter turnout even a couple of points."

There's precedent for a single issue vote helping like-minded candidates. In 2004, a number of state constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage were credited with helping conservative President George W. Bush win re-election.

Zipko said a medical marijuana vote could draw extra liberal voters to the polls. He noted Jesse Ventura's gubernatorial victory in 1998, when many voters turned out to support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to hunt and fish and voted for Ventura while they were at it.

"Everybody's looking for any kind of edge to get people to come out because these elections are getting closer and closer," Zipko said.

---
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

Obama: It's Now Or Never For Health Care Bill

by The Associated Press
NPR.org, May 28, 2009 · President Obama warned Thursday that if Congress doesn't deliver health care legislation by the end of the year the opportunity will be lost, a plea to political supporters to pressure lawmakers to act.

"If we don't get it done this year, we're not going to get it done," Obama told supporters by phone as he flew home on Air Force One from a West Coast fundraising trip.

Obama's political organization, Organizing for America, invited campaign volunteers to a midday conference call to describe a nationwide June 6 kickoff for its health care campaign. The president's message to his re-election campaign-in-waiting was simple: If volunteers don't pressure lawmakers to support the White House's goal on health care, Washington would drag its feet and nothing would change.

"The election in November, it didn't bring about change. It gave us an opportunity for change," Obama said.

The presidential plea came as lawmakers prepare for an aggressive schedule of work aimed at producing comprehensive health care overhaul bills in the House and Senate by August.

Committee hearings — and soon thereafter votes — will start next week, as soon as lawmakers return to Washington from a weeklong recess. Many members of Congress spent the break holding town-hall style meetings and other forums with their constituents about health care, even as opponents and supporters of Obama's plans ramped up television and radio ads for and against.

"I think the status quo is unacceptable and that we've got to get it done this year," Obama repeated, ginning up his supporters for a door-to-door and phone-to-phone canvass similar to his presidential campaign.

Obama's top aides, including former campaign manager David Plouffe, told the supporters that they have a challenge ahead of them.

"If the country stands with the president and if the country is demanding health care reform than we'll get it done; Washington will not have any option but to follow us," Plouffe said on the call, which was not announced on the White House's official schedule.

The president's conversation with his supporters was part pep talk and part a nod to political reality. Obama is looking to use his network of supporters to deliver a campaign promise, and if he seeks a second term in 2012 — a near certainty — he hopes to keep many of those volunteers engaged in person and online.

The president said the costs of the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system are crushing families and businesses and pose the largest threat to the economy.

The White House is leaving it to lawmakers to work out the details of a health care plan, but Obama has said it should ensure choice and lower costs, while extending coverage to the 50 million Americans now uninsured. The cost of accomplishing that has been estimated to be about $1.5 trillion, and figuring out how to pay is emerging as a major challenge for Congress and the White House.

The Republican National Committee said Obama's approach was not the right path, arguing that Democrats are pushing for a government-run health care system that will take away individual choice.

Group sues over voter registration records

Source: Minnesota Public Radio
May 28, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. (AP) — A group of conservatives is suing Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and 25 county election officials over what it characterizes as incomplete voter records.

Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis says the counties failed to post voter history updates as required within six weeks of the November 2008 election.

His lawsuit also alleges that Ritchie's office has yet to update voter records to reflect all those who voted.

Ritchie's spokesman didn't immediately return phone messages.
Davis says 400,000 more ballots showed up in the State Canvassing Board's report than the number of voters in the statewide voter registration database.

The lawsuit asks the Minnesota Supreme Court to declare the officials in violation of state law and make them pay attorneys' fees for the plaintiffs.

Gov. Pawlenty on unallotment and possible reelection

by Elizabeth Baier, Minnesota Public Radio
May 28, 2009

The Legislative session ended earlier this month without a negotiated budget agreement, and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to go it alone with his emergency authority to cut spending beginning July 1st.

On Thursday, Pawlenty said he has not decided where he will make the cuts, but that they'll likely affect higher education, human services and local government aide.

"There are some small cities and towns we want to try to accommodate," Pawlenty said Thursday on Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Edition. "So those are things we will be looking at."

Pawlenty's preparing to reduce spending by at least $1 billion without the Legislature's consent.

