The bill would phase in state tax cuts for low and middle income families over the next three years while phasing out state aid (LGA) to Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth between now and 2014. DFL’ers were quick to resort to their simplified and grossly exaggerated claim that the cuts to cities would drastically increase property tax rates for citizens. We told you about the impact to Minneapolis earlier this week. 50% of Minnesota’s citizens live in cities that receive zero LGA funding; they are financing the current  mess in large cities with nothing in return (Dept. of Revenue).

House GOP members were quick to cite facts about LGA that have gone unnoticed behind the distraction of political games:

-Since 2010, property taxes have grown due to other factors (economic growth, property value increases, school levy increases) by $1.9 billion or around 68%. Between 2000- 2010, statewide Taxable Market Value increased 142%.

-During the 1990′s LGA was increased and property taxes still increased

-The wealthy absolutely pay their fair share:

• The top 20% (those with household incomes over $90,000 per year) pay nearly three-quarters of the income tax while the bottom 20% pay nothing and even get something back.
• The top 5% of households (those with household incomes over $183,000 per year) pay about 43% of the income tax.
• The top 1% of households (those with household incomes over $430,000 per year) pay about 25% of the income tax.

-Here’s where the tax cuts would be felt by tax year 2014:

• Married couple with 2 dependents:
  • Income of $50,000 will see a decrease of 11.2%.
  • Income of $75,000 will see a decrease of 10.1%
  • Income of $500,000, will see a decrease of 1.7%

• Head of household with 1 dependent
  • Income of $25,000 will see a decrease of 38.1%
  • Income of $50,000 will see a decrease of 9.9%
  • Income of $500,000 will see a decrease of 1.2%

• Single filer with no dependents
  • Income of $25,000 will see a decrease of 11.2%
  • Income of $50,000 will see a decrease of 8%
  • Income of $75,000 will see a decrease of 6.5%
  • Income of $500,000 will see a decrease of 0.8%

-A 2003 report by the MN State Auditor found:

• Cities above the median in LGA per capita spend 42 percent more on total current expenditures than those below the median LGA per capita.
• Cities that received the most LGA per capita had much lower taxes per capita.
• Cities above the median in LGA per capita spend a greater percentage of resources on non-essential services than cities below the median LGA per capita on essential and non-essential services than those cities below the median.

The Senate companion bill, SF 27, takes a somewhat different approach to the $5 billion deficit the State currently faces; the two bills will have to be molded in conference committee. DFL’ers continue to offer no viable alternative to closing the gap, other than the few brave souls crazy enough to sponsor Governor Dayton’s tax increase proposal. Dayton’s new tax rate for upper brackets would be the highest in the nation.

Tags: 2011 Session, DFL Legislators, Mark Dayton, Uncategorized

Falk has had a questionably inflated public infatuation with wind energy since before he even ran for his seat. Attending wind energy conferences around the country and promoting it as his top priority in St. Paul, one can’t help but ask if Falk is the right person to represent his district in western Minnesota, which faces declining population and jobs issues. For instance, Falk was no help in preventing a recent move by his district’s largest employer to close their doors and put hundreds out of work.

But there are bigger issues of self-service to be worried about now that Falk has had a few years to establish his name in the House. Like the energy special interests we have reported on already this year, Falk’s motives on energy policy proposals and their connection to his personal wind farm utopia come into doubt with further review. Falk told participants at a meeting that he has been developing an 18 megawatt wind farm in Swift county under ‘C-BED’ provisions created in the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act, which the House has been considering rescinding this year. He also told a reporter about his business intentions before he was elected.

Dedicated readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed pointed out Falk’s Statement of Economic Interest, which he is required by law to file as a public official. Under ‘Property’, Falk lists a parcel of land in Swift County under his ownership (E1/2-NE1/4 and Nw1/4-Ne1/4 of Sec 1, Twp 121, Range 38). However, upon review of Swift County property records listed below, there are 9 different owners of this land, and none of them are Andrew Falk. One piece, however, is owned by Great River Energy out of Maple Grove, MN.

Great River is a big player in Minnesota’s renewable energy business (with local cooperatives), especially wind. Interestingly enough, there is a board member of the company also named Falk.

Falk has introduced multiple pieces of legislation that would directly benefit his business development strategy of a wind-only solution to energy problems. A search of legislation that he chief authored in the last biennium reveals the heavy amount of attention he gives this issue. Falk even authored a bill last spring that would require companies that run nuclear power plants to invest heavily in wind only as part of the 2020 deadlines to move more production to renewable methods. His bill also adjusted the timelines currently in law to ban energy companies from producing any non-renewable energy after 2050. Thankfully, his bill went nowhere.

Additionally, Falk has taken steps to defeat new power plants (like Big Stone II) that would provide needed capacity to his district. Falk and his father both spoke at a Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) meeting about it (line 120). Great River Energy was also part of the proposal. As part of this public hearing process, Falk complained of the bureaucratic hurdles to getting wind energy on the grid and out for sale.

Falk has also been a vigorous supporter (and potentially a beneficiary) of the Renewable Development Fund paid for by Xcel Energy rate payers. We told you about the fund in our post last fall. The Legislative Auditor’s office found the fund was not managed well and exposed the unsupervised nature of this $168 million slush fund for pet renewable projects. You can review their extensive report here.

Will Falk address the concerns of his constituents and disclose what exactly his energy business (named Knight Energy, LLC) does? Did Falk run for his seat purely for his own developmental interests? Now that the DFL have lost control of the House and Falk’s ability to control the flow of questionable energy legislation is seriously diminished, the time has arrived for him to come clean with the people of District 20A.

Tags: DFL Legislators

Tax & Spend Kelliher Selects Tax & Spend Liberal Gunyou

Gunyou backs 25 cent per gallon gas tax increase

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton today issued the following statement regarding Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s selection of John Gunyou as her running mate.

“Margaret Anderson Kelliher and John Gunyou are two deeply irresponsible tax and spend liberals who will raise taxes on hard working Minnesota families and businesses at a time when they can least afford it.  With Gunyou backing a jaw-dropping 25-cent per gallon gas tax increase and Kelliher voting for $435 million in job-killing tax increases last week, it’s clear that this liberal tax raising duo would devastate small businesses and drive job creators out of the state.  This week Minnesota was ranked 43rd in the nation for its ‘business tax climate.’ A Kelliher-Gunyou administration would be disastrous for Minnesota’s economic future.”

Gunyou Is Tax & Spend Liberal Who Has Been Faulted By Legislative Auditor For A “Lack Of Fiscal Responsibility”

May 8, 2010: Gunyou Backs Jaw-Dropping 25-Cent Per Gallon Gas Tax Increase. Gunyou: “The gas tax debate was just inane.  I mean it’s arguing over a nickel, when the number should have been a quarter.” (“DFL Education Podcast,” May 8, 2010; Podcast is not time stamped; Gas tax comments begin roughly three-quarters into podcast)

2007: Gunyou Claims He Was Forced To Raise Taxes At Local Level. “John Gunyou, who served Republican Gov. Arne Carlson, 1991-94, now Minnetonka’s city manager: ‘The problem for local governments is that the property tax burden is back to where it was in 2001,’ when it was considered so unacceptably high that the state eliminated the general education levy. … Local governments have stepped in. ‘We use the property tax for that, and the cost of the projects is going out of sight. We can’t get our hands on enough gas tax money to keep up.’” (Lori Strudevant, “If economy goes south, is Minnesota  prepared?; Five former finance commissioners conduct a seminar on the ailing state budge,” Star Tribune, December 2, 2007)

2006: Gunyou Backed Sales Tax Hike. “John Gunyou, finance commissioner during Republican Gov. Arne Carlson’s administration, says he’d like to see an expansion of the sales tax to certain services in order to pay for any new programs. He says a rebate is ill advised but would support using some of the one time money to help businesses transition to a new sales tax.”  (“Experts cool to idea of tax rebate in Minnesota,” Minnesota Public Radio, December 4, 2006)

2006: Gunyou: “Minnesota Has Long Been A Higher Tax State, But That’s Not Inherently Bad.”  “Minnesota has long been a higher tax state, but that’s not inherently bad it all depends on how we invest those resources. If our tax dollars are invested in the right public services, our competitive position is strengthened.”  (Jay Kiedrowski and John Gunyou, “Other priorities top tax rankings,” St. Cloud Times, August 30, 2006)

2004: Gunyou Maintains, “Taxes Are Not Out Of Control.” “Taxes are not out of control. We can afford to invest in Minnesota.  In fact, we can’t afford not to invest in our state’s future. Minnesota’s leaders didn’t follow a high-tax, high-investment strategy for the past century and a half because they were screaming Socialists. They used that formula because it worked. It enabled our frozen flyover state to prosper.”  (John Gunyou, “Why has state stopped investing in education?” Star Tribune, April 21, 2004)

2003: Gunyou Advocated For Higher Taxes. “Three former state finance commissioners who worked for governors from three different parties — Jay Kiedrowski, John Gunyou and Pam Wheelock — think tax increases should be part of the budget solution.”  (Dave Beal, “Group: No tax increase no good for budget,” Pioneer Press, March 23, 2003)

1998: Legislative Auditor Criticized Gunyou For “Lack Of Fiscal Responsibility.” “The Minnesota Office of Technology was created by Executive Order in May 1996. During the 1997 session, the Legislature established the office as a separate state agency. In Minn. Stat. Chapter 16E, the Legislature designated the office’s executive director as ‘the state’s chief information officer and technology advisor to the governor.’ John Gunyou served as the office’s executive director from its inception until December 1997… We found two significant concerns relating to the office’s overall financial management. Generally, we found that the office showed a lack of fiscal responsibility in many of its early spending decisions. We also found that the office did not adequately separate key financial duties among its staff.  Some office travel expenditures did not comply with applicable employee bargaining agreements and Department of Finance policies. The office erroneously paid certain employee expenses, resulting in duplicate payments. In some cases, the office paid for unreasonable expenses and was not prudent in its travel decisions.  We found that the office did not maintain sufficient control over its grants to ensure that grant funds were being used in compliance with applicable legal provisions. We also found that the office did not comply with state policies over bidding and special expense purchases.”  (Legislative Auditor, “Minnesota Office of Technology Financial Audit For the Period from July 1, 1996, through June 30, 1998,” December 30, 1998)

Minnesota’s “Business Tax Climate” Already Near Bottom; Would Worsen Under Kelliher-Gunyou

Minnesota Ranks 43^rd For “Business Tax Climate.” “Minnesota moved up one slot last year, to 31st, in a rank of the Best and Worst States to do business published in this month’s issue of Chief Executive magazine. … Minnesota scored high in the magazine’s rankings for factors such as education, health and livability, but was ranked near the bottom for ‘business tax climate’ — its position this year in that category (No. 43) is actually worse than last year, when it ranked No. 41 for business taxes.”  (Sam Black, “MN ranked 31st best state to do business,” Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, May 18, 2010)

Tags: Uncategorized

Update: AP & MPR have stories.

