St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton and Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb today wrote to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board to file a complaint regarding the political travels and campaign expenditures of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor Raymond Thomas (R.T.) Rybak.

“Since our letter of September 23, we have received additional evidence which can leave no doubt but that the expenditures listed on the Chris Coleman for Saint Paul campaign finance report that we provided to the Board were part of a broader and more sophisticated effort to influence the nomination or election of Mayor Coleman to the office of the Governor of state of the Minnesota,” Chairman Sutton and Deputy Chairman Brodkorb wrote.

“In addition, we are providing information to the Board concerning Mayor Rybak’s travels and expenditures which clearly demonstrate he has surpassed the $100 threshold in expenditures to bring about his nomination or election for governor,” the letter added.

A copy of the complete letter is below:

September 28, 2009

Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board
Attention:  Gary Goldsmith, Executive Director
190 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1603

Dear Mr. Goldsmith:

Thank you for your correspondence of September 24.

We are writing to file a complaint regarding the campaign expenditures of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor Raymond Thomas (R.T.) Rybak.

State statute 10A states: “‘Candidate’ means an individual who seeks nomination or election as a state constitutional officer, legislator, or judge. An individual is deemed to seek nomination or election if the individual has taken the action necessary under the law of this state to qualify for nomination or election, has received contributions or made expenditures in excess of $100, or has given implicit or explicit consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures in excess of $100, for the purpose of bringing about the individual’s nomination or election. A candidate remains a candidate until the candidate’s principal campaign committee is dissolved as provided in section 10A.24.”

Furthermore, state statute 10A.14 states: “The treasurer of a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit must register with the board by filing a statement of organization no later than 14 days after the committee, fund, or party unit has made a contribution, received contributions, or made expenditures in excess of $100, or by the end of the next business day after it has received a loan or contribution that must be reported under section 10A.20, subdivision 5, whichever is earlier.”

Since our letter of September 23, we have received additional evidence which can leave no doubt but that the expenditures listed on the Chris Coleman for Saint Paul campaign finance report that we provided to the Board were part of a broader and more sophisticated effort to influence the nomination or election of Mayor Coleman to the office of the Governor of state of the Minnesota.

In addition, we are providing information to the Board concerning Mayor Rybak’s travels and expenditures which clearly demonstrate he has surpassed the $100 threshold in expenditures to bring about his nomination or election for governor.

Before turning to Mayor Rybak, let us first consider Mayor Coleman’s nascent campaign for governor.  Two recent developments again make plain Mayor Coleman’s pursuit of the governor’s office.   According to the Pioneer Press, the liberal activist group Take Action Minnesota issued a press release on September 24, 2009 for a September 26, 2009 “progressive” event featuring “eleven of the gubernatorial candidates.”   One of the eleven “gubernatorial candidates” listed by Take Action was Mayor Coleman, who attended the 2010 gubernatorial function two days later.

On its website, Take Action billed the event as “one of the VERY FIRST OPPORTUNITIES to hear from the vast array of gubernatorial candidates and participate in an innovative 2-way dialogue about the future of our state.”

The Pioneer Press reported the Take Action Minnesota news release thusly:

“St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman may not be ready to call himself a candidate for the 2010 governor’s race yet — but increasingly those on the left aren’t holding back.  Today, TakeAction Minnesota announced candidate Coleman — that’s 2010 gubernatorial candidate Coleman — would attend this Saturday’s launch of its ‘campaign to elect a progressive governor in 2010.’”  (“Take Action MN: Guv-candidate Coleman to attend event,” Pioneer Press Weblog City Hall Scoop, September 24, 2009)

Underscoring the fact that his pursuit of the governor’s office is an open secret, Mayor Coleman’s own Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party issued a brief notice on its official Party Twitter account on September 23, 2009 regarding its Founders Day function.  The tweet stated, “Want to see all the DFL Gov candidates up close & personal? Come to Founder’s Day Dinner on Sat.”  The tweet further instructed readers to “Get tix at http://bit.ly/oOK7D.”