He said if the economy rebounds and there is not a projected deficit, the reduced unallotments may be able to be amended or modified. He also said most of the cuts will likely come in 2010, the second year of the biennium.

"We do want to try to make as many of the decision effective in the second year of the budget cycle so that if the Legislature, if they don't like some of the decisions or want to modify them, can come back early next year and address that if they choose," he said.

The second year of the biennium is also an election year. Pawlenty said he plans to announce whether he'll be running for a third term later this summer.

RT Rybak fundrasier June 19th, 2009

Changing School Options

Posted on May 5, 2009 by R.T. Rybak

Much discussion is currently underway as Minneapolis parents, teachers, school administrators, community leaders and many others grapple with the challenges faced by the Minneapolis school system. Major demographic shifts are underway in this city, state and country that require our school district to change, to reform and to improve the way we prepare our kids for the future. The recently proposed Changing School Options is one way the school district administration is trying to make the changes that need to be made in our schools.

Although the city charter does not give the Mayor direct authority over school policy, I am following this issue closely. I am listening to residents and communicating with the school district’s leadership about the Changing School Options plan. I am especially focused on helping the district streamline their transportation expenses so that more dollars can be used directly in the classroom. I support the goal of having a balance of magnet and community schools available to all neighborhoods.

On May 26, the school board is scheduled to vote on the staff recommendations. The most important thing Minneapolis residents can do is to continue to share your views directly with the school district. I encourage you to attend the upcoming public forums to learn more and voice your concerns about the Changing School Options proposal.

I’m glad to see so many people caring so much about Minneapolis Public Schools. These are difficult issues, there are no easy solutions, and parents rightfully have passion about how schools serve families and communities. Having a great school system is the key to the vitality of our city.

I will continue to look for ways to play a constructive role at this critical time. I spend a lot of time in the schools. There is great learning going on, so let’s keep raising the bar. With the support of engaged people, we can lay the solid foundation for all students to succeed.

Governor was the leader in this session

Star Tribune
Democrats were undisciplined and stubborn. They just want to raise taxes.
By RON CAREY
Last update: May 24, 2009 - 1:05 PM


This legislative session, we have seen a stark contrast in leadership from those at the Capitol.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty offered a balanced budget starting in January. Facing a $5 billion deficit, he worked to set the priorities in state government, incorporated reform and kept Minnesota looking to the future. By not raising taxes, we will be able to attract and encourage businesses to hire more workers so we can emerge from this recession.

On the other hand, Democrats passed spending bills that left the budget unbalanced by $3 billion. In a last-minute stunt, they passed another tax increase to claim they offered a balanced budget even though they didn't have the votes to override a veto. It's a disturbing lack of leadership from the Democrats in charge of the Legislature to fail in their most basic of tasks -- to balance the budget.

Fortunately, Pawlenty will not call a special session and will not allow a government shutdown. He will use the power of line-item vetoes to reduce Democrats' out-of-control spending and will use the process of unallotment to cross the final gap. The decisions he is forced to make because of the Democrats' failure are not easy, but it's exactly the kind of bold leadership we needed in our state. The Democrats, too willing to accept a special session, relish the threat of a shutdown and consistently delay their work to the last minute.

While the Democrats stomp their feet and call Pawlenty names, they have only themselves to blame. They took three months to unveil their tax-increase proposals. They missed their own self-imposed deadlines to pass budget bills. They passed spending bills unbalanced by $3 billion. Then they deliberately passed a last-minute veto-bait tax increase that had no chance of standing.

Democrats refused to sit down with Pawlenty to examine meaningful reforms to state government to reduce the out-of-control rate of growth in large parts of the budget. Instead, they sought to pass the buck to average Minnesotans through myriad tax increases, even though they knew they didn't have the votes to override a veto. Under their proposals, Democrats would have eliminated the home mortgage interest deduction, would have raised income taxes and alcohol taxes, and would have imposed taxes on Internet downloads. No Minnesotans would have escaped the raid on their pocketbooks.

Although Larry Pogemiller and Margaret Anderson Kelliher are fond of accusing Pawlenty of unwillingness to compromise, the Democrats refused to work with Pawlenty. He extended several offers incorporating some of their key priorities and accepting some of their positions, but the Democrats stubbornly refused to give up on forcing Minnesotans to pay billions more in taxes. Raising taxes on working families and struggling businesses during a recession is a recipe for disaster, and Pawlenty was right to stand his ground and say no to more taxes.