From Publius:

Gunyou brings a lot to the table.  He will appeal to moderates and independents and, unlike most LG nominees, will be a major asset to Kelliher after she’s elected.

I heard Gunyou give a presentation on structurally balanced budgeting with former Perpich Finance Commissioner Jay Kiedrowski a few years ago.  He’s very smart, articulate and has some great ideas about how to reform Minnesota’s budgeting process.

What you need to know

All day Democrats will highlight this “inspired” choice by Speaker Kelliher.  John Gunyou has experience with budgeting and reform.

However, what they won’t tell you is that Gunyou has an urge to raise taxes and a history of fiscal irresponsibility as a government official.

In a past letter to the editor Gunyou said:

Taxes are not out of control.

At a recent discussion with the DFL Education Foundation, Gunyou called for a 25 cent per gallon gas tax increase.

But what is more concerning is what the Office of the Legislative Auditor said about John Gunyou’s leadership as Executive Director of the Office of Technology:

We found two significant concerns relating to the office’s overall financial management. Generally, we found that the office showed a lack of fiscal responsibility in many of its early spending decisions. We also found that the office did not adequately separate key financial duties among its staff.

Some office travel expenditures did not comply with applicable employee bargaining agreements and Department of Finance policies. The office erroneously paid certain employee expenses, resulting in duplicate payments. In some cases, the office paid for unreasonable expenses and was not prudent in its travel decisions.

We found that the office did not maintain sufficient control over its grants to ensure that grant funds were being used in compliance with applicable legal provisions. We also found that the office did not comply with state policies over bidding and special expense purchases.

And in a story from the Star Tribune in 1998:

The fledgling Minnesota Office of Technology, largely under the direction of its initial leader, John Gunyou, committed financial irregularities, including improper travel reimbursements, during its first year and needs stronger accounting controls, the legislative auditor reported Wednesday.

In a detailed report largely critical of Gunyou’s direction of the office budget and staff, legislative auditor James Nobles said the agency lacked fiscal responsibility in some of its early spending decisions. (Star Tribune 12/31/98 by David Phelps)

When Democrats try and spin Gunyou’s record as a reformer, you’ll know the truth.

Tags: Uncategorized

Yesterday, Winkler used his official House website to release a political attack on Rep. Tom Emmer.  Click Here to view the post.

State Ethics Rule MS 43A.38, which specifically relates to the misuse of state resources for campaign purposes, is the rule in question.

In accordance to guidelines by the Office of the Legislative Auditor a formal complaint was filed by mail.

To view the full complaint form click here.

The following complaint has been mailed to the Office of the Legislative Auditor.  Click here to read it.

UPDATE:

Following this post on MDE, the House DFL Caucus has removed the press release from their website.

Luckily, there is a screenshot here.

Here is screen image of the  scrubbed website:

Check back with MDE for more on this developing story.

Tags: Uncategorized

Tags: Uncategorized

Rukavina “Wanted” To “Slap” Patricia Anderson. “A simmering feud between State Auditor Patricia Anderson and DFL state Rep. Tom Rukavina of Virginia grew hotter Monday over a Rukavina quote in a magazine profile about him.  …  The magazine mentions an incident last session where Rukavina called Anderson ‘Osama Bin Awada’ (Anderson had the last name Awada before a recent divorce).  ‘I don’t apologize for that,’ Rukavina said. ‘I wanted to slap her around a bit for what she’s done up here.’”  (“State auditor objects to Rukavina remark,” Associated Press, April 12, 2004)

• “The decline of civility in America is a concern felt by many people these days. It’s impossible to quantify, but rather it’s a sense one gets in our personal lives and through the media, especially in the world of politics, that people aren’t as nice to one another as they once were. Still, most of us expect those elected to be our leaders to set an example for the way we treat one another, whether we agree with them or not. That is why it is disappointing to hear of the strident — even rough-and-tumble — remarks by Minnesota Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, in a totally uncalled for feud with Republican State Auditor Pat Anderson.”  (Editorial, “Lawmaker Should Cease Making Uncivil Remarks,” Duluth News-Tribune, April 14, 2004)

• “Asked this week about using the words ‘slap around,’ Rukavina said he didn’t mean it literally, adding, ‘If she can’t take a joke, it shows she’s even goofier than I thought she was.’ Rukavina needs to simmer down and temper his remarks. He’s sent to St. Paul by his northern Minnesota district to help his constituents improve their lives, not insult state officials with whom he disagrees — state officials whose cooperation he might need to achieve his legislative goals. It’s not only uncivil, it’s impolitic.”  (Editorial, “Lawmaker Should Cease Making Uncivil Remarks,” Duluth News-Tribune, April 14, 2004)

“Because Of His Style And Sometimes Politically Incorrect Cracks, He’s Not Seen As A Serious Candidate By Many.” (Doug Grow, “17 candidates on the long march: Sizing up Minnesota’s crowded governor’s race,” Minn Post, January 4, 2010)

Tags: Uncategorized

Former St. Paul School Board Member Tom Conlon announced today that he will seek the Republican Party endorsement for Minnesota State Auditor.

“In difficult economic times for families and taxpayers, as well as Minnesota’s local governments, accountability in how we spend our tax dollars is essential.” Conlon said. “We cannot do business as usual when people are hurting.”

Conlon said that the state auditor plays both a policy and a non-partisan, professional role in assisting municipalities, counties and other governmental bodies in Minnesota with strong accounting and reporting practices. “I want to improve transparency of how tax dollars are raised and used,” he said. “The auditor must also consider the challenges governmental units face and provide assistance where needed to improve accountability and transparency. There must be a better way.”

Examples where transparency could be improved are in areas of tax increment funding and other public subsidies local governments use for economic development. “We must make sure there are sound reasons for such and not political payoffs or wasteful handouts to political cronies,” he said. “There are probably places where this has become an issue, and I look forward to talking with Minnesota’s citizens and elected officials on the campaign trail to find out areas of concern in their communities.”

Other areas Conlon feels the auditor can play an active role are ensuring that state and federal funds going to local governmental units for job growth are creating sustainable jobs in the long term. “If these funds disappear in one or two years, and they likely will, the money is wasted if those jobs disappear. Sustainable jobs are a wiser investment and help people and communities in the long term, particularly in the private sector.”

Conlon served on the St. Paul School Board from 1992 until earlier this past summer, when he resigned his seat to relocate to Asheville, N.C. to operate a historic inn. He recently returned to Minnesota and has continued his teaching duties on the management faculty at Metropolitan State University. He also is a self-employed photographer and real-estate investor. Divorced, he resides in St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood where he grew up and has lived again since 1989.

Conlon served as the school board’s lone Republican his entire time on the board (and as the sole Republican-endorsed elected official among the city’s elected officials at any level of government).  “Having won five consecutive elections with Republican party endorsement in a heavily DFL city, I believe I am the most electable of the candidates for our party endorsement because I can attract votes from constituencies that traditionally have not supported Republicans,” he said. “I represented a constituency of approximately 287,000 people (2000 Census) or half of a congressional district, so I also bring a larger general election base to grow from.”

During Conlon’s board service, he was a voice of fiscal responsibility and accountability. “I raised questions of spending on employee contract settlements, project labor agreements on construction projects and other areas that at times we could not afford, or which came at the expense of funding more mission-critical needs in the classroom,” he said. “I participated in audit discussions and reviewed findings of 16 annual school district independent audits, so I am familiar with the work that they review.

“I also saw organizations representing governmental bodies, or providing services to them, with governmental representatives on their boards but who would not make minutes of their meetings public. Decisions were made at those meetings that influenced policy or how tax dollars would be spent to pay membership dues, but their own members or constituent bodies could not find out who advocated for them or what went into the process. This is the type of transparency I’d like to advocate for on a policy role, and where appropriate make recommendations to the state legislature or legislative auditor how we can improve openness is government.”

Conlon added that “golden parachutes” in governmental executive contracts, pensions and related contracts should be more aggressively explored. “Former Auditor Pat Anderson brought light to this with school district superintendent contracts and made a real difference,” he said. “We need to pick up where she left off and be advocates of the taxpayers, not special interest groups.”

Conlon hopes to be endorsed at the Republican Party state convention in late April 2010 and has begun campaigning throughout the state to meet with party activists, delegates, citizens, elected officials and attend community events and forums.

Conlon, 49, was born and raised in St. Paul, excluding 4^th-10^th grades when his father taught music in the Department of Defense Schools in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and his family lived overseas. A 1978 graduate of St. Paul’s Highland Park Sr. High School (and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee as well as alumni association president), he then served 4 years in the U.S. Marine Corps in California and North Carolina. He obtained degrees at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (B.A. journalism/political science, 1984; M.A. public administration, 1986) and a Ph.D. in Work and Human Resource Education from the University of Minnesota in June 2009. He was also a 1994-95 Humphrey Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota.

His previous professional work included sales, marketing communications and public relations positions at 3M in Dallas, TX and St. Paul, followed by self-employed consulting/independent contract work in human resources and free-lance writing for local companies. He has been on Metropolitan State University’s community faculty since 2005 where he teaches undergraduate courses in management and organizational behavior. He has also taught human resource, management, sales, and customer service courses at the University of Minnesota and other local institutions.

Outside of professional activities, Conlon enjoys doing volunteer work with photography or serving meals for charitable organizations, the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, and Boy Scouts of America. He has served on boards of directors for the Minnesota School Boards Association, Minnesota Chorale, Minnesota Service Cooperatives, Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU), Minnesota State High School League Region Committee and delegate assembly, and related organizations. He chairs the University of North Carolina’s alumni club in Minnesota is currently a candidate for the University’s General Alumni Association Board of Directors.

#     #     #

Tags: Uncategorized

The WCCO I-TEAM first told you about expensive, sound-proof doors in the Attorney General’s Office. Now there are allegations of unethical and unlawful behavior from two former lawyers in the office speaking publicly for the first time.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson issued a press release response but refused to sit down with WCCO for an interview. And the State Legislative Auditor has just reopened an investigation based on the sworn testimony of several lawyers who have not spoken out before now.

