you can watch Legislative Advisory Commission LIVE at 3 PM TODAY!

At 3PM today you can watch Legislative Advisory Commission LIVE on Minnesota House of Representatives Television website or The UpTake website. Legislative Advisory Commission deals with Consultation on unallotment as required by state statute.

Watch it here:

House of Representative TV

The Uptake

State Rep.Tara Mack on ThisWeek Live

June 16, 2009
State Rep. Tara Mack (R-Apple Valley is on Thisweek’s Live.

You can watch the interview here

DFL Leaders reacts after Pawlenty's presser LIVE

DFL Senate leaders will be reacting to Pawlenty's cut after the press conference so you can check at UpTake.

Watch it here

Pawlenty's press conference LIVE on Uptake

You can watch Tim Pawlenty's live press conference LIVE at UpTake MN website.

Click here to watch now!

Update on Marty Seifert campaign website

By Rachel Eggert, Rach’s Political Report

June 16, 2009

Yesterday I leaked the story on preview of Marty Seifert for Governor website that they was going to launch today. Now the website is complete and they have putted more information on website so check it out at Marty Seifert for Governor website.

Klobuchar to introduce 'dig once' bill

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Associated Press

Last update: June 15, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS - Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she doesn't want drivers to be inconvenienced by road construction any more than they have to be. So she's introducing a "dig once" bill.

Klobuchar's bill would require that underground broadband conduits be installed at the same time as any federally funded transportation project.

The conduits house fiber-optic cables that carry high-speed, high-capacity communications.

Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, says the Federal Highway Administration estimates that 90 percent of the cost of deploying broadband is due to digging up and repairing the road.

Her bill initially will be heard by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Klobuchar is a member of that committee.

Pawlenty to announce budget plans tomorrow

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

Last update: June 15, 2009

Gov. Tim Pawlenty will announce tomorrow his plan to balance Minnesota's budget using his executive powers to cut spending on his own, the process called unallotment.

The governor's office announced that Pawlenty and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. in the State Capitol to announce "proposed executive actions" to balance the 2010-11 budget.

Because Pawlenty and the DFL-controlled Legislature were unable to reach agreement on ways to bridge the state's deficit, the session ended last month with a $2.7 billion shortfall in the budget ending June 30, 2011.

Pawlenty vetoed a series of tax hikes that the Legislature passed without his approval.

State law allows the governor to rescind or delay payments when the state has a deficit. Under the unallotment system, Hanson would make the cuts subject to the governor's approval.

Kevin Duchschere • 651-292-0164

Taxpayers League takes the temperature of the GOP delegates on gov race

Source: MPR

Posted at 1:59 PM on June 15, 2009 by Tom Scheck

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota conducted an unscientific straw poll (a fish bowl and blank pieces of paper - that's how unscientific) of gubernatorial candidates at the MNGOP State Central Committee meeting. Here are the results (courtesy of TLM's Brad Biers):

144 Ballots Cast
53 - Marty Seifert
18 - Tom Emmer
15 - Laura Brod
7 - David Hann
6 - Pat Anderson
6 - Steve Sviggum
5 - Paul Kohls
4 - Norm Coleman
4 - Brian Sullivan
4 - Cal Ludeman
3 - Mike Jungbauer
3 - Geoff Michel
2 - Bachmann
2 - Charlie Weaver
1 - Phil Krinkie
1 - Ben Whitney
1 - Joe Ganthier
1 - Dorothy Fleming
1 - Jason Lewis
1 - Warren Limmer
1 - Carol Molnau
1 - Bill Haas
1 - Phil Herwig
1 - Jim Ramstad
1 - Mary Kiffmeyer
1 - Bill Jungbauer

Sneak Peek of Marty Seifert for Gov website

By Rach Eggert, Rach's Political Report

Marty Seifert campaign plan to release website tomorrow but I have found out there are some outline of the website more like preview. You may check http://seifertforgovernor.com/index5.html for early peek before they complete the website.

You may want to copy and paste the link to the website.

Source: GOP State Rep. Laura Brod will run for governor

Source: MPR

Posted at 3:12 PM on June 15, 2009 by Tom Scheck

A source close to GOP state Rep. Laura Brod, of New Prague, said she will run for governor. The source said she'll make an official announcement in the next week or two. Brod was actively courting activists at Saturday's MNGOP State Party Central Committee meeting. At the time, she said she was gauging interest on a run.

Brod joins a growing list of candidates who are officially in the race. They include GOP state Rep. Marty Seifert, former MN House Speaker Steve Sviggum, former State Auditor Pat Anderson, state Rep. Paul Kohls and former state Rep. Bill Haas.

Laura Brod was featured in other blog

I tried to copy and paste whole article but I can't do that so you may want to click the link and read about Rep. Laura Brod.

Libertarian Republican

Brod considering run for governor in 2010

June 11, 2009

The New Prague Times

Chuck Kajer, Managing Editor

The recent announcement by Gov. Tim Pawlenty that he would not seek a third term has led to a lot of speculation as to his successor.

There were already a number of D-F-L candidates who either had announced or were considering a run for governor in 2010, and last week's announcement has fueled speculation on a long list of names who could be seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

One of the names being tossed about is that of State Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague), who is an assistant minority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives. During her four terms in office she has become a rising star in the Republican caucus and has been a key spokesperson for a number of key Republican issues.

Brod says in the past week she's been getting a lot of encouragement to run for governor. "I've been thinking about it, and I'm giving myself and my family some time to make that decision," she said in a phone interview Tuesday, June 9.

"I'm weighing all the options out there. Hopefully we'll make a decision within the next month to six weeks."

She said the idea of running for governor is exciting. "I've loved serving the area, but there's a lot we've got to do as a state. We need to make some significant and fundamental reforms so that government doesn't just function, but serves the people well."

Brod says if she runs, the process won't be an easy one. "A candidate has got to have a strong organization and a strong passion for doing the job.

"It will be a long road of talking to people, which is part of what I love to do. I love hearing ideas. I've spent a lot of time in the community and running for governor would be no different, just on an expanded scale."

She said one of the exciting parts of running for office is meeting people with different perspectives. "We need more of that in government. People thinking beyond the next year or two, but in a long-term framework."

Vietnam veterans get their due at State Capitol

Source: KARE11

June 14, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Aircraft flyovers, vintage cars, memorabilia and thousands of military veterans filled the Minnesota Capitol grounds Saturday to honor those who served in the Vietnam War.

Veterans groups and the state Department of Veterans Affairs called it the largest Vietnam veteran event in state history. The full day of activities included the dedication of a Minnesota Medal of Honor plaque.

Sixty-three-year-old Carzell Payne said it gave him something that was missing when he returned from Vietnam in 1968.

He said, "Today I can take away that I finally had a homecoming. A heartfelt homecoming."

Almost 1,100 Minnesotans died in the Vietnam conflict.

This year, Minnesota marked its first Vietnam Veterans Day in response to a new law passed in 2008. It falls on March 29.