The following day, the DFL sent out a press release entitled “DFL Candidates to Join Governor Schweitzer at Annual Founders Day Dinner and Candidate Fair.”  The DFL release highlighted the fact that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Jim Oberstar would be in attendance for the Founders Day program.  It is noteworthy that Montana Governor Schweitzer, Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Oberstar have not filed paperwork to run for the office of governor in the state Minnesota.

The following names were then listed in alphabetical order in the Party’s news release:

Minnesota State Senator Tom Bakk
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
Former Senator Mark Dayton
Former Minnesota State Representative Matt Entenza
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
Former State Senator Steve Kelley
Minnesota Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Minnesota State Senator John Marty
Minnesota State Representative Tom Rukavina
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak
Ole Savior
Minnesota State Representative Paul Thissen

With the exceptions of Mayor Coleman and Mayor Rybak, all of the above mentioned individuals have filed paperwork with the state to run for governor.

It strains credulity to believe that the individuals responsible for organizing these events on behalf of Take Action Minnesota and the Democratic-Farmer- Labor Party did not communicate with Mayor Coleman or members of his campaign regarding his participation in these clearly defined 2010 gubernatorial functions.

Following an examination of expenditures from the Chris Coleman for Saint Paul Campaign Committee, recent news accounts, DFL Party communiqués and public relations materials produced by the liberal activist group Take Action Minnesota, it is our contention that Mayor Coleman’s expenditures in pursuit of an all but announced gubernatorial bid have far exceeded the $100 threshold for filing a campaign committee.

Given that $100 is the threshold limit established by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, we believe Mayor Coleman’s expenditures deserve the scrutiny of the Board.

In addition, Mayor Coleman’s Campaign Manager John Stiles has confirmed in several published reports that a run for governor by the mayor was likely discussed at multiple political events, including the Young Democrats of America Convention in Chicago, the Minnesota Building Trades Convention in Rochester, and the Minnesota Association of Justice Convention held at Alexandria’s Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center.  Stiles further “doesn’t dispute” that a run for governor was discussed at political events in Rochester and Alexandria.

• “Coleman campaign manager John Stiles said Coleman spent campaign money to address The Young Democrats of America Convention, the Minnesota Building Trades Convention and the State Convention of the Minnesota Association of Justice. …  Stiles said it’s likely that Coleman discussed a probable run for governor in 2010 at the events…” (Tom Scheck, “Is Chris Coleman using mayoral campaign funds for 2010 planning?” Minnesota Public Radio, September 22, 2009)

• “[Chris Coleman for Mayor Campaign Manager John] Stiles doesn’t dispute that Coleman may have discussed a possible run for governor at events in Alexandria and Rochester.”  (Laura Yuen, “Challenger questions Chris Coleman’s travel expenses,” Minnesota Public Radio, September 22, 2009)

• “Since March, the Chris Coleman for St. Paul Committee has reimbursed $1,932.95 in travel, hotel and meal expenses ranging from airline tickets to nights in Alexandria or meals in Rochester.  John Stiles, Coleman’s campaign manager, explained each of the expenses. Coleman spokesman and campaign worker Bob Hume, for example, traveled to Washington, D.C., in March to attend the National League of Cities convention.  John Stiles, Coleman’s campaign manager, explained each of the expenses. Coleman spokesman and campaign worker Bob Hume, for example, traveled to Washington, D.C., in March to attend the National League of Cities convention.   ‘That could have been official business,’ Stiles said. ‘We could have put it on the taxpayers, but he did some political work there…’”    (Dave Orrick, “Challenger criticizes travels of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman,” Pioneer Press, September 23, 2009)

• “A number of the expenses were for Coleman’s lodging or meals at similar conferences and conventions, such as the National Convention of Young Democrats of America in Chicago in late July or the Minnesota Association for Justice in Alexandria in mid-August.”  (Dave Orrick, “Challenger criticizes travels of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman,” Pioneer Press, September 23, 2009)

As well as the events outlined above, we have identified two other political events Mayor Coleman attended in Greater Minnesota to build statewide support for a gubernatorial run: the annual Farm Fest agricultural expo in Morgan and a local DFL Party gathering in Austin.   It is significant that we have been unable to locate a corresponding expenditure for the Farm Fest function in the Chris Coleman for Saint Paul campaign report.