Paul Civello was a Medicaid fraud attorney under former DFL Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and his successor, the DFLer Swanson.

“It was always political mode,” said Civello.

In an interview with the I-TEAM, Civello said employees were routinely pressured into working on high profile cases intended only to bring publicity and political attention to the boss.

But there’s more to his charges than just politics.

“The problem I found in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was an attempt to deceive the Office of Inspector General (about the make up of the unit),” said Civello.

Civello makes the claims in a sworn affidavit, in which he describes “misconduct” by two successive Democratic Attorneys General, the top law enforcement officers in the state.  Source: WCCO, April 20, 2009.

To see the entire story click here.

It seems the problems keep mounting for the Attorney General.  The Attorney General should be ashamed of herself for lashing out so hard at Mr. Civello.

This office had no decency in the eight years under General Hatch and it has no decency now.

Tags: Uncategorized

Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, sent a letter Thursday asking the legislative auditor to look into why Attorney General Lori Swanson should be concerned about security in her office and what recommendations a 2007 security assessment had made.

Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said the questions are likely to be part of a larger audit of the attorney general’s office scheduled to begin in May.

Hann’s letter followed reports that Swanson, a DFLer, sought a security assessment after taking office in 2007 and that the two solid oak doors were installed shortly afterward.

Swanson has said the doors replaced two with windows leading into her office. Each of the doors, described as sound-attenuating in billing records, was valued at about $5,000, with installation requiring an additional $2,500 apiece.

Hann’s letter also asked Nobles’ office to investigate the timing of the installation, which was ordered within weeks of reports of office turmoil over some attorneys attempting to organize a union. Installation of the doors and a $6,000 replacement of carpeting in Swanson’s office were first reported by WCCO-TV, generating questions about whether they were a wise use of taxpayer dollars.

‘I’m concerned about what happened with the security assessment that she says that she conducted. What was done with that assessment? Who paid for it? What was the scope of it?’ asked Hann, a member of the Legislative Audit Commission.” Source: Star Tribune, April 2, 2009

Click here for the complete story.

###

This is a reminder that I work for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. Minnesota Democrats Exposed is my personal blog and it is not created, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by any political party, candidate, or candidate’s committee.

Tags: Uncategorized

The Attorney General has tried to justify these upgrades, but not before trying to hide from the media.

The Attorney General can try and justify all she wants, nothing changes the fact this is a egregious abuse of taxpayer money.

Tags: Uncategorized

This was sent out yesterday afternoon – by me. Will Democrats support the legislation?

###

(St. Paul) – Responding to the likelihood that Minnesota budget deficit will be close to $7 billion, Republican members of the Minnesota House and Senate announced a legislative proposal today to cut the pay of legislators and constitutional officers by 5 percent.

If enacted into law, the base pay for legislators would drop from their current amounts to $29,583 per-year, with the estimated total savings per biennium of $676,441.20.  [Please see the attached table for salary information for legislators and constitutional officers.]

“At a time when the budget deficit is growing larger by the minute, legislators need to set an example in St. Paul by cutting their own compensation and that of constitutional officers,” said Senator Geoff Michel (R-Edina). “The legislative branch must be part of the budget solution and before we go through the entire state budget, line by line, we should find savings in our own budget.”

Currently, Minnesota statutes (15A.082) establishes a 16-member Compensation Council to provide salary recommendations for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, and legislators. The Legislature can adopt these recommendations, adopt with modifications (such as a percentage), or establish altogether different rates.

While the constitutional officer salary is a percentage of the Governor’s pay, this bill makes individual salaries independent. This bill also provides transparency to the public by placing actual compensation amounts in law.

“This plan should absolutely be part of the discussions that take place around Minnesota over the next two weeks.  Legislators have to be willing to step up and show leadership in doing what it will take to balance the budget,” said Representative Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids).  “If we’re not willing to put ourselves and our salaries up for debate, then we won’t have a lot of credibility among the people we hear from during these meetings.”

###

This is a reminder that I work for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. Minnesota Democrats Exposed is my personal blog and it is not created, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by any political party, candidate, or candidate’s committee.

Tags: Uncategorized

“I don’t know about you, but the more I read about the Senate recount battle between Norm Coleman and Al Franken, the more upset I am with the slipshod way the election was conducted.

Now, I want to make clear that I am not referring here to Morrison County Auditor Russ Nygren, his staff or this county’s many election judges. This county was involved in six recounts (two city council, three legislative and the Coleman-Franken race) and except for a few counting errors, and perhaps one improperly rejected absentee ballot, no other mistakes were uncovered. The recounts of the council and legislative races verified the initial result. Only the Senate race remains in limbo, but only because of problems that occurred elsewhere in the state, particularly Minneapolis.

The state Canvassing Board said that Franken had 225 more votes in the recount than Coleman. However, a widespread misunderstanding exists of what the Canvassing Board was expected to do. Its job was to count the ballots as presented to them. The contested decisions on which ballots were either improperly withheld or presented to the Canvassing Board still need to be decided in court. In fact, the Minnesota Supreme Court, in several rulings last month, invited a lawsuit to resolve those issues.

Except for a few extreme partisans, I think most Minnesotans want to be sure that all legal votes are counted. However, I doubt now that we will ever know if that happened. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, as the chief election officer of the state, is responsible for the mess along with a number of county auditors and city election officials. Part of Ritchie’s job is to train the county auditors, and in the larger cities the city clerk or chief election officials, how to conduct a fair election. It’s the job of those he trains to then teach the election judges their duties. It’s clear that as teachers, Ritchie and some others are lacking.” Source: Morrison County Record, January 16, 2008

Click here for the complete editorial.

Tags: Uncategorized

“Ritchie’s involvement in state politics has received more attention than most secretaries of state.

In 2007, after his election, the state legislative auditor investigated Ritchie after a list of e-mail addresses from participants at a state-sponsored ‘civic engagement’ program was used to solicit funds for Ritchie’s campaign. Ritchie at first said the addresses were public information and anybody could have forwarded them to his campaign; he later admitted to handing the list over to the campaign himself.

The state auditor found that Ritchie broke no laws but that he ‘did not fulfill his legal obligation to make a full and timely response to a request for information from the legislative auditor.’” Source: Pioneer Press, November 15, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Uncategorized

“Over the past several months we’ve seen increasing numbers of concerns nation-wide over the registration activities of ACORN, including here in Minnesota.  What’s even more disturbing is that this is an organization that in multiple states in multiple election cycles continues to engage in improper and fraudulent registration activity.

“With the close ties that ACORN has to Minnesota election officials, including Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, its endorsement of Democrat candidates on the ballot – including Sen. Barack Obama, it is incredibly important we have the utmost transparency in the process.

“To that end, I have sent letters to county elections officials in areas that have reported problems with registrations from ACORN, requesting correspondence between ACORN and election officials, reports on the numbers of problem registrations, and copies of the so-called ‘problem cover sheet’ ACORN has said it has turned in.

“In Minnesota we expect fair and clean elections, and this group has brought its record of fraudulent, reckless and misleading activities to our state.  By public reports, it has had problems with turning around voter registration cards in a timely manner as well as having employees making duplicate cards in Minnesota in this election and past elections.  It’s time for Minnesota elections officials fight to ensure that our honored tradition of clean elections continues by holding ACORN to account.”

Associated Press Reports ACORN Is Under FBI Investigation For Its Registration Activities..  “The FBI is investigating whether the community activist group ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election. A senior law enforcement official confirmed the investigation to The Associated Press on Thursday. A second senior law enforcement official says the FBI was looking at results of recent raids on ACORN offices in several states for any evidence of a coordinated national scam.” (Lara Jakes Jordan, “Officials: FBI Investigates ACORN For Voter Fraud,” Associated Press, October 16, 2008)

ACORN’s Questionable Activities Extend To Minnesota:

Hennepin County Is Investigating ACORN For Failing To Turn In Registrations Within The 10-Day Guideline. “The Hennepin County Attorney’s office said today it is investigating whether a voter registration processing lapse at the Minnesota ACORN office falls within guidelines for criminal prosecution.” (Maria Elena Baca, “Hennepin County Investigating ACORN Registrations,” Star Tribune, October 14, 2008)

Ramsey County Has Reported ACORN Registrations Were Turned In Outside 10-Day Guideline. “Still, there have been problems in Minnesota. In St. Paul, almost half of more than 800 registrations collected and turned in by ACORN earlier this week were in violation of the deadline.” (Tim Nelson, “Officials Say Voter Registration Improving In Minnesota,” MPR, October 15, 2008)

2004:

Former Minnesota ACORN Employee’s Car Contained Hundreds Of Voter Registration Cards In Trunk. “When police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport stopped a man for running a stop sign late last month, they found an unusual stash in his car trunk: More than 300 voter registration cards that had been filled out but never submitted to the Minnesota secretary of state. The motorist allegedly told police that he was an ex-employee of ACORN…” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)

ACORN Employee Charged With Felony For Not Turning In Cards. “A man arrested in late September with more than 300 completed voter registration cards in the trunk of his car was accused Friday of committing a felony offense for allegedly failing to turn in the cards to election officials promptly.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Voter Registration Cards Bring Felony Charge,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/16/04)

Same Ex-ACORN Employee Faced Felony Drug Charges And Misdemeanor Shoplifting Charge. “The man stopped at the airport is Joshua Reed, 19, of St. Louis Park. He faces two unrelated criminal charges, a felony drug case in Hennepin County and a misdemeanor shoplifting case being prosecuted by the St. Louis Park city attorney.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)

Worker Said He Was Fired For Copying Cards, But ACORN Disputed Claim. “Much of what is publicly known about the case comes from a memo written by Bert Black, a legal analyst in Kiffmeyer’s office. In the memo, Black said investigators told him that Reed ‘indicated he had been fired from ACORN for making copies of the cards.’ Becky Gomer, the head organizer in Minnesota for ACORN, denied that Reed was discharged for copying cards. ‘That’s absolutely not true,’ she said. She said Reed was one of a number of canvassers whom ACORN paid $1 for each new voter registration they secured and, she said, ACORN supervisors discharged him because representatives of the county attorney warned ACORN that they suspected he was registering some voters twice to double his fee. ‘So we let him go,’ she said.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul, 10/8/04) Pioneer Press