In the end, Minnesota will be stronger for Pawlenty's decisive action. The unallotments and line-item vetoes aren't the ideal solution to the budget, but they are the best available tools we have to prevent further overreach from Democrats.

Ron Carey is chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Proposed bill would make voting easier for overseas military

by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio
May 25, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. — Minnesota Congressman Erik Paulsen said he's marking the Memorial Day holiday by sponsoring a new measure to make it easier for military members serving overseas to vote.

Paulsen said the so-called "Military Voter Protection Act" would use the U.S. Postal Service's express mail service to cut the mailing time for overseas military voters to as little as four days.

"One of the provisions of the bill will require that ballot shipments will be trackable so that a service member can monitor his or her ballot as it makes its way to the local board of elections," Paulsen said. "So again, we're just essentially using current technology to assure that our veterans are having their votes delivered on time."

The third district Republican said as many as 23 percent of rejected absentee ballots are from military voters, whose ballots arrived too late to be counted.

Rejected absentee ballots played a key role in Minnesota's still-unresolved U.S. Senate race.

Pawlenty isn't acting alone against the DFL

5/27/09
Rochester Post-Bulletin
By Brian Thiel

We all know why most parents warn their children not to take cookies from strangers. It is also risky to take them from people we do know if we eat too many at once.

Since the closing hours of this year's legislative session, the DFL has been sending out bags of PR cookies all over the state, blaming an irresponsible governor who was supposedly acting alone and for his own future political interests.

Your editorial writer gulped the whole bag of those cookies in the poorly reasoned editorial last week parroting the DFL line about the governor. And now columnist Paul Scott seems to have eaten a bunch of them, too.

Minnesotans elected Gov. Pawlenty and matched him with a large but not veto-proof majority from the other party in the Legislature. Nobody -- certainly not the governor -- is acting alone. ALL were elected with lots of support from their respective parties. You have insulted the voters and the party who stand with the governor, implying we are stupid and unrepresented by him.

Obviously your editorial writer and Mr. Scott agree with the DFL majority of legislators that it is more important to continue (with little examination or revision) all the spending policies of the state and to increase taxes to overcome a reduced revenue because of general economic conditions. That is one possible way to have a balanced budget, and your paper is certainly privileged to take that stance in its own unsigned editorials or by printing those from others!

But if you do take that position, please give us better-reasoned editorials. It is NOT the GOP governor standing alone against the DFL (and apparently the interests of the people) saying, "Live within your means." Pawlenty has the full support of a veto-proof minority of legislators, all of whom were duly elected and plenty enough of them who are not blindly loyal.

When you have editorials that better recognize how Minnesota's deeply divided electorate fuels this raging debate about steadily increasing the level of services they expect from the state versus the steadily increasing cost of government and how that impacts our economy, then print those opinions. Until then, don't insult the voters who elected all this diversity of legislators and the governor with the upchuck of writers who ate too many cookies from the DFL political PR bag.

Brian Thiel of Austin is a Republican who last year ran for the District 27 House seat now occupied by Jeanne Poppe.

Upcoming Minnesota Republican Party Events

There are list of Minnesota Republican Party events on their official website. State Convention is set for September 26, 2009 but haven't finalized on where.

Listing of Minnesota Republican Party events

DFL Party: Opportunity Lost as 'King Tim the Obstinate' Stands Alone

Source: DFL Party

Unwilling to come to the table and compromise, Pawlenty again places his own national ambitions before Minnesota’s interests

ST. PAUL (May 19, 2009) — Last night the Minnesota State Legislature adjourned sine die following a hard-fought session. The Minnesota DFL Party released this statement from Chair Brian Melendez:

“I commend the legislators from both parties for their hard work throughout the session. Unfortunately, Governor Pawlenty was unwilling to participate in the process. His national ambitions kept him away from the table.

“The DFL leadership in both houses passed legislation to tackle the $6.4 billion budget shortfall in a balanced, fair manner. The DFL caucuses worked hard to save and create jobs, protect health insurance for vulnerable Minnesotans and keep intact critical local-government aid. They came to the table in a spirit of compromise — while Pawlenty sat on his throne wielding his veto pen as a scepter.