Cedar transitway plans inch ahead

At the federal government's urging, Dakota County is taking another look at proposed noise barriers and access closings along the route.

By KATIE HUMPHREY, Star Tribune

June 11, 2009

As planning for the Cedar Avenue transitway rolls through the final stages, a couple of the barriers to completing the design are just that: noise barriers and access barriers.

Dakota County Board members want fewer of the former, despite urging from the federal government, and more of the latter, despite objections from local businesses.

Final decisions on the noise walls and the access points need to be reached soon because improvements on the 16-mile corridor are on a tight schedule, driven in part by the deadlines that come with 14 different funding sources.

The Apple Valley and Cedar Grove transit stations are already under construction, as is a park-and-ride in Lakeville. Commuter express buses will start running this fall and full-fledged bus rapid transit -- a station-to-station service that operates like light rail but features a bus in a dedicated shoulder lane instead of a train on a track -- is planned for 2012.

Work on utility improvements is scheduled for next summer, with other related road construction kicking off in September 2010.

But design, which dictates the necessary property acquisition, comes first.

"There are some things that need to be cleared up," said Commissioner Paul Krause, chairman of the physical development committee, after the board heard a staff presentation on the noise walls and a debated business driveway that will be closed.

The noise walls are a newer hurdle, something that the county and the city of Apple Valley had already chosen not to pursue, for cost reasons in one location and for aesthetic reasons in others.

But the Federal Highway Administration, which holds the purse strings on $22 million for the Cedar corridor, asked for more resident input at two locations in Apple Valley.

Residents of four properties along Cedar north of 160th Street said they would like a noise wall, as do residents of six properties along Cedar south of 153rd Street. Because those voices constitute a majority of reachable residents in the immediate area, the federal agency says noise walls should go in.

That option wasn't popular with commissioners, or the Apple Valley city administrator, who attended the meeting to note that the City Council had passed a resolution saying it did not want any noise walls.

Commissioner Tom Egan, citing the millions of dollars in federal funding that hang in the balance, said "I think we have to weigh this very carefully."

The access barriers were a more familiar issue. The county has been working for almost three years on a plan to close some driveways and limit turning at some intersections, but business owners at the meeting were still unhappy.

Brothers Mark and Joe Stranik, who own the Midas shop on Cedar near 155th Street, said it will hurt business if they lose their driveway on the thoroughfare. They have already lost parking spaces to station construction.

"It's kind of a big whack to take," Joe Stranik said.

Commissioner Will Branning said he wanted to see the county work with Stranick to see if the driveway could remain open.

But county transportation manager Mark Krebsbach said it's critical that the driveway be closed because it poses a safety problem, as it would cause drivers to merge into the bus lane, just as buses are pulling up to the Apple Valley transit station, to make the turn.

"Our Number 1 priority on Cedar Avenue is safe, efficient movement of people," he said.

Krebsbach also noted that the Midas shop and adjacent strip mall have two other access points, on Whitney Drive and 155th Street. Drivers would only have to go about 600 feet farther to make the turn at a stoplight, he said.

Katie Humphrey • 952-882-9056

Jon Tevlin: Budget knife hits raw nerve in Pawlenty's hometown

By JON TEVLIN, Star Tribune

June 13, 2009

At Al's Corral in South St. Paul, they are selling T-shirts in honor of their local "Home Town Hero," but it's not Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who grew up nearby.

The shirts are for Pete (The Pain) Donaldson, a karate fighter. When it comes to making locals feel the pain, however, Donaldson has nothing on the governor. Just ask City Administrator Stephen King, who fittingly has a horror story to tell.

"We're one of the state's basket cases," King said.

Pawlenty has unallotted his hometown out of its workingman's plaid shirt and down to its skivvies, according to King, by transferring the burden of government from the state level to the cities.

Pawlenty likes to remind potential voters of his blue-collar roots in South St. Paul every chance he gets. He even mentioned fondly the pizza at the Croatian Hall there during his recent announcement that he wouldn't seek another term. The Croatian Hall, Pawlenty said, is where he learned that "there is inevitably less joy and more trouble in too much pizza or too much beer."

People aren't worrying about overdoing it on either in South St. Paul at the moment -- many would settle for a single slice of pepperoni and a can of Schlitz. It also turns out that Pawlenty's memories of the pizza are about as fanciful as his notions that he's for the "Sam's Club" working man. The only pizza served at the Croatian Hall is the frozen kind.

As a friend of mine who grew up with Pawlenty likes to say, the governor grew up in a blue-collar household, "but he was kind of like Alex Keaton on Family Ties," a character who rebelled against his liberal parents and idolized Milton Friedman and Richard Nixon.

It's that Pawlenty who gift-wrapped a holiday present for his hometown in December: a $354,804 unallotment. If Pawlenty's expected cuts for the next two years come to pass, the city will lose another $480,638 in 2009, then absorb a $1,003,655 cut in 2010, according to King. From 2003 to 2008, Pawlenty slashed the city's Local Government Aid a similar amount.

"We've already tightened our belts," King said. "Now we're looking at cutting very basic services. Because of the meat-related industry, people [used to make] good money and paid their taxes and the standard of living was good. People grew up with expectations in regards to services."

The city now has 20,000 fewer residents than it once did, meaning a shrinking tax base. Officials like to call the city's housing "affordable," which in South St. Paul's case means relatively old and cheap. Because the property tax base is so small, raising those taxes 1 percent would only bring an extra $65,000 for the city. To make up for the millions already lost and the cuts to come, the city would have to impose an eye-popping property tax increase.

While Pawlenty has criticized city officials who have complained that budget cuts force reductions in public safety, King says it's already happened in South St. Paul. The city budgeted two new police hires for 2009 to help deal with increased gang activity and property crime. The unallotments caused the city to cancel the hires.

"Every department has been economizing as much as we can," King said. "It's a nice place; we should have a brighter future than we do."

To paraphrase what the governor said on a radio show as he pondered his next job: "This is not the United States of America that we know and love and remember."

You could say the same about the South St. Paul that Pawlenty grew up in.

"He's really not a presence here," King said. "The thing is, the philosophy he represents is unfortunately harmful to us."

King stresses he is not speaking for the city when he criticizes Pawlenty.

"So many of his comments about cities are dismissive and irritating," he said. "He basically accuses us of being whiners, and it's frustrating when we've done some really creative things to keep spending down. At the end of the day, you have to provide services -- not Cadillac services, but very basic every-day needs. It's not accurate to just say, 'no new taxes' and then transfer the burden."

Pawlenty likes to pretend he doesn't have a plan to run for president, a notion that makes people in South St. Paul spit out their booya; he hasn't become a regular on the Rachel Maddow Show (which reaches a maximum of 13,000 Minnesotans) because he has a crush on her.

If Pawlenty mounts a presidential campaign in 2012, it'll be just about the same time that South St. Paul is feeling the full effects of budget cuts, according to King.