ACORN Worker Pleaded Guilty To Two Felonies. “A man who was arrested in late September with hundreds of filled-out voter registration cards in the trunk of his car pleaded guilty Monday in Hennepin County District Court to two felonies. Joshua Reed,19, of St. Louis Park admitted failing to promptly turn over the voter registration cards to the Secretary of State or to a county auditor, and admitted forging signatures on 18 other voter registration cards. Reed faces sentencing Jan. 20 before Hennepin County District Judge Joanne Graham, according to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Man Pleads Guilty In Vote Card Scam,” Pioneer Press, December 7, 2004)

ACORN Settlement From Minnesota AG Comes Under Question:

ACORN Received $249,999 From Company Under Investigation By Attorney General Mike Hatch; ACORN Later Endorsed Hatch For Governor. “Attorney General Lori Swanson and her predecessor, Mike Hatch, have come under question for their role in a court settlement that diverted money to a nonprofit whose political wing endorsed Hatch’s bid for governor. Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles recently asked Swanson and Hatch to explain the 2006 settlement, which required a credit card company accused of violating consumer protection laws to give $249,999 to a community advocacy organization, Minnesota ACORN. Its political action committee endorsed Hatch three weeks later.” (Pat Doyle, “AG Office Queried About Diverted Funds,” Star Tribune, June 30, 2008)

ACORN Has Ties To Democrats In Key Positions And On The Ballot In 2008

ACORN Endorsed Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie In 2006. (www.markritchie06.net/endorsements.htm, accessed October 15, 2008)

Mark Ritchie Previously Led Voter Registration Coalition, Including ACORN In 2004. (Press Release, “Database Reveals How Nonpartisan Activities Helped Produce Election Day’s Record Breaking New Voter Turnout,” PR Newswire, November 4, 2004)

ACORN Endorsed Attorney General Lori Swanson In 2006. (Voters Guide: Attorney General, Star Tribune, September 6, 2006)

ACORN Endorsed Al Franken In 2008. (http://www.alfranken.com/content/endorsements_progPartners)

ACORN Endorsed Keith Ellison In 2008. (http://www.keithellison.org/endorsements.htm)

ACORN Has Extensive Ties To Barack Obama:

THE ACORN/OBAMA RECORD

Obama Formerly Represented ACORN, Taught Classes For Future Leaders Of ACORN, And They Endorsed His 2008 Presidential Campaign:

Obama Directed Project Vote And Later Taught Classes For “Future Leaders Identified By ACORN And The Centers For New Horizons.” “He [Obama] says he is drawn to politics, despite its superficialities, as a means to advance his real passion and calling: community organization. … In 1992 Obama took time off to direct Project Vote, the most successful grass-roots voter-registration campaign in recent city history. Credited with helping elect Carol Moseley-Braun to the U.S. Senate, the registration drive, aimed primarily at African-Americans, added an estimated 125,000 voters to the voter rolls–even more than were registered during Harold Washington’s mayoral campaigns. ‘It’s a power thing,’ said the brochures and radio commercials. … Obama continues his organizing work largely through classes for future leaders identified by ACORN and the Centers for New Horizons on the south side.” (Hank De Zutter, Op-Ed, “What Makes Obama Run?” Chicago Reader, 12/8/95)

Obama Was Part Of Team Of Lawyers Who Represented ACORN In A Suit Against The State Of Illinois. “Obama was part of a team of attorneys who represented the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois in 1995 for failing to implement a federal law designed to make it easier for the poor and others to register as voters.” (Mike Robinson, “Obama Got Start In Civil Rights Practice,” The Associated Press, 2/20/07)

ACORN’s Political Action Committee Endorsed Obama. “[A]CORN’s political action committee endorsed Barack Obama for President. … The endorsement reflects a belief that Obama – who worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago – understands that change must come from the ground-up, as part of a working coalition, rather than from position papers.” (Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Op-Ed, “ACORN: Obama Gets It,” The Nation, 2/23/08)

Obama’s Campaign Paid Over $800,000 To ACORN For Get-Out-The-Vote Efforts, But “Mistakenly Misrepresented” Their Work To The FEC:

Obama’s Campaign “Paid More Than $800,000” To ACORN For Get-Out-The Vote Efforts; The Campaign Originally “Misrepresented” The Group’s Work To The FEC. “U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat’s campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports.  An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. — a subsidiary of ACORN — worked in ‘get-out-the-vote’ projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary.” (David M. Brown, “Obama To Amend Report On $800,000 In Spending,” Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 8/22/08)

While Serving On The Board Of Directors Of The Woods Fund, ACORN Received Thousands Of Dollars Of Grants From The Organization:

The Chicago ACORN Received Grants Of $45,000 (2000), $30,000 (2001), $45,000 (2001), $30,000 (2002), And $40,000 (2002) From The Woods Fund. (Donors Forum Website, ifs.donorsforum.org, Accessed 6/10/08)

• NOTE: From 1993 To 2002, Barack Obama Served On The Board Of Directors For The Woods Fund. (Tim Novak and Fran Spielman, “Obama Helped Ex-Boss Get $1 Mil. From Charity,” Chicago Sun-Times, 11/29/07)

Some Of The Highlights Of ACORN Suspicious Activity In 2008:

Many Voter Applications, Submitted By ACORN, Appear To Be Fraudulent And Are Being Withheld By Seminole County’s Elections Supervisor Until They Are Proven Legitimate. “Local elections officials are looking into potential election fraud and some of the information is pointing to a Democratic-leaning voter’s group. ACORN … has been registering thousands of new voters for this year’s election, but in Seminole County, some voter applications are being withheld until it’s proven they’re legitimate. … Seminole County’s elections supervisor is holding up dozens of voter registration applications because they appear to be fraudulent: wrong addresses, bad signatures and more. … Many of the applications with suspect information were turned-in by the activist group ACORN.” (“Elections Officials Look Into Voter Fraud,” WESH Orlando, 9/23/08)

“ACORN Admits That They Had A Case Of Voter Fraud Happen This Week In Seminole County,” Florida. “ACORN admits that they had a case of voter fraud happen this week in Seminole County, but say they have since fired that employee and the faulty registration has been thrown out.” (Susie Hassan, “ACORN Blamed For Florida Voter Fraud,” WZVN-HD ABC News, 9/25/08)

In Clark County, Nevada, ACORN Allegedly Submits 2,000 To 3,000 Fraudulent Applications Each Week. “ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, claims to have collected 60,000 new voter registrations in Clark County since February. The group, which works to promote the interests of lower-income people, is aiming for 100,000 by Labor Day. … The group has drawn accusations of voter fraud and criminal investigations in several states. Last year, authorities in Washington state brought felony charges against ACORN workers for filing false voter registrations. Some ACORN workers pleaded guilty and went to jail, while the organization paid $25,000 and agreed to have its registration efforts monitored in a settlement with Washington state authorities. [Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry] Lomax said while he supports the goal of getting more people registered to vote, he sees rampant fraud in the 2,000 to 3,000 registrations ACORN turns in every week.” (Molly Ball, “New Voter Sign-Ups Up,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/7/08)

Nevada State Officials Are Teaming With Federal Authorities To Investigate Voter Fraud, Particularly Applications Submitted By ACORN. “Nevada state and federal authorities on Thursday announced the formation of a task force that will aggressively pursue allegations of election fraud.  The secretary of state, attorney general, U.S. attorney’s office and Federal Bureau of Investigation plan to work together as the election approaches and on Election Day to ensure a free and fair election in Nevada, where record turnout is anticipated.  ‘This is part of an effort to work proactively,’ Secretary of State Ross Miller, the state’s chief elections official, said of the combined effort, which he said would ‘ensure there is integrity in the system.’ Miller said investigators are already looking into allegations of fraud in voter registration, though he declined to go into specifics of an investigation he suggested was being handled by the FBI. Clark County officials have said they suspect fraud is occurring in the thousands of voter registrations being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, which works to get low-income people to vote. ACORN, whose officials have faced fraud charges in other states, says the group’s workers are trained to follow the law.” (Molly Ball, “Election Fraud Task Force Formed,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 8/1/08)

In New Mexico, Doña Ana County Officials “Received Complaints About Misleading Voter Registration Activities.” “The Doña Ana County Bureau of Elections has received complaints about misleading voter-registration activities and wants to make sure the public knows the truth about registering. Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins said in a news release from the county that the ‘most disturbing’ complaint is from people who say they are being told they must re-register to vote under a new law passed by the state Legislature. ‘This is simply not true,’ Ellins said. ‘Any voter who is registered and in good standing has no obligation to re-register.’” (Heath Haussamen, “Complaints In Doña Ana County,” The New Mexico Independent, 6/11/08)

Doña Ana County Spokesman Jess Williams Said That ACORN Is Responsible For Many Of The Complaints About The Voter Re-Registration Scheme. “County spokesman Jess Williams said many of the complaints are about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform, more commonly known as ACORN. The group has been actively trying to register voters in Doña Ana County in recent months. It has also received national attention in recent years for allegations in other states of voter fraud and shoddy work…” (Heath Haussamen, “Complaints In Doña Ana County,” The New Mexico Independent, 6/11/08)

In New Mexico, 1,100 Fraudulent Voter-Registration Cards Were Reported And ACORN Acknowledges That Some May Have Come From Its Group. “Such is the situation for Bernalillo County, which reported, the day before Obama’s Española rally, that it had received 1,100 fraudulent voter-registration cards. While there is no information, yet, on where those cards came from, Matthew Henderson, ACORN’s New Mexico head organizer, acknowledges some could have come from his group. ACORN, he says, has registered 75,000 New Mexicans during this election cycle.” (Mark Sanders, “Attempts To Rock The Vote, Rock The Boat,” Santa Fe Reporter, 9/24/08)

Ninety Voter Registration Forms That Included Social Security Numbers And Dates Of Birth Were Stolen From ACORN’s Las Cruces Office. “Ninety completed voter-registration applications that included Social Security numbers and dates of birth were stolen over the weekend from the Las Cruces office of an independent voter-registration group. As a result, ACORN plans to send letters to those whose applications were stolen to inform them of the situation.” (Heath Haussamen, “Completed Voter-Registration Forms Stolen From Group,” “Heath Haussamen On New Mexico Politics” Blog, haussamen.blogspot.com, 6/24/08)

In North Carolina, Durham County’s Elections Director, Mike Ashe, Has Asked That Approximately 80 Voter Registration Forms Submitted by ACORN Be Investigated For Suspicions Of Fraud. “A Durham official is asking state elections administrators to check approximately 80 voter registration forms for possible fraud. … Mike Ashe, Durham County’s elections director, said the forms were among about 4,000 submitted to his office over the past four to six weeks by a national left-wing group called Acorn … Ashe’s staff also learned this week of irregularities with a handful of other registrations. It was not clear who was responsible for these problems. … ‘This is serious, obviously,’ Ashe said.” (Matthew E. Milliken, “Elections Chief Asks For Voter Fraud Probe,” The Herald [NC] Sun, 9/19/08)