“Pawlenty’s go-it-alone stubbornness will harm our state for generations. But he’d rather play to his party’s Iowa caucus-goers than serve Minnesotans’ best interests. His rhetoric is about no new taxes, but his reality is ever-increasing property taxes, one-time funding, long-term borrowing and cruel cuts to health insurance for working Minnesotans. Pawlenty chose the Bush model of cowboy diplomacy over the Minnesota model of working through challenges together.

“His my-way-or-the-highway process of unallotment will have devastating results for Minnesota’s communities and people. I can see why he isn’t showing his face in public today.”

Pawlenty to mayors: Quit whining, get to work mapping out cuts

Pioneer Press 5/21/09

Governor tells mayors to be realistic about cuts, give him ideas for reductions

By Bill Salisbury bsalisbury@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/21/2009 09:44:37 PM CDT

Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants mayors to stop complaining about state aid cuts and start telling him how large a reduction they can handle.

Starting July 1, Pawlenty will cut or delay $2.7 billion in spending over the next two years to balance the state budget.

During a press briefing at the Capitol on Thursday, Pawlenty said he would consult with local government officials, health care providers, legislators and other "stakeholders" to get suggestions on where and how much he can cut. He wants mayors to tell him what portion of their budgets they can trim.

"The answer can't be they're not going to take any cuts, because everybody else is," he said.

When families, businesses, churches and charities are all tightening their belts, he said, "to have cities come forward and say, 'We can't take any cut at all' is hogwash.

"Instead of just whining and complaining, they need to figure out how they can reduce their spending by a few percent. I don't think that's unreasonable."

Also Thursday, the governor vetoed the tax bill approved by Democratic lawmakers in the final minutes of the legislative session that would have raised $1 billion through taxes on couples making more than $250,000, alcohol drinkers and credit card companies charging high interest rates. It also would have delayed $1.7 billion in payments to schools, erasing a two-year deficit.

Pawlenty had warned Democrats that he would veto tax increases that reached his desk.

The governor's comments on cities' finances appeared to be aimed at St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and several outstate mayors who have been vocal critics of his local government aid reductions.

On Thursday, Coleman and a group of local officials held news conferences in Mankato, Albert Lea and Rochester to urge Pawlenty to minimize cuts to cities. They will continue their press tour today with stops in St. Paul, Willmar and Alexandria.

Before the Legislature adjourned Monday, Pawlenty had proposed a $450 million cut in local government aid and related programs. Mayors asserted that cutting that much would force them to lay off cops, firefighters and other essential personnel and increase their property tax levies.

Before they take such drastic actions, Pawlenty said, they should answer four questions:

Does your city have budget reserves? "If you've got a rainy-day fund, use it," he said.

Where's the property tax money? Most cities have raised their property tax levies every year, Pawlenty said. "Where is that money going?" he asked.

Has employee pay been frozen? "People across Minnesota should demand that school districts, counties and cities freeze salaries for their employees for the next two years," he said.

And what have local officials done to downsize and streamline operations?
In addition to reducing state aid to local governments, Pawlenty said he expects to cut spending on health and social services, higher education and state agencies.

He hopes to preserve funding for veterans and military programs, public safety and preschool-through-high-school education, although he said he plans to delay state aid payments to schools.

This report contains information from the Associated Press.

Senate District 62 DFL June 1 meeting- Session wrap-up & candidates for Governor

Our June agenda is a bit unusual, we don't have much formal business. We do however, have some special guests. Here are some key agenda items:

Matt Entenza, Candidate for Governor (7:15- 7:35) (10 minutes to talk, 10 minutes for Q&A)

Legislative session wrap-up by Senator Torres Ray, Representative Wagenius and Representative Davnie (7:35 – 8:00)

Representative Paul Thissen, Candidate for Governor (8:00 – 8:20) (10 minutes to talk, 10 minutes for Q&A)

The candidates have been invited to join us at Merlin's Rest after the meeting ajourns.