And it'd be about the same time the national media will start walking the streets of South St. Paul, trying to gauge just how much people there love Sam's Club Tim.

jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702

GOP meets to name its state leader and rework party's image

Three candidates vying to become Minnesota chair are trying to espouse messages to help restore the party's momentum.

By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune

June 12, 2009

The Minnesota Republican Party's central committee meets today to choose a new party chair amid soul-searching debate over the future of the party.

That the GOP needs "new ideas" has become a steady refrain from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has announced that he will take his own search for fresh themes beyond the state's borders and will not be a candidate for reelection, setting off a mad scramble to succeed him. Meanwhile, recent years have been marked by repeated electoral setbacks for the state party as a whole. The governorship is the only statewide office Republicans hold, and their legislative caucuses have shrunk to the point where they can barely uphold Pawlenty vetoes.

Pawlenty and GOP legislators have played their weakened hand skillfully, generally maintaining unity to block DFL proposals for general tax increases. But if the party loses the governorship next year, or even a few more House seats, it could find itself lacking meaningful influence over state affairs.

Searching for a message that can restore momentum, Minnesota Republicans will choose among state chair candidates -- Tony Sutton, Dave Thompson and Carrie Ruud -- who don't exactly fill a big ideological tent but represent distinct conservative factions. Current party chairman Ron Carey is not seeking reelection.

As delegates meet in Brooklyn Center, the party also will conduct one of its first prominent tests of the influence of a growing faction within the conservative movement: supporters of Texas presidential candidate Ron Paul. With their more libertarian, small-government bent, the Paulites have been attending grass-roots functions and electing members to party offices. They could have an effect on the elections and the message of the party.

Tony Sutton

Sutton, a veteran party executive and operative, disputes the idea that his election would ensure more of the same. He was recently endorsed for the position by Pawlenty.

"I don't look at it as Old Guard vs. New Guard; I look at it as experienced vs. inexperienced," Sutton said.

A former executive director of the state party, former deputy state auditor and now a businessman, Sutton said he is the only candidate who brings door-to-door skills of politics, government and the private sector together. Those skills will help reenergize a base that often may have felt left out of party functions but is essential in establishing new methods of rebranding the party, using new technologies to develop voter lists and phone banks, he said.

"When people vote Republican, they want people who believe in limited government, less taxes and lower spending," Sutton said. "When they fail to vote Republican, we have not lived up to those principles."

Dave Thompson

Thompson is a former talk radio host who has attracted a large number of Paul supporters. But Thompson, who now practices law after his radio show was canceled, said it is a mistake to characterize him as a libertarian. He describes himself as a social conservative and evangelical Christian who became involved in conservative politics during the Reagan years, not as a result of Paul's candidacy.

"As long as we're all for constitutionally constrained government, for limited government, for local control and for adherence [to the idea] that legislatures should make laws, not the courts, you can call yourself a Ron Paul Republican, a Reagan Republican or an Abraham Lincoln Republican," Thompson said. "Hey, come on, join my party."

Thompson said his radio skills will allow him to do a better job of articulating Republican principles and values.

"You do that in a way that does not just speak to the activists in the party but to Main Street America, that conservative values are the values they share," he said. "We've lost the battle of rhetoric."

Carrie Ruud

Ruud, a former state senator, said she is the only candidate to have been an elected official who has run a successful campaign and one who knows what it's like to lose when the message becomes outdated and voters grow apathetic.

Pointing to Sutton -- the party's current secretary/treasurer -- as a member of the entrenched leadership and Thompson as the candidate for the fringes, Ruud said she will work to include more women and minorities in recruiting, using websites and social networking sites as well as more traditional methods to strengthen local party units that may have gone dormant or atrophied.

"We are a very fractured party," she said. "I don't have the endorsement of the Ron Paul people. I don't have the endorsement of the Old Guard Republicans. I'm trying to represent the whole of the party and not just special-interest groups."

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636

State GOP chooses Sutton as new chair

A veteran of the party takes the reins at a time of uncertainty.

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune

June 13, 2009

Minnesota Republicans decided Saturday to, in effect, go back to the future.

Members of the GOP's central committee elected longtime political operative Tony Sutton as their party chairman, at a moment when the party is simultaneously rebuilding and soul-searching.

"Yeah, we're in soul-searching phase, but I think we're coming to the end of that," Sutton said. "I think we're starting to get our sea legs back."

Sutton, who is stepping up from his current post as the state party's secretary-treasurer, formerly served as its executive director and has a political résumé dating back to Ronald Reagan's second term.

Sutton handily defeated two challengers, winning 195 of the 345 votes cast by committee members.

He beat Dave Thompson, a lawyer and former talk radio host, and Carrie Ruud, a former state legislator.

Sutton, who was endorsed for the position by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, waves off characterizations of his win as an insider beating a pair of outsiders.

"It was more a question of my experience versus inexperience that won people over," Sutton, 41, said. "It's silly to characterize me as a grizzled old-time party jack."

He conceded that the party, in Minnesota as well as nationwide, faces a steep uphill trek. "We've got to get back on track and start winning elections," he said. "We have to get back to our philosophical roots, so when we talk about fiscal responsibility, we mean it."

After eight years of a Bush administration in which "Republicans were spending money like crazy, a lot of right-of-center voters lost confidence in the Republicans," he said.

"It's not like people agree with [President] Obama's principles -- they've lost confidence in Republicans. We have to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Being Democrats-light is not an acceptable course."

Sutton said he isn't worried that he faces a split within the party because of a growing faction within the conservative movement: libertarian supporters of Texas presidential candidate Ron Paul. Although many of the Paulites backed Thompson, Sutton said his "pretty broad coalition" contained several of the Texas congressman's supporters.

Sutton new job includes recruiting candidates, mobilizing grass-roots activity support and increasing voter turnout. Next year's election will be critical because the race for governor is wide-open and every legislative seat is on the ballot.

Sutton said he doesn't believe Pawlenty's decision to forgo a reelection bid will hurt the party in 2010. "One door opens and another closes," he said. "Rather than lament his decision, I'm looking forward to a vigorous endorsing contest."

Sutton, who also is a former deputy state auditor, also is chief executive officer of the Baja Sol Restaurant Group.

Central committee members elected Michael Brodkorb, who got his start in the party's machinery as a political blogger, as deputy chairman. And they elected David Sturrock, a professor of Political Science at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, to succeed Sutton as secretary-treasurer.

Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184

Environmental groups hold Minn. gov's race forum

Source: KSTP TV

June 11, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A coalition of environmental groups in Minnesota is asking candidates for governor what they would do to protect the environment.

The Minnesota Environmental Partnership is holding the candidate forum early on in the race - voters won't head to the polls to choose a replacement for Gov. Tim Pawlenty until November 2010.

It's only been a week since the Republican announced he won't seek a third term, so most of those expected to attend the forum are Democrats. They include House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, former legislators Matt Entenza and Steve Kelley, and legislators John Marty and Paul Thissen.

Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum, a Republican, has told organizers he will attend.

Budget cuts may mean fewer lifeguards

Source: KSTP TV

Updated: 06/12/2009
By: Kari Otkin

The next time you go swimming at a Twin Cities beach, you could be on your own.

Budget cuts are forcing some cities to cut lifeguards completely.

City Officials in Woodbury look at the cuts as a way to balance the budget, but people hope it doesn't put anyone in danger. And at $18,000 a summer, the city says lifeguards cost too much.

As part of the changes, Woodbury will not charge admission to the beach anymore. It believes that could bring in more visitors and concession stand money.

But Woodbury isn't alone. St. Paul says without lifeguards at Phalen Beach, the city would save more than $50,000.

A proposal is already in the table for next year, and both cities say many more seasonal jobs are likely in danger. Future cutbacks will depend on how much Governor Pawlenty slashes from local governments

John Biersdorf, well-liked on both sides of House aisle

The farmer represented District 32A from 1971-1980, and invited DFLers and Republicans alike to fish with him.

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: June 6, 2009

John Biersdorf used bright yellow smiley faces on T-shirts and campaign literature during his first run for office in 1971, a symbol that aptly described a demeanor that allowed the Republican state legislator to develop friends on both sides of the aisle.

"He was a very bright person and a personable man who got along with Democrats, Republicans and governors," said Democrat Harry Sieben, who served with Biersdorf in the state House of Representatives.

"He was a significant player and played a role in important decisions. He was a wonderful, cordial human being who made his mark on the Legislature."

From 1971 to 1980, Biersdorf represented District 32A, Dodge and Steele counties. He died from a heart-related ailment June 1 at Colonial Acres Health Care Center in Golden Valley. He was 83.

Biersdorf was born on a farm in Deerfield Township, near Owatonna, Minn. He graduated from Owatonna High School, then spent two years as a soldier during World War II in the 714th Ordnance Company in the 89th Division serving in Europe under Gen. George Patton.

After the war, he earned a degree in business from the University of Minnesota, then returned to run the family farm where he grew corn, soybeans and other crops for more than 40 years, said his daughter Lee Biersdorf of Minneapolis.

He also worked for Federated Insurance and was "an award-winning salesman," she said. Friends persuaded him to run for office. In St. Paul, Biersdorf was chairman of the Commerce, Economic Development and Housing committee, and served on the Governmental Operations, Environmental and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Labor-Management Relations committees. He helped craft laws to buy and preserve wetlands. He won a key ruling in the mid-1970s when the courts ruled that citizens could not be terminated from their jobs for taking time off to serve in the Legislature, Sieben said.

"John believed strongly that the Legislature should remain a citizen-based Legislature and that the best public policy comes from those with other life experiences," Sieben said.

Biersdorf loved fishing and often invited friends and fellow legislators to drop a line with him on trips to Lake Mille Lacs, Cannon Lake or Lake of the Woods, or to join him on the fishing opener.

"He didn't care what party they were from," Lee said.

Biersdorf was a member of the board that oversaw operations of the one-room school house he attended through elementary school, and later a member of the Owatonna School Board.

He served on the Steele County Soil Conservation Board and was a trustee at Associated Church in Owatonna. He enjoyed playing cards at the Owatonna Elks and VFW clubs, Lee said.

Biersdorf was an avid deer and grouse hunter and enjoyed playing golf at the Owatonna Country Club, where he was a member.

In addition to his daughter Lee, Biersdorf is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marian, of Minneapolis; two other daughters, Beth Biersdorf of Minneapolis and Mary Summer of New Hope; two sons, Jack of Wayzata and Dan of Edina; sister Donna Hay of Mitchellville, Iowa; and nine grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. today at the Thomson Dougherty Mansion, 2535 Park Av. S., Minneapolis. A second celebration will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. next Sunday at the Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Lane, Owatonna, Minn.

Regions Hospital puts a face on proposed cutbacks

Regions is going to legislators in hopes of restoring GAMC funds.

By CHEN MAY YEE, Star Tribune

Last update: June 12, 2009

It's been almost a month since the legislative session ended in disarray, leaving the prospect of major cuts to the state's health care budget by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

But hospitals are not letting it go.

On Thursday, Regions Hospital in St. Paul launched an unusually public campaign to make sure legislators understand the full impact of cutting one program for the poor, General Assistance Medical Care, or GAMC.

The program, which covers 34,000 Minnesotans earning less than $7,800 a year, will end after July 2010 as part of Pawlenty's plan to close the state's historic deficit without raising taxes.

For Regions alone, that will mean a loss of $36.3 million in reimbursement. GAMC now accounts for about five percent of the hospital's revenue. Regions, owned by HealthPartners, is the state's second-biggest safety-net hospital, after Hennepin County Medical Center.

"Numbers that large make it difficult to understand the day-to-day impact of the loss of GAMC," Regions Hospital chief executive Brock Nelson wrote in a letter to the state's 201 lawmakers Thursday. "To help show the real impact, Regions is sharing our weekly census of GAMC patients and the cost associated with treating our patients."

For the week starting May 18, the day the Legislature adjourned, Regions had 237 GAMC patient visits, including 80 in the emergency room and 28 for in-patient care. Two had same-day surgery, while 127 came in for outpatient services such as radiology, chemotherapy, chemical dependency, or diagnostic visits. The bill for that week: $348,630.

GAMC enrolls people age 18 to 64 who have no children under 18 and don't qualify for federal programs.

To put a human face to the numbers, the letter highlighted a 23-year-old auto mechanic with no health insurance. After he came into the emergency room with a headache, doctors diagnosed a brain tumor, which despite two surgeries, left him blind in the right eye. He can no longer work as a mechanic, but he doesn't qualify for state medical programs because he is not completely blind and is not considered disabled. His bill so far: $150,000.

The hospital will continue to send these weekly reports to legislators, with a goal of getting GAMC reinstated in next year's session, said Geoff Bartsh, director of government relations for Regions.

Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Minnesota has among the most generous public health care programs in the country.

"The welfare, health care and social services portion of the state budget has been growing at an unsustainable rate of more than 20 percent," McClung said. "In this time of economic challenge, many programs, including health care for single adults without children, have to be reined in."

During the legislative session, lawmakers voted to continue funding GAMC, but Pawlenty vetoed that along with tax increases to pay for it. Later this month, the governor is expected to make further health care cuts in a process known as unallotment.

That prospect has kept other hospitals on tenterhooks.

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, which treats a large number of children on Medicaid, is particularly worried.

"We aren't privy to the governor's plans," chief executive Dr. Alan Goldbloom said in an e-mail Wednesday, "but his Medicaid budget proposal before the Legislature would have taken a devastating $36 million from our budget for the 2010-11 biennium, including a $6.6 immediate unallotment last December."

A cut of that magnitude, Goldbloom said, "would be terribly unfair to sick children, who unfortunately don't have much political clout."