• “What do politics, barbecue pork sandwiches and horse-drawn wagon rides all have in common? On a warm Saturday evening in Austin, they were all part of Politics in the Pumpkin patch, as 10 DFL gubernatorial candidates came to Farmer John’s Pumpkin Patch for an informal meet-and-greet. …  St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said supporting education is key because it can spur the job market and, ultimately, the economy.  For someone representing a big city like Coleman does, making connections in rural Minnesota is very important – and the mayor thinks he’s capable.  ‘We’re one Minnesota,’ Coleman said. ‘You can’t have a healthy St. Paul and an unhealthy Austin and have a healthy Minnesota.’”  (Mike Rose, “It’s politics at the pumpkin patch,” Austin Daily Herald, July 27, 2009)

• “With potential Minnesota gubernatorial candidates milling about, DFL U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson and Tim Walz kicked off the political discussion this morning at the annual Farm Fest in southwestern Minnesota.  Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman both chatted casually with Farm Fest goers before Walz and Peterson spent more than an hour discussing the current agenda for agriculture in Washington D.C. Rybak and Coleman have both been mentioned as possible candidates for higher office.”  (Charley Shaw, “Pols get down to business at Farm Fest,” Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report, August 4, 2009)

We also are providing to the Board the following information from the Chris Coleman for Saint Paul Committee report which we believe further proves that Mayor Coleman’s expenditures in pursuit of the governor’s office have far exceeded the $100 limit set by the state.

In addition to appearances at the DFL event in Austin and Farm Fest, Coleman was also in attendance at a gubernatorial forum in South Minneapolis.

• “No direct punches were thrown at each other, but several DFLers who assembled Friday at a gubernatorial candidate forum in south Minneapolis lobbed scorn at their adversaries on the other side of the aisle, notably Gov. Tim Pawlenty. … While Pawlenty was often the target in the rhetoric, however, the main chore for the candidates was to distinguish themselves from each other. In addition to Dayton, the attendees were House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis, former state Rep. Matt Entenza of St. Paul, and state Sens. Tom Bakk of Cook and John Marty of Roseville. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who haven’t officially announced their gubernatorial campaigns, were also part of the forum.”  (Charley Shaw, “DFL candidates seek the competitive edge for 2010 Minn. gov race,” Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report, August 31, 2009)

Coleman Travel

3/12/09 Midwest Airlines                        $619.39
3/13/09 Orbitz.com                                $107.88
7/23/09 Arrowwood Resort Deposit          $200.00
7/30/09 Kahler Grand Hotel                     $452.98
7/30/09 Northwest Airlines                      $249.19
8/17/09 Arrowwood Resort Lodging          $107.80

Coleman Meals

6/18/09 Congressional District 7 Dinner   $60.00
7/29/09 Gilligan’s Cove (Rochester)         $13.00
7/30/09 Kahler Grand Grill                      $86.89
8/3/09 Granite City Brewery                    $35.82

Other Coleman Expenditures

4/14/09  Mileage for Stiles                      $90.00
7/27/09  Mileage for Stiles                      $60.00

Coleman Donations to DFL Units

2/7/09   Senate District 32 DFL                $50.00
6/11/09 Rice County DFL                         $200.00

While Mayor Coleman has been actively pursuing the governor’s office with monies from his mayoral campaign account, Mayor Rybak hasn’t been far behind.  Like Mayor Coleman, Rybak attended the Austin DFL event in July “looking for support” in a gubernatorial bid, according to an account from the Austin Daily Herald.  From Minneapolis City Hall, Austin is over 200 miles round trip.

• “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was also going beyond the big city looking for support.  He said creating jobs is the key to Minnesota’s future – something he said he’s accomplished while running the state’s largest city. ‘I know how to get big things done,’ he said.” (Mike Rose, “It’s politics at the pumpkin patch,” Austin Daily Herald, July 27, 2009)

Mayor Rybak also attended the annual agricultural expo Farm Fest in August, approximately 244 miles roundtrip from city hall in Minneapolis.