The meeting will be held at the CWA Hall, 3521 E. Lake st. at 7:00. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Thanks,
Loren Olson
Chair SD62 DFL

Capitol Hill restaurant has testament to Franken's pre-election confidence

Pioneer Press 5/26/09

By Anne Schroeder Mullins Politico
Updated: 05/26/2009 08:49:50 AM CDT

It's not quite a John Hancock moment, but Senate candidate Al Franken left his mark on one of Washington's elite power restaurants.

Trattoria Alberto of Capitol Hill is a quaint Italian restaurant on 8th Street Southeast, blocks from Capitol Hill, that is frequented by myriad representatives and senators.

So many happen upon the fine establishment — it's a favorite of lobbyists, as well — that a few years ago the restaurant started asking lawmakers who dined there to autograph the restaurant's own copy of a facebook. (It speaks volumes about the restaurant that it even has a facebook. A facebook, to those uninitiated, is a yearly booklet that has pictures of and information about all the current members of Congress.) Representatives like John Sullivan, Jerry Lewis, Corrine Brown, Vern Buchanan, John Boccieri and Dennis Kucinich and Sen. George Voinovich have all come, eaten and happily signed. One person familiar with all these signings was overheard saying, "I don't know if they like it, but they sign it."

Another person who has signed the facebook without his face even being in it? Al Franken, who's still in an ongoing battle with Norm Coleman for one of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats. Franken came to the restaurant a few months before the election, we're told, and signed away — only he signed on top of Coleman's signature.

In the book, he drew a big box with an "X" inside it, signed his name and then, over to the right, put the election percentages, with the header: "CNN DECLARES FRANKEN."

After Franken's name, there's a "53%" and after Coleman's name there's a "47%."

So he's off, by a little.

Franken, always the jokester, was confident even then.

As for those in Franken's camp, they didn't comment.

Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson told Shenanigans in response to Franken's antics: "Proof positive that leopards never change their spots."

Have Twitter. Will keep politicians on their toes.

Pioneer Press 5/26/09
By Julio Ojeda-Zapata jojeda@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:21:49 AM CDT

Minnesota politicos, be warned: The Twitter throngs are watching you and influencing how the media cover you.

Twitter, the popular microblogging service for swapping online-text posts, has become a conduit for politics junkies to compare notes in a water-cooler fashion on what politicians are saying.

Many watched live video of this year's legislative session and went into tweeting frenzies when a politician uttered something juicy.

The local Twitterverse flared when former Gov. Arne Carlson was deemed Republican politician non grata at one point in the proceedings and when former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer incorrectly called Minnesota the only state to allow one voter to vouch for another at the polls (Iowa also permits this).

These citizen observers are godsends for The Uptake, a St. Paul-based independent journalism group that specializes in video-based coverage.

While The UpTake set up live streaming video of session activity, the thinly staffed organization couldn't catch every important utterance.

So it invited its Twitter followers to serve as session spotters and tweet about them.

As a result, roughly half the edited video pieces at theuptake.org were from Twitter-based tips. UpTake executive producer Mike McIntee said editors easily could match the tweet timestamps to those on the corresponding videos.

Twitter is a good "gauge of how interesting something is for an audience" and therefore a great way to craft edited videos that will draw decent Web traffic, McIntee said.

Twitter rose to political prominence in the Twin Cities during last year's Republican National Convention, when everyone from mainstream and independent journalists to political junkies and protest organizers used the service to communicate. The UpTake, for instance, used Twitter to coordinate staffers' street movements amid mass arrests and clouds of tear gas.

This year, Twitter users chronicled the U.S. Senate race recount in all its intricacy and documented each twist and turn of the legislative session. As a result, the service emerged locally as a form of media coverage all its own.
"You really do get the play-by-play, which is a pretty fascinating and positive thing, especially for those monitoring the news mainly via Twitter," said Eric Ostermeier, author of the Smart Politics blog at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (and who tweets as "SmartPolitics").

"You could take any five top Twitter accounts" focused on local politics, "and I can't imagine you could find a more complete picture of what went on at the Minnesota Legislature," said the UpTake's Chuck Olsen ("chuckumentary" on Twitter).

Olsen cited his group's "uptakemn" account, along with Minnesota Public Radio's "tomscheck," the Pioneer Press' "PolAnimal," "PoliticsMN" and "radiofreenation" as notable local political Twitter feeds.