Chen May Yee • 6120673-7434

Metro gang unit suspended indefinitely

Source: KARE 11

June 12, 2009

As summer sets in, police say gang members will spill out into neighborhoods across the Twin Cities.

But with the Metro Gang Strike Force under fire after accusations of document shredding and missing cars, Department of Public Safety officials say they wanted to make sure enforcement was covered at a time when gang activity traditionally goes up.

"The future of the metro gang strike force in its current structure remains more in doubt today than it did a few weeks ago," says Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Campion.

On Friday, following the advice of a review panel, public safety officials announced the strike force will remain suspended indefinitely pending the review panel and FBI investigation.

They also created a temporary gang unit to cover enforcement in the meantime.

"The recommendation was made to come up with a short term solution while we investigate the issues and the background relating to the strike force in the long term," says Andrew Luger who is heading the review panel

But the new gang unit will look much the same as its predecessor, comprised of some of the same law enforcement agencies.

Commissioner Michael Campion however insists this group will operate much differently, from a new location at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to adopting BCA policies and procedures for evidence intake.

And while the agencies represented look familiar, personnel will be different.

"Paperwork and investigative documentation is basic police work. It needs to be done and it needs to be done right," says Campion.

In the meantime, investigators continue to probe the Metro Gang Strike Force but would not say anything about allegations they say will soon be public.

"It's a broad range of allegations coming from a broad range of people," says Luger.

Public safety officials say the new gang unit should be fully staffed and operational in the next ten days and will be in operation through at least the end of the summer and likely longer.

While about 30 officers were part of the Metro Gang Strike Force, public safety officials say the new, temporary gang unit will be comprised of 10 to 12 investigators.

Minn. Audit Looks At Finances In Pawlenty's Office

Source: WCCO

June 12, 2009

ST. PAUL (AP) ― The office has a yearly budget of $3.6 million and about 40 employees.

Legislative Auditor James Nobles says the governor's office has generally adequate oversight of its finances.

But his report says the office paid out $3,094 in expenses without original receipts and one employee booked 8,300 airline miles to a personal account.

Also, a $5,000 computer server and a $8,500 automatic signature machine weren't recorded in internal inventory records.

The office has a yearly budget of $3.6 million and about 40 employees.

Pawlenty Chief of Staff Matt Kramer says the expense reports lacking original receipts included copies of the receipts. He says an employee inadvertently got personal miles by booking through an online travel site, but later had the miles removed.

He says the server and signature machine were added to the inventory.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and weather guy Sven Sundgaard lobby to end Facebook's 5,000-friend limit

Pionner Press

By Amy Carlson Gustafson
agustafson@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 06/11/2009 08:58:31 AM CDT


How many do YOU have?
How many Facebook friends do you have?
I'm not on Facebook.
Fewer than 50
51-250
251-500
More than 501


One is a popular meteorologist; the other is in charge of Minnesota's largest city. Their common mission? Getting rid of the 5,000-friend limit for personal Facebook pages. KARE-TV's Sven Sundgaard and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak topped out at the maximum friend capacity — Rybak a few months ago and Sundgaard on Monday. Now they're stuck with an ever-growing waiting list of potential "friends."

"Well, I guess it's better than if you opened it up and nobody added you as their friend," Sundgaard said about the more than 100 friend requests he can't do anything about.

Rybak said he's talked to people at the social networking site and has asked them to lift the 5,000-friend limit.

"It's good to be in the same boat with Sven. I hope that together we can convince Facebook that they shouldn't keep us from having more friends," laughed Rybak, who has 2,2000 unanswered friend requests.

Last year, there were rumblings that Facebook might ditch the limit, but that never happened. (An interview request on Wednesday with Facebook management went unanswered.) Many folks who want more than 5,000 friends create "fan" or "group" pages where there is no cap on how many followers a person can have. Rybak already has three separate pages on the site, but he, along with Sundgaard, say they prefer their personal pages because they allow more interaction between people.

"Both Sven and I use our Facebook pages to have two-way conversations with people," said Rybak, who noted that when he first joined the site they didn't have a mayor category. "I do it myself. This isn't some staff-driven, phony deal — this is a place where I can legitimately have an ongoing conversation with people. ... Having this Facebook page has been a great way for me to learn about things that are going on in the community, catch up with people I haven't known and have fun."

Speaking of fun, Sundgaard plans to shower his 5,000th friend with a grand prize that includes dinner with him, a tour of KARE studios, a T-shirt, and a chance to meet Sven's beloved goat, Abigail.
As far as fighting Facebook's 5,000-friend limit, Rybak plans to continue his quest to get the company to change its ways.

"It's one thing to deny the mayor of Minneapolis, but I don't know too many people who can say no to Sven," Rybak laughed. "I hope Facebook can't."

So, now the question is: Who's going to create the "Let R.T. and Sven have more friends" group on Facebook?

Update! As of this morning, people are starting to join this newly created (not by us) group on the site. To find it, just type the phrase "Let R.T. and Sven" into the Facebook search bar.


Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561

Minnesota Supreme Court OKs instant runoff voting; St. Paul may consider it

Pioneer Press Politics

By Steve Karnowski
Associated Press
Updated: 06/11/2009 01:04:35 PM CDT


Minneapolis can go ahead with its plans for instant runoff voting for city offices, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today in a decision that gives St. Paul and Duluth a green light to consider it as well.

The justices rejected a challenge by a citizens' group on the constitutionality of the system, an alternative method in which voters rank their choices for each office instead of casting just one vote for one candidate in a race.

The system, also known as ranked choice voting, eliminates the need for separate primary and general elections in cities like Minneapolis with nonpartisan primaries. Proponents say it saves money, increases turnout, discourages negative campaigning and gives third-party candidates a better chance of being heard. Critics say it's too complicated and violates the principle of one person, one vote.

But the Supreme Court said the IRV method adopted by Minneapolis does not violate the U.S. or Minnesota constitutions, so Minneapolis is free to try it. The decision affirmed a lower-court decision that also backed the system.

FairVote Minnesota, which supports IRV, is pushing for a ballot measure that would allow St. Paul voters to decide in November whether to adopt the system. The City Council blocked a move to put it on the ballot last year while it waited for the Supreme Court decision, said Jean Massey, the group's executive director. She said she expects the St. Paul council to decide soon whether to move forward. Her group also plans a petition drive to put the issue on the ballot in Duluth, probably next year.
Minneapolis plans to use the system in this November's municipal elections.

"Today's State Supreme Court decision provides certainty to Minneapolis voters," City Attorney Susan Segal said in a statement. "The Court's decision means that the City can continue to move forward with implementing ranked choice voting — the method chosen overwhelmingly by Minneapolis voters in the 2006 voter referendum."

Erick Kaardal, the attorney for opponents including the Minnesota Voters Alliance, said the decision doesn't prevent them from filing lawsuits after an IRV election to contest how the votes were counted, and that they likely will. He also said they'll continue to campaign against IRV in St. Paul and Duluth.