In Cuyahoga County, OH, ACORN Is Under Investigation By Election Officials Due To “Many Suspicious” Voter Registration Cards. “A national organization that conducts voter registration drives for low-income people has curtailed its push in Cuyahoga County after the Board of Elections accused its workers of submitting fraudulent registration cards.  The board is investigating the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Results of the inquiry could be turned over to the county prosecutor. Board employees said ACORN workers often handed in the same name on a number of voter registration cards, but showing that person living at different addresses. Other times, cards had the same name listed, but a different date of birth. Still another sign of possible fraud showed a number of people living at an address that turned out to be a restaurant. … Board employees are unsure how many of the cards are fraudulent. But the voter registration department received so many suspicious cards that it began compiling a binder with evidence. The binder grew to be an inch-thick.” (Joe Guillen, “Cuyahoga Board Probes ACORN Voter Registration Drive,” The [Cleveland, OH] Plain Dealer, 8/27/08)

• ‘“I’m Obviously Very Concerned,’ Board Chairman Jeff Hastings Said. ‘This Goes To The Essence Of Our Democracy.’” (Joe Guillen, “Cuyahoga Board Probes ACORN Voter Registration Drive,” The [Cleveland, OH] Plain Dealer, 8/27/08)

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Election Officials Accused ACORN “Of Filing Fraudulent Voter Registrations” But The Group Blames The Post Office. “Philadelphia elections officials are accusing the nonprofit advocacy group ‘Acorn’ of filing fraudulent voter registrations in advance of the April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. Acorn, which advocates on behalf of low-income residents in the city, has mounted a voter registration drive in the past few months. But city election commissioners are complaining that many of the submitted registrations appear to be faulty, and they have forwarded the matter to the district attorney’s office for further investigation. … The city officials say many of the addresses listed on the registrations are invalid, but Acorn blames the post office for not adequately servicing low-income communities.” (Mike Dunn, “Phila. Probing Advocacy Group’s Voter Registrations,” KYW Newsradio, www.kyw1060.com, 3/12/08)

One Pennsylvania ACORN Worker Is Facing “19 Counts Of Perjury, Making False Statements, Forgery And Identity Theft” Related To Voter Registration Forms. “A former temporary worker for a national community action group recently questioned by Dauphin County investigators about bogus voter registration forms is now a wanted man. Luis R. Torres-Serrano, 37, of the 200 block of South 15th Street, is accused by authorities of submitting more than 100 fraudulent voter registration forms he collected on behalf of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now to county election officials. … Torres-Serrano is charged with 19 counts of perjury, making false statements, forgery and identity theft in connection with the voter registration forms, authorities said.” (Reggie Sheffield, “Former Temp Worker Accused Of Bogus Voter Registrations,” [Harrisburg, PA] Patriot News, 7/24/08)

Milwaukee Election Officials Launched An Investigation Against ACORN For “Making People Up Or Registering People That Were Still In Prison.” “Criminal investigations could be launched against at least six voter registration workers who tried to add dead, imprisoned or imaginary people to the voter rolls, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission and the organization that employed them. Officials are reviewing some 200 to 300 fraudulent voter registration cards, Sue Edman, the commission’s executive director, said Wednesday. … In about 12 cases, deputy registrars paid by ACORN were ‘making people up or registering people that were still in prison,’ said Carolyn Castore, ACORN’s state political director. And in other cases, workers used the same address for numerous voters or used driver’s license numbers that did not fit the voters’ birth dates, Edman said. But most of the fraud involved submitting duplicate cards for voters who were already registered, and forging the voters’ signatures, Castore said.” (Larry Sandler, “Fake Names Get Voter Registration Workers Investigated,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/7/08)

All Voter Fraud Instances Under Investigation By Milwaukee Officials Are Linked To “Two Liberal Groups” – ACORN And The Community Voters Project. “Milwaukee’s election chief on Wednesday turned 32 more voter registration workers in to the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution, saying they tried to submit falsified registration cards. That brings to 39 the number of registration workers under scrutiny, and the number could grow, Election Commission Executive Director Sue Edman said. An organization warned the commission staff late Wednesday afternoon about some questionable cards in the latest batch collected by its workers, Edman said. All of the workers targeted for investigation were paid employees of two liberal groups running voter registration drives, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and the Community Voters Project.” (Larry Sandler, “More Voter Registration Workers Under Scrutiny,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/21/08)

Tags: Uncategorized

ST. PAUL – Angry Al Franken continues his campaign of lies and deception about Senator Norm Coleman’s record as Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.  Today, in response to Franken’s deliberate campaign of deception, the Coleman for Senate campaign released a new ad setting the record straight on Norm Coleman as a taxpayer watchdog and his record of holding government accountable to taxpayers.

As Chair and Ranking Member, Norm Coleman has exposed more than $80 billion in waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, busted defense contractors over unpaid taxes, strengthened our national security by closing security loopholes and fought for an independent investigator to look into reconstruction efforts in Iraq.  And, he’s returned billions of dollars to the U.S. Treasury.

“Norm Coleman has earned widespread praise for his bipartisan efforts to protect American taxpayers by exposing over $80 billion in government waste, fraud and abuse,” said Cullen Sheehan, campaign manager. “While Norm Coleman was protecting taxpayers, and looking out for their interests, Al Franken was not paying his taxes, and looking out for his own interests.”

“Watchdog” can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/colemanforsenate. [I posted the video above]
“Watchdog” Script:

ANNCR: “Saturday Night Live isn’t the only fiction Al Franken writes. The real Coleman record? Billions in waste uncovered. Defense contractors busted. Security loopholes closed. Norm championed an independent Iraq investigator. Supported over 100 non-partisan reviews, including no-bid contracts. He’s been called a “watchdog.” Praised for his valuable service. And Al Franken? He makes things up for a living.”

“Watchdog” Backup:

Billions In Waste Uncovered. Permanent Subcommittee in Investigations. (Source: http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Subcommittees.Home&SubcommitteeID=88ed6460-02ee-40a9-84a9-e278af44313c&Initials=PSI)

Defense Contractors Busted. “More than 27,000 defense contractors owe a total of $3 billion in unpaid taxes, according to government records reviewed by U.S. congressional investigators. That represents almost 14 percent of the contractors registered with the U.S. Defense Department as of February 2003, according to auditors at the General Accounting Office – the investigative arm of Congress. They tallied total taxes owed by the contractors in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, 2002. Most of the contractors were small businesses that failed to send to the Internal Revenue Service the taxes withheld from their employees’ paychecks for Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes. ‘It’s more than irritating. It’s outrageous,’ said Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, who asked the GAO to look into the problem.”   (MARY DALRYMPLE, “Thousands of defense contractors owe $3 billion in unpaid taxes, U.S. congressional investigation finds,” Associated Press, February 11, 2004)

Security Loopholes Closed. “But yesterday there was news of at least one piece of highly praiseworthy congressional oversight that has clearly exposed a nuclear security loophole through which terrorists could drive a truck bomb. The loophole has been tightened with new screening procedures, including the prerequisite of a face-to-face interview or a site visit for those applying for the NRC licenses. For this, Coleman and the GAO deserve a nod of gratitude. And the senator will doubtless (and properly) cite the case in his difficult reelection bid next year.  The moral of the case is that oversight works.”  (Editorial, “Kudos to Coleman” The Hill, July 13, 2007)

Norm Championed An Independent Iraq Investigator.

Senate passed legislation to extend the office of SIGIR, supported by Senator Coleman. Senate Vote 264, 11/14/06, (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00264 )

Senate passes Coleman/Collins Amendment to DOD Authorization to expand and extend SIGIR Senate Vote 359, 10/1/07,  (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00359 )

Supported Over 100 Non-Partisan Reviews, Including No-Bid Contracts. SIGIR, an office Senator Coleman helped create and strengthen, conducted more than 100 reviews, including no-bid contracts. (http://www.sigir.mil/reports/quarterlyreports/Jul08/Default.aspx)

He’s Been Called A “Watchdog.” “Coleman, Levin and other Medicare watchdogs deserve praise for documenting yet another serious problem and initiating steps to end it. This bipartisan effort inspires confidence that lawmakers can go forward from here to tackle Medicare’s other woes and nurse the program back to health.”  (Editorial, “Dead doctor scam is a new low for Medicare; Harsher penalties needed for those guilty of defrauding it” Star Tribune, July 10, 2008)

Praised For His Valuable Service. “A Senate subcommittee headed by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., has done a valuable service by highlighting these abuses.” (Editorial, “Don’t Let Contractors Off The Hook” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 21, 2005)

Tags: Uncategorized

“The goal and objective of the Coleman Truth Squad is to make it clear that for the next 48 days, we will serve as the people who will be challenging and confronting Al Franken and DSCC lies, distortions and personal attacks against Senator Norm Coleman. Already Franken, the DSCC and other special interest groups have misled Minnesotans with millions of dollars of false attack ads, and our intention is to hold their feet to the fire of truth,” said former state Auditor Pat Anderson.

“But it’s not just the things that Al Franken makes up that we are going to challenge him and his allies on.  We’re also going to hold him accountable for his publicly proven ethics and legal problems,” said Doug Kelley.  “Because of his stonewalling, Minnesotans still don’t know the truth about Franken’s workers’ compensation fines, his failure to pay taxes in at least 18 states and a host of other issues.”

To combat the falsehoods of Al Franken and his allies, members of the Coleman Truth Squad will speak out to Minnesotans with regular email updates, letters to the editor, columns and radio and television appearances.