Dozens of local feeds span the ideological spectrum — from "DavidStrom," the conservative pundit and radio host, and the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life's "MCCL_org" feed, to St. Paul's "wellstoneaction" and the Norm Coleman-needling "GiveItupNorm."

However, Twitter is hardly a substitute for long-form journalism via newspaper articles and thoughtful blog posts, said Aaron Landry, a local blogger and political observer who tweets as "s4xton."

"Twitter is horrible for reading political analysis," Landry said. "But it's invaluable for finding out what's happening right now. It's the go-to place for breaking information."

Julio Ojeda-Zapata can be reached at 651-228-5467.

I tweet, you tweet, even Pawlenty tweets

Pioneer Press 5/26/09
Welcome to Twitter, Minnesota's new frontier of political communication
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:22:55 AM CDT
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com

Minnesota politicians long ago perfected the art of using lots of words to say almost nothing. This year, they worked on saying an awful lot with just 140 characters.

When Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent a budget offer to Democratic lawmakers during the legislative session, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher's first public response was on Twitter, a social messaging service.

"Governor's letter a compromise? Compromise in word only, doesn't balance the budget. Not a responsible plan," wrote the speaker, who posts on Twitter as @MAKMinnesota.

If you were interested in the debate about whether police can stop drivers to enforce seat belt rules, you could find a concise explanation on Twitter.

"Primary seatbelt legislation on house floor. The various arguments boil down to personal responsibility vs. enforcing safety," wrote @laurabrod, aka Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, from the House floor last week. The bill was passed and signed into law.

Welcome to the new frontier of political communication. Twitter users can send notes no longer than the first two sentences of this article. Elected officials have started voicing opinions, sharing news and connecting with supporters, reporters and others on Twitter.

"It's a nice, simple, quick way of communicating," Brod said. "We need more and more people paying attention to what we are doing from St. Paul, and I am looking for any opportunity I can get to engage people, in whatever venue or environment that works best."

Brod and Kelliher were two of the early adopters of Twitter, which really took off in Minnesota politics this year. More than 30 Minnesota politicians, state officials and staffers use Twitter to interact and get their messages out.

"I would equate it to play-by-play politics," said Blois Olson, executive vice president at Tunheim Partners and public relations guru.

The Twittering ranks include former Sen. Norm Coleman, aka @SenatorColeman — who recently posted that his knee surgery would be a good way to keep his mind off his court fight — about a quarter of the Minnesota House members, four of Minnesota's nine-member congressional delegation, several candidates for governor and Pawlenty's political arm, @pawlenty.

Pawlenty's Twitter initiation last month was a bit bumpy. At first, he had a staffer send his messages, and his Twitter page was designed with a white-on-white background, making it all but impossible to read. Now, according to Trisha Hamm, his political director, he often sends his "tweets" — as Twitter posts are known — himself.

The day after the legislative session ended, Pawlenty's Twitter channel transmitted his political take on the Legislature: "DFL #mnleg failed to enact balanced budget or any reforms. Now flying around state to brag about it. What color is the sky in their world?" (#mnleg is the hashtag — see guide inside for Twitter terms — followers of the Legislature use to keep track of events.)

A few hours later, Kelliher responded with a simple: "My Minnesota sky is blue."

The two messages were retweeted — that is, copied and sent out — to thousands of watchers.

Political Twittering can lead to unfortunate results.

Some of Rep. Paul Gardner's impassioned tweets during a tax bill debate offended two Republican members — so much so that they prepared an ethics complaint against the Shoreview DFLer.

Gardner's posts suggested Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, targeted female politicians in his parries and that Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, might have a black eye.

"This is the most bizarre thing in the world," said Emmer, who was informed of the offending tweets soon after Gardner posted them. He said the online messages were unfair and inappropriate. "This is not only bad form, this is wrong. You go after people's reputations in the sea of the Internet, and it never goes away."

The offending tweets were deleted, a high-level meeting was called, and Gardner issued a public apology: "I apologize for this transgression. We often get emotional during important debate, and tempers can flare, but that can be no excuse."

In an interview, he said the lesson was learned.

"The first thing that pops in your head is not the first thing you should say on Twitter," he said.