"The battle has just begun," Kaardal said.

Massey said their strategy is to promote IRV at the local level for at least a few more years before trying to get it adopted for statewide elections.

The decision, written by Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, said the issue for the high court wasn't whether IRV is a good system, only whether Minneapolis voters had the right to choose it.

"Reducing the costs and inconvenience to voters, candidates, and taxpayers by holding only one election, increasing voter turnout, encouraging less divisive campaigns, and fostering greater minority representation in multiple-seat elections are all legitimate interests for the City to foster," the Supreme Count said. "Whether and to what degree implementation of IRV will achieve those benefits remains to be seen. But it is plausible that IRV may advance one or more of these interests."

State Legislators: Want to be featured on Rach's Political Report?

I am interested in covering state legislatures around the nation and their own legislators as well. I am trying to expand my horizon outside of Minnesota State Capitol and State politics. It is other way for me to network with politicians out of my own home state as well.

Next week I will be doing a story on Dan Lederman, a State Representative from South Dakota House District 16.

If you know of a state legislator that you want to be featured on this website, just email me at senatoreggert@yahoo.com with name, House or Senate, political party affiliation, district #, city or county. You also can also submit your picture as well.

Hann resigns from state Senate leadership, ponders run for governor

Pioneer Press Politics

By Bill Salisbury
bsalisbury@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 06/09/2009


Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, today resigned as an assistant Senate minority leader so he can focus on exploring whether to run for governor.

"The (Republican) caucus needs to have leadership in place that has a single-minded interest in working for its success," Hann said in a press release. "I have in the past few days decided to devote a significant amount of time to explore other political opportunities that I believe would distract me from a full-time focus on the needs of the caucus."

Hann, 57, a business consultant and second-term senator, is one of four elected assistant minority leaders. He has been responsible for leading the development of the caucus' policy and issue positions.

He said he has been "talking to lots of people" about running for governor and expects to decide whether to join the race in three or four weeks.

At The Capitol / Sullivan not running for governor in 2010

Pioneer Press

Updated: 06/12/2009 12:05:58 AM CDT

Republican Brian Sullivan, who was thinking about a run for governor in 2010, said folks should "take me off the list of those considering a run."

Sullivan, whom Gov. Tim Pawlenty narrowly beat for the Republican party's endorsement in 2002, said he gave a run some thought since last week but decided he couldn't attend to his young and growing business and run for governor at the same time.

His departure still leaves a long list of those weighing a run.

Potential GOP contenders include former State Auditor Pat Anderson; Reps. Laura Brod, Paul Kohls and Marty Seifert; Sens. David Hann and Paul Koering; former House Speaker Steve Sviggum; and Minnesota Business Partnership Executive Director Charlie Weaver.

Former state Rep. Bill Haas announced his candidacy Wednesday.

Democrats who have announced include former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza and Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner.

Several other Democrats, including House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, are said to be weighing entry into the race.

— Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

White House Looks to Add a Spanish-Language Web Site

Source: The Wall Street Journal

June 11, 2009

Kristina Peterson reports on the White House.

The White House is gearing up to launch a Spanish-language version of its Web site, whitehouse.gov, by the end of the year.

Rock Creek Strategic Marketing, which is helping with recruiting, posted four jobs this week that would expand the White House new media office, including a job for a Spanish-language writer and producer. “They’re hoping that by the end of the year - if not sooner - they can have a Spanish-language version of Whitehouse.gov launched,” said Scott Johnson, co-owner of the Washington communications firm.

The site now has only biographies of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives translated into Spanish.

“The president and the administration use new Web-based tools to keep the public updated on important issues, promote transparency, and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement,” an administration official said. “We are constantly looking at ways we can strengthen and expand the White House’s online program.”

Would-be hires should be prepared, the ad warns: “Long work hours and short deadlines will be the norm.”

Obama Pens a Notable Excuse for 10-Year-Old Student

Source: The Wall Street Journal

June 11, 2009

Laura Meckler reports on President Obama’s trip to Green Bay, Wis.

One 10-year-old was lucky enough to skip school Thursday, see President Barack Obama speak in Green Bay, Wis.—and get a note from the president himself excusing her absence.

At a town hall meeting, Obama took a question from a man who said the he was there with his daughter who was “missing her last day of school for this.”

“I hope she doesn’t get in trouble,” her dad said.

“Oh no,” Obama said to laughter. “Do you need me to write a note?”

Dad said he would take him up on that, and the president asked for her name. Dad gave his own name again—John Corpus. “No, her,” Obama said.

Dad went on to begin his question, prompting Obama to break in.

“No, no, I’m serious. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Her name is Kennedy,” he said.

“Kennedy. All right, that’s a cool name.”

And, as the dad asked his question, which dealt with how long it will take the U.S. to implement changes to the health care system, the president wrote out a note. And as he began to answer, Obama walked over to the little girl and said, “Here you go, Kennedy.”

“To Kennedy’s teacher–Please excuse Kennedy’s absence… She’s with me,” he wrote, and signed his name.

No doubt, she was excused without penalty.

Roberta Gibbons is running against Senator Chris Gerlach

By RACH EGGERT, Rach's Political Report
June 11, 2009

Roberta Gibbons, a longtime DFL activist of Apple Valley have officially launched campaign website. As for now, she is just talking with citizens of district and listens to concerns that happen around the district.

Roberta will run against State Senator, Chris Gerlach, a republican in next year's State Senate election for Senate district 37. She is going to seek DFL endorsement from Senate District 37 DFL next year.

According to her campaign website, Roberta and her family moved to Apple Valley from Eagan in 1992 for better education for her son. Her father is still active in union. Her siblings live in the district.

One of her top issue is public transit. She served on Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Local Advisory Group, and have been actively pushing for the extension of light rail that would run into south metro. She is aware of Joan LeVasseur, a deaf run and hit victim who died last March and she also want to make Cedar Avenue more pedestrian friendly.

Her other issue is higher education. She wanted college tuition to be more affordable. As for disability issue, she is not well versed but learning about the issue from former State Representative Shelley Madore who was very strong supporter of disability community when served in the legislature.

"Together, we are going to see about making some changes to this district. Apple Valley, Rosemount and Burnsville are wonderful places to live, but there are things that need to be changed to make our cities more liveable for everyone. I'm hoping I get the chance to do just that." Gibbons said.

Senate District 37 encompasses Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Rosemount.

Roberta Gibbons for State Senate website

New food announced for State Fair

Source: KARE 11

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- What do peach-glazed pig cheeks, the Texas tater dog and tornado potato have in common?

They're all new food creations coming to this year's Minnesota State Fair. And, yes, they're all served on a stick.

Fair officials say last year's new foods were all about bacon. This year it's potato.

The tornado potato is an entire potato, cut into a spiral, flash fried and put on a stick. The Texas tater dog is similar, only the potato is coiled around a German sausage. There's also the fry dog, which is a hot dog on a stick encrusted with french fries.