• “With potential Minnesota gubernatorial candidates milling about, DFL U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson and Tim Walz kicked off the political discussion this morning at the annual Farm Fest in southwestern Minnesota.  Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman both chatted casually with Farm Fest goers before Walz and Peterson spent more than an hour discussing the current agenda for agriculture in Washington D.C. Rybak and Coleman have both been mentioned as possible candidates for higher office.”  (Charley Shaw, “Pols get down to business at Farm Fest,” Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report, August 4, 2009)

The Republican Party of Minnesota has been unable to locate corresponding expenditures for the Austin and Farm Fest trips in Mayor Rybak’s 2009 R.T. for Mayor Committee report.

In addition to his appearances in Austin and Farm Fest, Rybak was alongside Coleman at the same gubernatorial forum in South Minneapolis in August.

• “No direct punches were thrown at each other, but several DFLers who assembled Friday at a gubernatorial candidate forum in south Minneapolis lobbed scorn at their adversaries on the other side of the aisle, notably Gov. Tim Pawlenty. … While Pawlenty was often the target in the rhetoric, however, the main chore for the candidates was to distinguish themselves from each other. In addition to Dayton, the attendees were House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis, former state Rep. Matt Entenza of St. Paul, and state Sens. Tom Bakk of Cook and John Marty of Roseville. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who haven’t officially announced their gubernatorial campaigns, were also part of the forum.”  (Charley Shaw, “DFL candidates seek the competitive edge for 2010 Minn. gov race,” Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report, August 31, 2009)

Mayor Rybak’s name also appeared on a Take Action Minnesota press release issued on September 24, 2009 for a September 26, 2009 “progressive” event featuring “eleven of the gubernatorial candidates.”  On its website, Take Action billed the event as “one of the VERY FIRST OPPORTUNITIES to hear from the vast array of gubernatorial candidates and participate in an innovative 2-way dialogue about the future of our state.”

During his appearance at the Take Action function, Mayor Rybak left no doubt about where he stood regarding his political future.  “I will only be elected governor if we work together,” Rybak flatly told the assembled liberal activists.

Mayor Rybak’s own Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party issued a brief notice on its official Party Twitter account on September 23, 2009 regarding its Founder’s Day function.  The tweet stated, “Want to see all the DFL Gov candidates up close & personal? Come to Founder’s Day Dinner on Sat.”  The tweet further instructed readers to “Get tix at http://bit.ly/oOK7D.”

The next day, the DFL sent out a press release entitled “DFL Candidates to Join Governor Schweitzer at Annual Founders Day Dinner and Candidate Fair.”  The DFL release highlighted the fact that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Jim Oberstar would be in attendance for the Founder’s Day program.  It is again important to emphasize that Montana Governor Schweitzer, Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Oberstar have not filed paperwork to run for the office of governor in the state Minnesota.

The following names were then listed in alphabetical order in the Party’s news release:

Minnesota State Senator Tom Bakk
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
Former Senator Mark Dayton
Former Minnesota State Representative Matt Entenza
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
Former State Senator Steve Kelley
Minnesota Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Minnesota State Senator John Marty
Minnesota State Representative Tom Rukavina
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak
Ole Savior
Minnesota State Representative Paul Thissen

Perhaps most telling, Teamsters Local 120 has already endorsed Mayor Rybak for governor.

• “Teamsters Local 120, the largest Teamsters unit in Minnesota, has endorsed Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak for governor.  Local President Brad A. Slawson Jr. said in a statement issued Saturday that the union is ‘most confident in Rybak’s prospects for winning statewide election and moving forward.’”  (“Teamsters unit backs Rybak for governor,” Star Tribune, September 26, 2009)

We also are providing to the Board the following information from the R.T. for Mayor Committee report which we believe underscores that Mayor Rybak’s expenditures in seeking the governor’s office have already surpassed the $100 limit established by the state.