Gardner said with all new communications tools — e-mail, Facebook, message boards — someone tests the limits, and that helps define good and bad uses.

"I'm the first guy to hit the fence," Gardner said. "The silver lining is that I think of a lot of people who were not really helping the debate with their electronic communications should learn from my example."

But Emmer and Buesgens' ethics complaint lives on — days past the time Gardner deleted the messages — and last week, Emmer said the issue is unresolved.

House Speaker Kelliher said Twitter, like other new media, does call for a rethinking of how members communicate.

"I think sometimes people should count to 10 before they tweet," Kelliher said. "It does make us revisit again our policy on electronic media and the respectful use of electronic media in the workplace."

But Kelliher — who can talk at length about the glories of Tweetdeck, a program that helps manage Twitter — has embraced the social network, warts and all.

"I think it makes sense in the real time, especially in the fast-paced environment, (to be) able to respond and get something out there," said Kelliher, who added she sometimes tracked legislative action via Twitter during the session. "I actually think it's a tool that can add transparency to public negotiating on public matters. I think that is fascinating."

POLITICAL TWITTER

For a listing of Minnesota politicians, governments, political reporters, bloggers and others involved in politics and have a Twitter presence, go to mnpoltwitter.pbworks.com.

Legislature adjourned with a lot of 'ifs'

By Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune
Last update: May 26, 2009 - 11:52 AM

Unallotment. The poorest of the poor. Nanny state. Cocoa bean mulch. If none of those terms means much to you, you haven't been paying attention to the recently adjourned legislative session. That's OK. Let us summarize what it means to you:

If you ... think unallotment means "the process of not having such a lot," well, close enough. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has pledged to use a process known as unallotment to balance the state budget for the 2-year period that begins July 1, the start of a new fiscal year, because he and legislators couldn't reach a budget agreement. Pawlenty essentially will reduce funding for such programs as state aid to cities and hospitals on his own.

If you ... are the kind of person whose blood boils at the thought of special legislative sessions, breathe easy. There apparently won't be one.

If you ... were worried that state parks or highway rest areas might close this summer because of a budget impasse, as they did in 2005, go ahead with your plans to explore Minnesota. No shutdown looms.

If you ... are a carp, say your prayers. More Minnesota lakes can be opened to nighttime bow fishing, a sport that makes an easy mark of rough fish that feed at night in shallow water, sort of like that guy you met at the club last weekend. (H.F. 1237)

If you ... were hoping Minnesota would join 13 other states in legalizing the use of medical marijuana, you came that close. The bill passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by Pawlenty, who expressed sympathy for those suffering but also cited public safety concerns. Look for a possible constitutional amendment effort next year. (S.F. 97)

If you ... are a wild rice gatherer, take more of the summer off. The start of the season for harvesting wild rice was moved from July 15 to Aug. 15. (H.F. 1237)

If you are ... a public broadcaster in Minnesota -- including giants Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television -- and were eyeing the Legacy constitutional amendment as a possible pot of money, you're sharing $11.6 million for new programming and to "amplify Minnesota culture." The Legislature won't even get a lovely commemorative tote bag. (H.F. 1231)

If you ... are a student or teacher taking abuse online because of your personal characteristics, the school board has your back. An expanded anti-bullying bill prohibits harassment on the Internet, as well as taking other steps designed to deter bullying. (S.F. 971) However, the bill was vetoed by Gov. Pawlenty, who said in his veto message that it is "duplicative of current law, which directly and clearly prohibits bullying of any type against any student for any reason."

If you ... are a same-sex couple looking for China patterns, put the order on hold or consider relocating to Keokuk (Iowa). Bills to make the state's marriage law gender-neutral never got off the ground.