As for the pig cheeks, they're parts of the pig's facial cheeks that are marinated, grilled and then glazed with peach.

This year's state fair starts Aug. 27 and runs through Labor Day.

DFL Sen.Tom Bakk gets in governor's race over weekend

By Joe Kimball | Published Mon, Jun 8 2009

Joining an ever-growing pack of hopefuls, DFL State Sen. Tom Bakk of Cook announced Sunday that he'll run for governor next year. He's been chair of the Senate Tax Committee since 2006.

His priorities are job growth and job security, says the Duluth News Tribune.

“Too many Minnesotans are losing their jobs, homes and health insurance. I am determined to turn Minnesota around, restore balance, fairness and common sense to our economic policies,” Bakk said in a news release.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's announcement last week that he won't seek re-election started a run on politicians testing the gubernatorial waters. DFLers had been lining up for some time, but now many prominent Republicans are at least considering a run in what is likely to be a wide open race.

The Duluth paper says even before Pawlenty bowed out, Bakk was listed as a likely contender, along with former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, former state Sen. Steve Kelley, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, state Sen. John Marty and state Rep. Paul Thissen. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis, state Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud and Twin Cities Mayors R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman also are seen as potential candidates.

Local government lobbying up 10 percent last year

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune

Last update: June 10, 2009

Last year, local governments spent $8.5 million lobbying at the State Capitol, an increase of nearly 10 percent over what they spent in 2007.

The State Auditor's annual report on local government lobbying also found that associations representing those entities spent another $4.6 million on lobbying, most of it funded through dues.

That also represents an increase of nearly 10 percent, compared to a year earlier.

Among local governments, the City of Minneapolis spent the most last year -- $401,551 -- followed, in order, by Hennepin County, St. Paul, Anoka County and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Cities and counties spent about two-thirds of the $8.5 million on lobbying. School districts, led by those in Minneapolis and St. Paul, spent about 10 percent of the total. Other local entities spent about one-fifth.

By comparison, 1,274 registered lobbyists spent more than $60 million last year lobbying the legislature and state agencies, according to the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. That amount includes an undetermined amount of money local governments paid to professional lobbyists.

Who's in and who's out for governor? Jockeying gets underway for 2010

A day after Gov. Pawlenty said no to a bid for a third term, the field of potential candidates grew, while other familiar names said they're not in the hunt.

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune
Last update: June 3, 2009

More potential gubernatorial candidates emerged Wednesday -- and others said thanks, but no thanks -- as the news that Gov. Tim Pawlenty won't seek a third term continued to roil the political waters.

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, announced that he was giving up his leadership post to test those waters as a possible candidate. Labor Commissioner Steve Sviggum, a former Republican House speaker and a friend of Pawlenty's, said he's mulling it over.

Former U.S. Sen. Dean Barkley, who came in third in last year's U.S. Senate race, is interested, according to the Independence Party chairman. And Charlie Weaver, head of the Minnesota Business Partnership, said he is seriously considering a run and would make a decision this fall.

Others whose names had surfaced took themselves out of the running Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a popular DFLer who represents Minnesota's First District, said he had no intention of making the race. Former U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, a Republican, said he won't run, although he wouldn't foreclose the possibility of a different race sometime in the future.

The two major-party candidates who ran against Pawlenty in 2006, DFLer Mike Hatch and Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson, said they had no plans to try again.

Meanwhile, the guy whose announcement on Tuesday started the fuss went before a national TV audience to reiterate that his decision wasn't merely a prelude to a run for the presidency.

Appearing on MSNBC, Pawlenty recycled many of the demurrals he had used Tuesday to deflect questions about his political plans. "I'm not ruling anything in or out," he said.

He seemed to become somewhat testy at one point when his interviewer pressed him on his presidential aspirations. "Do you know what you'll be doing three years from now?" Pawlenty asked.

The governor also talked about his hope that the Republican Party can become more inclusive and attractive to voters.

Seifert made much the same point during his announcement at the State Capitol that he was stepping down as House Republican leader after two years. The 12-year legislator will retain his House seat, however.

The party, he said, needs to find a gubernatorial candidate "who is principled and electable, both. ... If we don't, I think it could spell trouble."

Others have held onto leadership posts while running for other offices, including Pawlenty when he was a House leader while running for governor in 2002. But Seifert said he didn't want to take advantage of his position for political gain. "If you're distracted in any way, even if it's kicking the tires for a run at some other type of office, that is not fair to the membership," he said.

Seifert said that a new minority leader will be elected June 24. Some possible contenders have talked to him, he said, but "there isn't an heir apparent, to be honest with you."

In a conference call Wednesday morning in Washington, Walz said his job in Congress plays to his strengths better than would the governorship. "I am content and honored to represent the people of the First District and that's exactly where I would like to stay as long as they'll have me," he said.

Weaver, a former legislator, commissioner and one-time Pawlenty chief of staff, has deep ties in the GOP and is a close friend of the governor. "This is an extraordinarily important race to win and we need to make sure our nominee is electable. I fit that bill," he said.

Independence Party Chairman Jack Uldrich said he thinks his party has a good opportunity in 2010, given that the governor's seat will be open and that the party will get state financing for the race. Both Barkley and Stephen Williams, the party's Senate endorsee last year, have expressed interest, and former U.S. Rep. and Independence candidate Tim Penny hasn't ruled it out, he said.

Steve Kelley, a former DFL legislator who sought the party's bid for governor in 2006, is conducting an exploratory campaign for another shot. He has raised money, hired staffers and launched a website, and on Wednesday he was attending campaign events on the North Shore.

Pawlenty's announcement, he said, will make it "interesting to see who the Republicans come up with, but I don't see a change in the calculation for many DFL candidates."

Staff writers Bob von Sternberg and Eric Roper contributed to this report. Kevin Duchschere • 651-292-0164

Pawlenty: Fresh face the GOP is seeking?

Tim Pawlenty begins a tough quest to fit between the party's center and the right, pundits say.

By KEVIN DIAZ, Star Tribune
Last update: June 7, 2009


WASHINGTON - Facing a national gathering of College Republicans on Friday night, in his first major speech since announcing he won't seek another term as governor, Tim Pawlenty made clear that in them, he can see the party's future.

He can only hope that they see the same in him.

Widely perceived to be in the hunt for the White House in 2012, Pawlenty got plenty of buzz leading up to his keynote address at the College Republican National Convention, where he said, "We need your help, we need your leadership."

The stop, to be followed by an appearance at the Arkansas Republican Party's annual governor's dinner later this month, is seen by many observers as the start of Pawlenty's quest for a national base of contacts and money.

Starting behind a field of much better-known contenders, Pawlenty would need plenty of both.

For one, despite his runner-up status as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate last year, Pawlenty is hardly a household name outside Minnesota. For another, he's a long way from having any sort of lock on the party's influential conservative base.