Members of the Coleman For Senate Truth Squad Include:

* Pat Anderson, Former State Auditor
* Marc Cove, School District 622 School Board Member (North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale)
* Bethany Dorobiala, Chair of the Minnesota College Republicans
* Gloria Karsky, Mayor of North Branch
* Senator David Hann
* Tom Heffelfinger
* Dennis Hegberg, Washington County Commissioner
* Doug Kelley- Former Chair, Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
* Fran Miron, Hugo Mayor
* Mark Steffenson, Maple Grove Mayor
* Mark Uglem, Champlin Mayor
* Rep. Lynn Wardlow
* Brian Zeller, Mayor of Lakeland

###

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

THE TRUTH ABOUT AL FRANKEN’S FALSE ATTACKS

False Franken Attack #1: Coleman Doesn’t Support Allowing Medicare To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices; Coleman “Ripping Off” Medicare

False Franken Attack: Coleman Opposes Allowing Medicare To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices; Coleman “Ripping Off” Medicare.  “Don’t be fooled by Norm Coleman’s attacks. It’s Norm Coleman who voted to make it illegal for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. that’s a $300 billion giveaway to the drug companies. No wonder they’ve given Coleman more money than any politician in Minnesota history. Norm Coleman: ripping off Medicare and you. (Al Franken TV Ad)

The Truth: Norm Coleman Voted To “Allow Medicare To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices For Millions Of Older Americans, A Practice Now Forbidden By Law.”  “A pillar of the Democratic political program tumbled today when Republicans in the Senate blocked a proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans, a practice now forbidden by law. …  The Republican senators who joined Democrats in voting to take up the drug price negotiation bill were Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.”  (Robert Pear, “Bill To Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices Is Blocked,” The New York Times, April 18, 2007)

Senator Coleman is the former Chairman and current ranking member on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and has led the way on exposing waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare:

Exposed Tax Cheating Medicare and Medicaid Providers: Building on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation[s successful investigation into tax-delinquent federal contractors led by Senator Coleman, the Subcommittee examined whether Medicare and Medicaid providers were cheating on their taxes.  In 2007, the Subcommittee held two hearings that revealed that More than 21,000 Medicare Part B providers owed $1 billion in unpaid taxes, and more than 30,000 Medicaid providers owed more $1 billion in unpaid taxes.  In 2008, the Subcommittee released another report, finding that 27,000 Medicare providers (not just Part B) owed more than $2 billion in back-taxes.

Brought About Oversight of Medicare, Exposed Dead Doctors Scam: The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, under the leadership of Senator Coleman, conducted a multi-year oversight investigation into the Medicare program and specifically its claims processing operations.  The investigation identified serious flaws in the Medicare DME claims processing and supplier enrollment programs.  For instance, the Subcommittee revealed that Medicare paid claims amounting to nearly $100 million, even though the claims contained the identification numbers of dead doctors.  The Subcommittee also revealed a sting operation, in which GAO, at the request of the Subcommittee, established two phony companies and obtained Medicare billing numbers, even though they were completely fictitious entities.  The inquiry has so far resulted in one PSI staff report, one GAO report, and one hearing.

Instituting Penalties for Nor Paying Taxes: As a result of his PSI hearings on tax-delinquent Medicare providers, Senator Coleman introduced S. 1307, the Medicare Provider Accountability Act, that requires CMS to levy payments to doctors and other Medicare providers that have unpaid federal tax debts.  This legislation was included in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331) which became law on July 15, 2008.  The Senate was able to successfully override the President’s veto on July 15, 2008 with Senator Coleman’s full support. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00169 )

False Franken Attack: #2: Coleman Lives In Million Dollar DC Home

False Franken Attack: Coleman “Living In A Million Dollar DC Home.”  (Al Franken Ad, http://www.alfranken.com/content/video_detail/?id=55)

The Truth: Franken “Exaggerates” & Leaves False “Impression.”  “It also exaggerates Coleman's rent problem. Coleman lives in the basement of the million home but the ad leaves the impression that Coleman inhabits the whole place.”  (“New Franken Ad: ‘Coleman Is Being Investigated,’” Pioneer Press Weblog, August 6, 2008)

“Coleman's campaign arranged a tour of his living space for The Associated Press. His bedroom is 9 1/2 by 9 1/2, with low ceilings, about seven feet high, and his bed takes up about two-thirds of it. A computer sits on top of a chest of drawers, and a FedEx box serves as a makeshift night stand. A collection of ties are draped over the opened door to his closet.”  (Frederic J. Frommer, “Coleman Campaign Calls Franken Ad Misleading,” Associated Press, August 13, 2008)

False Franken Attack #3: Coleman “Under Investigation”

False Franken Attack: “Coleman Is Being Investigated For Paying Only Six Hundred Dollars A Month Rent To Live In A Million Dollar DC Home Owned By A Washington Insider Connected To Powerful Lobbyists.”  (Al Franken Ad, http://www.alfranken.com/content/video_detail/?id=55)

The Truth: “The Ad Also Says That Coleman Is ‘Being Investigated’ But The Senate Ethics Committee Hasn't Said… That It Is Investigating The Rent Situation.” (“New Franken Ad: ‘Coleman Is Being Investigated,’” Pioneer Press Weblog, August 6, 2008)

False Franken Attack #4: Alaska Fishing

False Franken Attack: “I’m Al Franken and I approve this message. Over 10,000 lakes in Minnesota but where does Norm Coleman go fishing? Alaska! Indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens flew him up and got big oil honchos to give thousands just to fish with Norm.” (Al Franken Ad, “Fishy”)

The Truth: Many Prominent Democrats Have Attended This Charity Fishing Event, Including:

Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin (Jon Little, “Flood Of Kings, VIPs Hit Kenai,” Anchorage Daily News, July 9, 1999)

Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles & Alaska Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer (Jon Little, “Flood Of Kings, VIPs Hit Kenai,” Anchorage Daily News, July 9, 1999)

Clinton FEMA Director James Lee Witt (Jon Little, “Flood Of Kings, VIPs Hit Kenai,” Anchorage Daily News, July 9, 1999)

Democratic Rep. & Clinton Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta (“Federal Officials Plan Alaska Visits,” The Associated Press, July 3, 2001)

Senator Bennett Johnston, D-LA  (Drew Fagan, “World Watch,” The Globe And Mail, November 13, 1995)

Norm Coleman isn’t refusing to give any money back – the money he received was for his campaign in 2002 – for a different campaign – that campaign is over with, and the money is gone.  There is no money to return.

This is a trip that has been conducted since 1994 and has been reviewed regularly by the Senate Ethics Committee.  Senator Coleman’s office followed those Senate Ethics Committee guidelines to the letter.

While Senator Coleman did attend charity fishing events, he has also consistently opposed Senator Stevens on the issue of ANWR, as well as those in the energy industry who have pushed him to open up ANWR.

False Franken Attack #5: Coleman & Big Oil

False Franken Attack: Coleman Is Too Close With Big Oil.

The Truth: Coleman Has Voted Against Big Oil & For Renewables:

* Co-authored and helped pass the first-ever Renewable Fuels Standard as part of the 2005 Energy Bill, which spurred the current ethanol and biofuel boom in Minnesota.
* Supported passage of the 2007 Energy Bill, which included Coleman priorities including the first increase in fuel economy standards in over 30 years and established a new, more aggressive Renewable Fuels Standard of 36 billion gallons by 2022.
* Has voted on multiple occasions to shift tax incentives from oil companies to renewable energy.
* Successfully led Senate efforts to establish a sugar-to-ethanol program as part of the Farm Bill, further diversifying our renewable energy portfolio.
* Has been a consistent supporter of the biodiesel tax credit, the small ethanol producer tax credit, and wind energy bonds.
* Working with Democrat Carl Levin, Senator Coleman held hearings and launched investigations into speculation in the energy markets beginning in 2006, and passed legislation to close the “Enron loophole” to increase oversight and regulation in energy markets.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

QUESTIONS FRANKEN STILL NEEDS TO ANSWER

Franken Still Needs To Come Clean On His Failure To Pay Taxes In At Least 18 States:

Franken Pays $70,000 To 17 States In Back Taxes. “Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken, front-runner in the race to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, said on Tuesday that he has paid $70,000 in back taxes and penalties owed in 17 states, going back to 2003. Franken, who has earned income across the country for celebrity appearances and speeches, blamed his accountant of 18 years for failing to pay the appropriate taxes owed in each state.”    (Patricia Lopez and Kevin Duchschere, “Franken pays $70,000 back taxes, penalties,” Star Tribune, April 30, 2008)

Franken Blames Accountant. “The accountant, Allen Chanzis of New York, ‘just made a basic kind of error that had a lot of ramifications,’ Franken said. Franken said that he paid federal and state taxes on all of his income, but that the accountant had failed to properly distribute the tax payments.”      (Patricia Lopez and Kevin Duchschere, “Franken pays $70,000 back taxes, penalties,” Star Tribune, April 30, 2008)

Accountant Claims He Was Told Not To Comment. “Contacted at his Long Island apartment, Chanzis declined to discuss Franken's statements that the accountant's mistakes caused Franken's taxes to go unpaid in 17 states. ‘I've been told to say, 'No comment,'’ Chanzis said, without saying who had instructed him to do so. Refusing to discuss any mistakes, he added: ‘I've been told you have the information you need.’”   (Patricia Lopez and Kevin Duchschere, “Tax guy mum; DFLers backing Franken,” Star Tribune, May 1, 2008)

Accountant’s Website Undermines Franken Claim. “Mark Sellner says it's pretty common for people to make mistakes with apportionment. But accounting firms like Chanzis's that specialize in the entertainment industry deal with those issues all the time.  The firm's Web site says it handles multi-state tax filings, and it says [Franken accountant] Allen Chanzis ‘has a unique expertise in all aspects of tour accounting and reporting.’  And tour accounting means keeping track of the money a touring entertainer makes in various states.”   (Curtis Gilbert, “Accountants: Franken’s tax problems should have been caught,” Minnesota Public Radio, May 2, 2008)

Minnesota Accountants: Franken Is Responsible. “Minnesota Public Radio News contacted 60 local accountants, and heard back from a dozen of them. They all said Franken is ultimately responsible for making sure he pays taxes in the right states.”   (Curtis Gilbert, “Accountants: Franken’s tax problems should have been caught,” Minnesota Public Radio, May 2, 2008)

Al Franken Still Needs To Come Clean About His Failure To Pay Workers’ Comp:

Franken Owed $25,000 To New York For Failing To Pay Workers’ Comp; State Tried To Track Him Down For Nearly Three Years. “DFL Senate candidate Al Franken owes a $25,000 penalty to the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance for employees of his namesake corporation from 2002 to 2005, state officials said. New York officials have made numerous attempts to contact Franken about the matter since April 2005 but have gotten no reply.”      (Kevin Duchschere, “Franken faces penalties for lack of workers’ insurance,” Star Tribune, March 5, 2008)

Franken Claimed No Knowledge Of Fine. “Campaign spokesman Andy Barr said that neither Franken nor his wife, Franni, were aware of the matter before Tuesday. They have lived in Minneapolis for the past few years and did not know about the state’s attempts to reach them in New York City, he said.”      (Kevin Duchschere, “Franken faces penalties for lack of workers’ insurance,” Star Tribune, March 5, 2008)