If you ... are a Dakota Indian, a warm and overdue welcome home to Minnesota. Lawmakers are asking Congress to strike a 146-year-old federal statute that banished the tribe from the state after the Dakota Conflict of 1862. (S.F. 1623)

If you ... are a broken hero on a last-chance power drive, there are glory days ahead. A law inspired by Bruce Springsteen's rant against bait-and-switch tactics prohibits online ticket sellers from pushing buyers toward more expensive resale sites. (H.F. 819)

If you ... are a person with a court-appointed guardian, you've got a new bill of rights and more options to challenge the professionals who make decisions for you. (H.F. 818)

If you are ... the Shubert Theater in downtown Minneapolis, there's more tough luck. Pawlenty vetoed your $2 million portion of a bonding bill. The same goes for the shares for the St. Cloud Civic Center and the Mankato Civic Center. A $24 million appropriation for the Bell Museum of Natural History is, um, history, as well. There is money for flood mitigation. The lion's share goes to the state's higher education system for repairs and renovations. (H.F. 855)

If you ... are a resident of the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood in St. Paul, think twice about pointing a laser at that twin-engine Cessna that keeps buzzing your neighborhood from St. Paul Downtown Airport. It's now a gross misdemeanor to knowingly point a laser at an aircraft. It had been a seldom enforced federal offense. (S.F. 1408)

If you ... are concerned about who might be looking at your face on Facebook, or taking up space on your MySpace, rest a little easier. Convicted predatory offenders will be prohibited from using those social networking sites. (H.F. 1301)

If you ... worry about the sip from your kid's sippy cup, health-conscious moms and dads can know that baby bottles and sippy cups containing the controversial chemical bisphenol-A (or BPA) are banned in Minnesota for kids 3 or younger after January 2010. (S.F. 247)

If you ... are driving with youngsters in the car, you'll have to have booster seats for those up to age 8 starting July 1. The law says kids between 4 and 8 years old have to be in booster seats or other forms of child restraint if they are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall; the current law on child restraints goes up to age 4. (S.F. 99)

If you ... are a member of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's staff, the money for your paycheck now actually comes out of the governor's office. Interagency agreements -- through which some Pawlenty staff had portions of their salaries paid by other state agencies -- have been scuttled. (S.F. 2082)

If you ... are a hungry dog (and if that's not redundant), you are on your own. A bill that would require stores to post warnings that cocoa bean shell mulch might be hazardous for pets was vetoed by Pawlenty. (Warning labels weren't even considered for old gym socks or last week's rancid pasta primavera.) (S.F. 122)

If you ... want to work on the railroad all the live long day, blow your horn, you are in luck. There's $26 million in the bonding bill for a commuter and passenger rails corridor program. There's also $4 million for track rehabilitation on the Minnesota Valley Railroad line, which, we've been told, is a mighty fine line. (H.F. 855)

If you are ... a Minnesota resort owner, don't worry about losing vacationers and the summer help to early school starts. Legislators turned back yet another effort to allow schools to start before Labor Day.

If you ... like to drink and smoke, consult your doctor, but not your accountant. Fears that both alcohol and cigarettes would be taxed more under a House proposal were never realized. Oh, and that goes for high-income Minnesotans, too. (early version H.F. 2323)

If you ... are in need of dental care and in a region, neighborhood or population group that is under served, a dental therapist may soon be easier to find under legislation expanding the services therapists can provide under a dentist's supervision. (S.F. 2083)

If you ... are a sweatshirt maker in a Third World sweatshop, the market for your wares may have gotten a little smaller now that college bookstores in the state have to sell American-made clothing "to the extent possible." (S.F. 2083)

If you ... are a thirsty Gophers fan (and if that's not redundant we don't know what is), raise a brew to the intoxicating cause of human equality. Legislation puts the "pro" in proletariat and demands that booze be sold throughout University of Minnesota facilities, if it is sold anywhere within them, such as luxury suites at the new football stadium. (S.F. 2083)
But U President Robert Bruininks says he'll recommend against stadium-wide sales, though the U might allow beer to be served, not sold, in premium seats and suites.

If you ... are at a party with Margo Channing and she advises you to buckle your seat belts, you'd better do it. Not only because it may be a bumpy night, but now even the House has passed a bill to make failing to wear a seat belt a primary traffic offense. That means a cop can stop and ticket you for that alone. In past years, the House was where this bill went to die. (HF108)

That leaves the final "if," which comes for now without the "you." As Pawlenty goes about balancing the budget, big ticket items -- from health care to local taxes -- still hang in the balance and their potential impact on you may not be known for weeks.

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636 Staff writers Mike Kaszuba, Kevin Duchschere, Norman Draper, May Yee Chen and Jenna Ross contributed to this report.