"Minnesotans think of Pawlenty as a very conservative Republican," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato, a leading national political analyst. "What always surprises them is the revelation that Pawlenty is a moderate in the national context of the Republican Party, and that's a problem."

Running as a Minnesota Republican can have its advantages, positioning Pawlenty as a two-term GOP governor of a Democratic-leaning state. "That ought to at least be considered by a party that's drowning," Sabato said.

There's no doubt that Pawlenty, a 48-year-old ex-College Republican, scored a coveted spot at a convention of young Republicans hungry for leadership and looking to get past last year's devastating electoral setbacks. To a standing ovation, he had them chanting "T-Paw" and "You Betcha," and joking about vacationing in Iowa, an early caucus state.

He also spoke at a luncheon of the Washington chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association and attended a reception with former McCain campaign aides and other GOP strategists, people who could be helpful on a future presidential campaign.

"The party's looking for that next generation of leadership, and we certainly see Pawlenty as somebody who can lead the party forward," said Charlie Smith, chairman of the College Republican National Committee. "He represents a new face in the party."

'Fusion candidate'

But the problem, as Sabato and others see it, is that despite Pawlenty's evangelical faith, the party's conservative wing may already be spoken for. Its heroes, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, already have devoted national followings.

Going forward, that leaves Pawlenty to graze the same fields as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, all conservative Republicans with centrist images and sophisticated political operations.

Pawlenty, while deflecting speculation about his presidential ambitions, has said he wants to be a part of the rigorous intra-party debate between conservative stalwarts and "big tent" Republicans. GOP strategists who know him well term him a solid conservative on social, fiscal and foreign policy. His budget battle with the DFL-led Legislature has only burnished his anti-tax credentials. But allies also see him as someone who can transcend labels with his patented "Sam's Club Republican" appeal, moving the party beyond the legacy of the Bush years and the 2008 electoral defeats.

"To the extent he can appeal to a broad swath of the electorate, it's an advantage," said Alex Conant, a former Republican National Committee spokesman who has been involved in Minnesota politics. Pawlenty, for his part, in an interview, labeled himself "a mainstream conservative in the Reagan tradition."

That would likely make Pawlenty a "fusion candidate" trying to fill the space between the center and right.

But however likeable and broad-based Pawlenty's appeal, the danger is in falling into the chasm between the Republican Party's moderates and conservatives. Raising money means cultivating motivated interest groups, party factions, and financial backers.

"What's the faction he can command? It's not obvious to me," said Steven Schier, a Carleton College professor of American politics. "Everybody's second choice means not enough money to run."

'Ground zero'

In the search for a national fundraising base, Pawlenty would be starting far behind his better-known rivals. New to the chase for cash and organization, he might as well be the charter member of his own Sam's Club Republican chapter.

"It's a big job, and he's starting from ground zero," said Washington political analyst Stuart Rothenberg. "Mitt Romney does not start from ground zero. Mike Huckabee doesn't start from ground zero. Even Sarah Palin doesn't start from ground zero."

Friday, while touting his blue-collar South St. Paul roots, he said that he has no plans to start his own political organization.

But one asset Pawlenty could bring to a future campaign is a fresh face on the national political scene. Even if he was an early supporter of McCain, he was denied a spot on the ticket and remains largely untainted by defeat in 2008, unlike much of the rest of the GOP field.

The fresh face strategy was certainly in play in a hotel ballroom full of college Republicans on Friday. "He's trying to appeal to the young, and that's what he's got to do," Sabato said. He also needs to fashion an appeal to minorities and educated suburbanites, significant demographic groups that abandoned the GOP in droves last year.

But first he needs to get known outside of the capital circle of political junkies and party activists. "He needs to spend time in Texas, California and Florida, making contacts," Rothenberg said. "He's got to go to places where there are a lot of Republicans, and a lot of Republican money."

Pawlenty will also likely need to spend a lot of time in Iowa, the first caucus state and neighbor the national media will expect him to win -- a high-pressure test for any presidential aspirant.

All of which would require time away from the office in the last 19 months of his term as governor, exposing him to Democratic charges that he is putting his national political ambitions above the interests of Minnesota. It's already become a DFL talking point in the budget showdown over his plan to balance the state budget through a process of "unallotment."

But Republicans say that if he's really running for president, he would be too smart to leave his flanks exposed at home, where he has long cultivated an image as a fiscal conservative. Said Conant: "To the extent he can cement that over the next 19 months and finish his term strong, that will be a testament to his abilities as a leader."

Kevin Diaz • 202-408-2753

GOP activist seeks rejected absentee Senate ballots

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

June 9, 2009

GOP activist and blogger Michael Brodkorb has asked for copies of rejected absentee ballots from areas where for the most part Republican Norm Coleman ran strongly in the disputed November election for U.S. Senate.

Brodkorb filed a Minnesota Data Practices request with Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Sherburne and Washington counties, and in the cities of Edina, Minnetonka, Orono and Plymouth.

Statewide, local election officials rejected about 12,000 absentee ballots on Election Day for failing to meet legal requirements. Nearly 1,300 were eventually deemed legal after reconsideration by the officials, representatives of Coleman and fellow Senate candidate Al Franken, and judges who heard the U.S. Senate trial. But the rest remain excluded because the judges said they lacked evidence they were cast by registered voters or met other state law requirements.

Brodkorb said he wants to post copies of ballots from the selected areas on his website. It's part of an effort by Republicans to draw attention to rejected ballots they continue to argue should be reconsidered.

State law classifies sealed absentee ballots as nonpublic prior to their opening by an election judge. In cases where rejected ballot envelopes are unopened, Brodkorb wants election judges to open them to copy the ballots.

PAT DOYLE

Minn. court orders Coleman to pay $95,000 to Franken

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Associated Press
June 10, 2009


Republican Norm Coleman owes Democrat Al Franken $94,783 stemming from his Minnesota Senate election lawsuit, with the amount subject to interest.

A Ramsey County court administrator officially entered the judgment on Wednesday. It's a holdover from the two-month trial that ended with Franken up by 312 votes.

Minnesota law required Coleman to cover some of Franken's court costs because he didn't change the outcome of the race. The judgment excludes Franken's attorney fees.

Franken's lawyers had pressed for as much as $161,500.
The one-page declaration says interest will accrue from the day the judgment was entered until it's paid off.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is still considering Coleman's appeal and hasn't said when it will rule. The court held oral arguments in the case on June 1.

If you are asking me about Norm Coleman

People have been asking me if Former St. Paul Mayor and US Senator Norm Coleman is going to run for Governor. The answer is NO.

Norm informed me that he rather to focus on Supreme Court regarding US Senate election and recovering from knee surgery that he had last month.

Now you know what answer to question that people been asking.

SESSION WRAP UP ISSUE OF SESSION WEEKLY

Now House of Representatives Publication Office released final issue of Session Weekly, a weekly magazine covers Minnesota House of Representatives during regular session. It's 56 pages long and cover lot of information during final days of 2009 session.

Wrap up issue of Session Weekly online