Voting & Business Records Show Franken Lived At Apartment Where Notices Were Sent.  “Although the couple moved to Minneapolis in late 2005, voting and business records show Franken was living in New York City for at least seven months after the state first sent him word of the workers’ comp lapse.”    (Kevin Duchschere, “Franken acknowledges mistake,” Star Tribune, April 12, 2008)

Franken Campaign:  Failure To Pay Workers’ Comp “May Be Resolved In Our Favor.” “’If it’s wrong, they will pay what they owe,’ Barr said. ‘It’s also possible that there’s some kind of dispute that may be resolved in our favor,’ Bar continued. ‘This is, at worst, some kind of misunderstanding between [the Frankens'] bookkeeping system and the state’s.’”     (Kevin Duchschere, “Franken faces penalties for lack of workers’ insurance,” Star Tribune, March 5, 2008)

New York State Tried To Reach Franken For Years Regarding His Failure To Provide Workers’ Compensation For His Employees. “The Workers’ Compensation Board began sending Franken notices in April 2005 after discovering that the insurance hadn’t been paid for nearly three years. Officials first sought an explanation. Receiving no response, they sent a penalty notice to Franken in June 2005 that outlined rights to appeal. The state then turned to a collection agency to reach Franken. When that didn’t work, the state tried again in July 2006. Penalty statements were sent in August and December of 2006 and March 2007, Keegan said. The judgment was finally entered against Franken in May 2007, and another notice sent by certified mail to his Manhattan apartment. Since then, Keegan said, three more statements have been sent — the most recent in January — without response.”    (Kevin Duchschere, “Franken faces penalties for lack of workers’ insurance,” Star Tribune, March 5, 2008)

Al Franken Still Needs To Come Clean On Air America/Boys & Girls Club Scandal:

Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club Loaned $875,000 To Air America. “’Members of the Gloria Wise executive committee described to the Sun transfers from the club to Mr. Cohen and to Air America that totaled $875,000. They said Sunday that one reason Mr. Cohen cited when asking for personal loans was that he needed money for chemotherapy because he suffered from brain cancer’”    (David Lombino, “Franken Unaware Of Ex-Colleague’s Alleged Loans,” New York Sun, August 2, 2005)

Franken Says He Didn’t Know About Boys And Girls Club Loans… “’The comedian Al Franken, Air America Radio’s most prominent host, said yesterday that he did not know whether the hundreds of thousands of dollars apparently lent to the radio network by a Bronx social-service organization had indeed been relayed to Air America by Evan Montvel Cohen. Mr. Cohen simultaneously served as director of the liberal network and development director of the nonprofit Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club.’”   (David Lombino, “Franken Unaware Of Ex-Colleague’s Alleged Loans,” New York Sun, August 2, 2005)

…But Franken Signed A Document That Listed $870,000 Loan From Boys And Girls Club To Air America. “’Al Franken, the comedian, author, radio host and possible future Minnesota politician, signed a document in November that listed $875,000 in interest-free loans that a New York Boys & Girls Club made to his radio network, Air America. Franken said Thursday that he was unaware of the loans at the time. The loans and the Boys & Girls Club are under investigation by city and state agencies in New York. Neither Franken nor Air America are targets of the investigations.  Air America said Thursday that it had put funds into an escrow account sufficient to repay the loans if the New York Department of Investigation, which is reviewing the club’s finances, completes its work and authorizes payment.’” (Eric Black, “”Loans To Franken’s Radio Network Examined,””Star Tribune, September 9, 2005)

While Air America Was Going Under , Franken Demanded His Million Dollar Salary. “America sued in New York Supreme Court and a judge ordered MultiCultural to put it back on the air in Chicago, where Air America had made more payments, through April, but not in Los Angeles. After that ruling expired, the two companies couldn’t come to terms and Air America was off the air in both cities. As the network tried to repair the damage, it was also fighting Mr. Franken over how his salary was paid. As the network’s star, Mr. Franken had negotiated a pay package at more than $1 million a year, according to a copy of the contract viewed by The Wall Street Journal.’”   (Julia Angwin and Sarah McBride, “Radio Daze – Inside Air America’s Troubles,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2004)

Tags: Uncategorized

“Al Franken’s endorsement from the highly controversial ACORN may come as no surprise for a group with such long ties to liberal candidates, but it raises serious questions about Franken’s judgment. ACORN has a reputation across the country for questionable voter registration and activities and many employees of ACORN have either been found guilty or pleaded guilty to committing voter fraud.  Voting is one of the most important parts of our democracy, and Franken’s embrace of a group that shows such little regard for the integrity of the election process is extremely disturbing.”

ACORN: A Primer

ACORN Workers Have Been Convicted In Wisconsin And Colorado, Under Investigation In Three Other States. “We wish this were an aberration, but allegations of fraud have tainted Acorn voter drives across the country. Acorn workers have been convicted in Wisconsin and Colorado, and investigations are still under way in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.” (“The ACORN Indictments,” Wall Street Journal Online, November 3, 2006)

1,492 fraudulent registrations were submitted by ACORN in St. Louis, Missouri including a 16-year-old and deceased individuals. “The St. Louis Election Board says it has received close to 1,500 voter registration cards leading up to the deadline of registration that appear to be frauds, including some from dead people, and at least one from a 16-year-old girl.”  (Jeff Douglas, “Voter registration fraud alleged in St. Louis,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)

Eight former ACORN employees in Missouri pleaded guilty to fraud. Eight workers for a get-out-the-vote effort in St.Louis city and county have pleaded guilty to federal election fraud for submitting false registration cards for the 2006 election, authorities said Wednesday. The workers were employed by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now to gather voter registrations. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said they submitted cards with false addresses and names, and forged signatures. Each faces up to five years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. The organization has said the former, temporary hourly workers were likely trying to increase their pay by turning in more, albeit, false applications. (“Ex-ACORN workers plead guilty to fraud”, Columbia Tribune, 4/6/08)

A federal judge today sentenced the last of four defendants indicted for voter registration fraud on the eve of the 2006 elections. Kwaim A. Stenson was sentenced to four months and five days. He will report to a half-way house in Springfield next week. Other defendants in the case also received light sentences. For example, Brian Gardner and Dale D. Franklin received probation, while Carmen R. Davis was sentenced to 120 days in a halfway house. (“Voter fraud defendant sentenced”, The Kansas City Star, 09/05/07,)

4 voter registration recruiters indicted on fraud charges. All four face two felony counts each of “knowingly and willingly” filing false information. The charge carries maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  as many as 15,000 recently submitted voter registrations could be “questionable,” which they define as duplicates, unreadable applications or containing information that doesn’t match other existing records.  Last week the board chairwoman, Melodie Powell, said the board had turned the investigation of the questionable cards over to local and federal authorities.  (Dave Helling, “False voter registrations allegedly submitted; Four who have been indicted had worked as registration recruiters for ACORN group,” The Kansas City Star, 11/2/06)

“Election Officials In Three Of Ohio’s Largest Counties Have Cited Problems With Hundreds Of Voter Registration Cards. ACORN Is Accused Of Submitting Cards With Nonexistent Addresses, Forged Signatures And, In One Case, For Someone Who Died Seven Years Ago.”  (Andrew Welsh-Huggins, “Voter Fraud Allegations Still Tripping Up Voting Rights Group,” The Associated Press, 10/2/06)

Felony criminal charges have been filed against seven employees and supervisors of ACORN for the fraudulent registrations submitted in King County, Washington. The criminal charges are in addition to the settlement requiring ACORN to increase its training and pay fines.  The settlement also states that ACORN may be held criminally responsible if the fraud occurs again. (Keith Ervin, “Felony charges filed against 7 in state’s biggest case of voter-registration fraud,”, The Seattle Times, 07/26/07)

Three of seven defendants in the biggest voter-registration fraud scheme in Washington history have pleaded guilty and one has been sentenced, prosecutors said Monday.  The defendants were all temporary employees of ACORN when they allegedly filled out and submitted more than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006 registration drive in King and Pierce counties.  Ryan Olson, 28, of Needles, Calif., was the first to be sentenced.  He pleaded guilty to two counts of providing false information on a voter-registration application, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail or in electronic home detention.  Tina Johnson, 24, of Tacoma, and Jayson Woods, 20, of Elkridge, Md., also have pleaded guilty to eight counts each of registration fraud, and are awaiting sentencing.  Three of the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in court in November, and one has been charged with voter fraud and is wanted for failure to appear in court.  (“Three plead guilty in fake voter scheme”, The Seattle Times, 10/30/07)

Pierce County, Washington will purge 230 fraudulent ACORN registrations from rolls, including celebrities and deceased persons. ACORN workers submitted more than 1,800 registration forms in King County and about 1,400 in Pierce County in fall 2006. Last summer, King County prosecutors charged seven ACORN employees with submitting false information on voter-registration cards. Five of the seven have since pleaded guilty. Two ACORN employees admitted falsifying registrations in Pierce County. ACORN workers, who earned $8 an hour, flipped through phone books or made names up when they fell short of quotas they were supposed to meet, said Allen Rose, a Pierce County deputy prosecutor. In a few cases, the workers appeared to have used the names of celebrities. Pierce County received registrations for “Veronica Mars,” a character in the television series of the same name, and “Pat Tillman,” a football player who left the NFL to become an Army Ranger and died in Afghanistan in 2004. Last year the King County Canvassing Board removed 1,762 fraudulent registrations from King County’s voter list. (“Pierce County to pull 230 names off voter list”, Seattle Post Intelligencer, 2/3/08)

ACORN Regarded As “Shock Troops” For Democratic Party. “Operating in at least 38 states (as well as Canada and Mexico), Acorn pushes a highly partisan agenda, and its organizers are best understood as shock troops for the AFL-CIO and even the Democratic Party.” (“The ACORN Indictments,” Wall Street Journal Online, November 3, 2006)

ACORN’s Questionable Activities Extend To Minnesota:

Former Minnesota ACORN Employee’s Car Contained Hundreds Of Voter Registration Cards In Trunk. “When police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport stopped a man for running a stop sign late last month, they found an unusual stash in his car trunk: More than 300 voter registration cards that had been filled out but never submitted to the Minnesota secretary of state. The motorist allegedly told police that he was an ex-employeeof ACORN…” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)

ACORN Employee Charged With Felony For Not Turning In Cards. “A man arrested in late September with more than 300 completed voter registration cards in the trunk of his car was accused Friday of committing a felony offense for allegedly failing to turn in the cards to election officials promptly.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Voter Registration Cards Bring Felony Charge,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/16/04)