Rybak Expenditures

5/25/09 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Poll           $26,500

Rybak Donations to DFL Units

6/23/09     3^rd CD DFL                                  $180
8/13/09     SD 15 DFL  (St. Cloud area)          $300

Please find a copy of Mayor Coleman’s 2009 Saint Paul Campaign Committee report, a copy of Mayor Rybak’s 2009 RT for Mayor Committee, copies of the above referenced news releases, promotional materials, news articles and a video recording of Mayor Rybak’s appearance at the September 26, 2009 Take Action Minnesota event included with this correspondence.

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Tony Sutton, Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman

Michael Brodkorb, Republican Party of Minnesota Deputy Chairman

4 Responses to “MN GOP PRESS RELEASE: “RPM FILES CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD COMPLAINT REGARDING CHRIS COLEMAN & R.T. RYBAK CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES””

1. chile Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 5:42 am

   Poor Hiram, he’s done his best to paint Chris Coleman’s troubled campaign finance with a partisan brush with thick moonbat bristles.

   I do give Hiram credit for being one of the last remaining liberal trolls on MDE, With the repeated failures of Obama, and the fact that unallotment had been proven a success, the rest of the progessive chorus has thrown up the white flag.

   Sutton and Brodkorb have established an open and shut case agains CC. CC epitomizes the DFL’s cry for raising taxes. Chris Coleman oversees a St. Paul city budget in the hundreds of million, yet he can’t even see to it that $2,000 of his own campign expenses are paid for in a lawful way.

   It’s time for Chris Coleman to withdraw from the mayoral race. Let the DFL replace him with someone who as an ounce of credibililty.

   How Hiram might respond: “The Slaughterhouse cases do provide Coleman the right to travel. Does the GOP really want to set that a policy that restricts Evan Ng from traveling? Until it has been proven that all of the other candidates have not violated campaign finance laws, we should not be talking about this. Candidates do have the right to talk about the Vikings.”

2. Hector Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 6:34 am

   How many people attended Farm Fest? How many people spoke at Farm Fest? Did all of the people who attended and spoke at Farm Fest file for governor? Are you really saying that no Democrat and no Republican who harbors ambitions one day to run for governor can never appear at a political event without creating a campaign committee?

   Read the statute. Carefully. Is Coleman campaigning for governor? Did he give a speech saying “I am running for governor, please vote for me.” Despite the GOP’s exhaustive and exhausting research, they were able to produce no such statement. Does he have a website? Google reveals none. It’s true, lots of people think he should run, and think he would be a great governor. Republicans, for some reason, have provided lots of evidence of that. But the Teamsters and whoever, cannot make the decision to seek office for Coleman. No action of theirs can make the decision to seek higher office on Coleman’s behalf.

   Like many of my Republican friends, I am a strict constructionist, and I think laws should be strictly construed. The other night, I paid a hundred bucks to attend a political event. While there, I talked some politics, “did some political work”. One day I may run for governor. Am I in violation of the law for not creating a campaign committee? I really don’t think so.

3. Chris Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

   Hiram,

   I think the laws should be strictly followed. If you’re running for governor and you spend over $100, you have to register a committee under the laws of our state. Clearly, Rybak and Coleman aren’t campaigning for re-election as mayors in Rochester, Alexandria, at Farmfest, etc.

4. Hector Says:
   September 29th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

   “If you’re running for governor and you spend over $100, you have to register a committee under the laws of our state.”

   Well, strictly speaking, Coleman isn’t running for governor. He hasn’t announced his candidacy. He isn’t saying he is running for governor. He doesn’t have a gubernatorial website. No law that I am aware of restricts mayoral candidates to city limits. Didn’t Ms. Ng have a fundraiser in Inver Grove Heights.

   I think lots of politicians around the state have thought about running for governor from time to time. I think lots of politicians don’t confine themselves to the boundaries of their constituencies. If they didn’t, they could never hold sessions of the legislature in St. Paul. Giving a speech in Rochester is not running for governor. Showing up at Farm Fest is not running for governor. Running for governor is running for governor, and you can search the posting above as carefully as you want, and nowhere in it will you find Coleman actually doing that.

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