Same Ex-ACORN Employee Faced Felony Drug Charges And Misdemeanor Shoplifting Charge. “The man stopped at the airport is Joshua Reed, 19, of St. Louis Park. He faces two unrelated criminal charges, a felony drug case in Hennepin County and a misdemeanor shoplifting case being prosecuted by the St. Louis Park city attorney.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)

Worker Said He Was Fired For Copying Cards, But ACORN Disputed Claim. “Much of what is publicly known about the case comes from a memo written by Bert Black, a legal analyst in Kiffmeyer’s office. In the memo, Black said investigators told him that Reed ‘indicated he had been fired from ACORN for making copies of the cards.’ Becky Gomer, the head organizer in Minnesota for ACORN, denied that Reed was discharged for copying cards. ‘That’s absolutely not true,’ she said. She said Reed was one of a number of canvassers whom ACORN paid $1 for each new voter registration they secured and, she said, ACORN supervisors discharged him because representatives of the county attorney warned ACORN that they suspected he was registering some voters twice to double his fee. ‘So we let him go,’ she said.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)

ACORN Worker Pleaded Guilty To Two Felonies. “A man who was arrested in late

September with hundreds of filled-out voter registration cards in the trunk of his car pleaded guilty Monday in Hennepin County District Court to two felonies. Joshua Reed,19, of St. Louis Park admitted failing to promptly turn over the voter registration cards to the Secretary of State or to a county auditor, and admitted forging signatures on 18 other voter registration cards. Reed faces sentencing Jan. 20 before Hennepin County District Judge Joanne Graham, according to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Man Pleads Guilty In Vote Card Scam,” Pioneer Press, December 7, 2004)

ACORN Settlement From Minnesota AG Comes Under Question:

ACORN Received $249,999 From Company Under Investigation By Attorney General Mike Hatch; ACORN Later Endorsed Hatch For Governor. “Attorney General Lori Swanson and her predecessor, Mike Hatch, have come under question for their role in a court settlement that diverted money to a nonprofit whose political wing endorsed Hatch’s bid for governor. Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles recently asked Swanson and Hatch to explain the 2006 settlement, which required a credit card company accused of violating consumer protection laws to give $249,999 to a community advocacy organization, Minnesota ACORN. Its political action committee endorsed Hatch three weeks later.” (Pat Doyle, “AG Office Queried About Diverted Funds,” Star Tribune, June 30, 2008)

Tags: Uncategorized

###

“Today’s meeting of the Legislative Audit Commission drew a crowd to hear a report on the state of Minnesota’s charter schools, but it was the second agenda item that drew keen interest from some hangers-on: the first appearance by Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles since he issued a report on allegations of misconduct in the state attorney general’s office under former head Mike Hatch and current office holder Lori Swanson.

Although the ‘preliminary assessment,’ released June 3 by Nobles’ office, concluded there was no basis for further action by the auditor, it does not appear that matters are fully settled.

In fact, during the course of ‘assessing’ Hatch’s second term as attorney general, from 2002-06, and Swanson’s first year, 2007, Nobles and his staffers found two allegations that may well be within his jurisdiction as a fiscal agent for the state. Nobles, who was more stern in his testimony today, alluded to both in his one hour of remarks and Q-and-A with lawmakers.” Source: MinnPost, June 30, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Uncategorized

Nobles says he hasn’t found anything illegal in the Capital One settlement, but he hasn’t ruled out looking closer at the ACORN payment. He say the issue could be included in a regularly scheduled audit of the attorney general’s office next year. ‘As I sort out the issues I need to address, and if anybody comes forward with information on possible improprieties in that settlement, I can certainly look at it,‘ he said.

Nobles asked both Attorney General Lori Swanson and her predecessor Hatch to respond to his questions about the settlement. Swanson, who was Hatch’s top assistant at the time, deferred to her former boss.

ACORN’s political action committee endorsed DFLer Hatch in his run for governor in 2006. But Hatch denies any relationship between the settlement and his political campaign. In a letter to Nobles, Hatch recalled it was Capital One that suggested ACORN as a recipient. He also noted that ACORN and the ACORN PAC are legally distinct entities.” Soure: MPR, June 30, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Uncategorized

“At what point does the Justice Department’s public corruption unit get involved in investigating this? Forget the legislative auditor. We’re now talking about defrauding Medicaid, folks. Anyway, as usual, the Strib’s coverage is tame (Hatch has been a favorite Pat Doyle source for years). The better coverage is online. See the Minnesota Independent story. It mentions DFL rep Simon (who deserves a permanent pass from the GOP for having the guts to pursue these corrupt jerks when nobody else would do it), and how he questions Nobles at yesterday’s hearing:

‘Specifically, Simon spoke of an employee who said he had been approached by Hatch (who, after Hatch’s gubernatorial defeat and Swanson’s AG victory in the 2006 elections, was serving as Swanson’s deputy) to create a blog post favorable to Swanson, a post Hatch had already composed for him. The employee said he refused to do this, but that Hatch posted it under the employee’s name anyway—and then wanted the employee to falsify his vacation time to cover the period when the blog post was made. Simon surmised that Nobles believed this matter lay outside his purview because the vacation time in question belonged to the employee, not the State of Minnesota, and thus could not be seen as misusing public funds. Nobles then replied that Simon’s account ‘was an accurate reflection of the testimony under oath,’ and one corroborated by other sources.’”

That’s your MN AG office, ladies and gentlemen. Whaddaya gonna do?” Source: Comment on Minnesota Democrats Exposed, July 1, 2008

Tags: Uncategorized

Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles recently asked Swanson and Hatch to explain the 2006 settlement, which required a credit card company accused of violating consumer protection laws to give $249,999 to a community advocacy organization, Minnesota ACORN. Its political action committee endorsed Hatch three weeks later.

The money for ACORN was part of a $749,999 settlement agreed to by Capital One. The dollar figure is significant because state law requires that settlement money go to the state — except when the amount is less than $750,000.

‘The dollar amount … initially, was the major thing that caught my attention,’ Nobles told the Legislative Audit Commission Monday, calling it ‘somewhat suspicious.’” Source: Star Tribune, June 30, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Uncategorized

Please check back to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for updates.

UPDATE: The headline from the MN GOP’s press release: “AL FRANKEN RAPE JOKE: SICK, SICK, SICK”

UPDATE #2: Franken joked about drugging and raping a woman.

UPDATE #3: This is from the MN GOP’s release “Franken: And ‘I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley’s passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.’ Or ‘ That’s why you never see Lesley until February.’ Or ‘When she passes out, I put her in various positions and take pictures of her.’“

Tags: Uncategorized

###

“Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson fired a staff attorney Tuesday after an investigation ordered by Swanson said that the attorney’s charges of unprofessional conduct in the filing of two lawsuits were unfounded.

Swanson dismissed Amy Lawler after the results of the investigation by Thomas Mengler, dean of the University of St. Thomas Law School, were released. In his report, Mengler said he found ‘no evidence of any unprofessional conduct’ by Swanson or her staff in the filing of the suits against mortgage foreclosure assistance companies. The report said other charges by Lawler were based on hearsay and could not be corroborated.

Mengler said Swanson did not ask him to address broader concerns raised by Lawler on office morale and attempts by staff attorneys in the attorney general’s office to form a union, efforts in which Lawler participated.

Mengler’s 19-page report comes as the legislative auditor is conducting a separate probe into the attorney general’s office. Lawler’s charges had heightened controversy facing Swanson, who assumed office last year and has drawn criticism over her management style.” Source: Star Tribune, May 27, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

###

“The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5, which has been attempting to organize the attorneys in Swanson’s office, sharply criticized the firing. Said Eliot Seide, Council 5′s executive director: ‘In her termination letter Attorney General Swanson gave no reason for firing Amy Lawler. Bad bosses routinely fire ethical workers for union organizing and whistle blowing.’

Unflattering picture

Lawler, who began working in Swanson’s office late last year, had created an unflattering profile of the office by voicing concern that, although the two lawsuits against the mortgage foreclosure consultants had merit, they might have been part of an effort to gain publicity for Swanson on consumer-protection cases.

Lawler also alleged that, in other instances, supervisors pressured attorneys to falsify information in a consumer’s affidavit, pushed a staff attorney to take action against a company without reasonable cause and tried to get an attorney to provide unsound legal advice to a state agency.” Source: Star Tribune, May 27, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Uncategorized

'I don't think it's in anyone's interest for us to have an attorney general's office that is stained by allegations of ethical misconduct,' he said. 'And in fact I think it would be best for the public if after an exhaustive review and after interviewing people under oath compelled testimony if need be, if the attorney general's office gets a clean bill of health.'

Simon described Swanson's recent decision to bring in a local law school dean to conduct an investigation as a flawed approach." Source: MPR, March 28, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

Auditor Jim Nobles said a preliminary probe could take weeks, after which he will decide whether to conduct a more in-depth inquiry.

He announced the investigation at a Legislative Audit Commission meeting after assuring members of the bi-partisan panel that he would not engage in 'a broad-ranging fishing expedition' dealing with mere labor grievances." Source: Star Tribune, March 28, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

The office, headed by Attorney General Lori Swanson, has been roiled by discontent for more than a year, with high turnover of lawyers amid complaints of low morale and an atmosphere of intimidation.

Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, a member of the audit commission, said Thursday that complaints that Swanson interfered with union organizing efforts and pressured subordinates into compromising situations prompted the panel to consider an inquiry.

Rest said the union grievances are better resolved by a court order or legislation, but that the ethical complaints might be eligible for evaluation by Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles." Source: Star Tribune, March 27, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

I'll be on the radio today for a two-hour program from 3-5 p.m. with King Banaian of SCSU Scholars on AM 1280 The Patriot. Senator Dick Day will be a guest at 3:15 p.m to talk about the NTSB interim report released on the 35W-bridge collapse. "Hillary: The Movie" producer David N. Bossie will be a guest at 4:00 p.m.

Before you listen to King and me, make sure you listen to the first four hours of the Northern Alliance Radio Network. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. you can hear Power Line's John Hinderaker and Chad and Brian from Fraters Libertas. Mitch Berg and Captain Ed are on the air from 1-3 pm.

I encourage you to all to listen.  Broadcasts can be heard on AM 1280 The Patriot, which has an Internet stream for those outside the Twin Cities. Brave Democrats and proud Republicans can join the conversation at (651) 289-4488.

UPDATE: Senator Dick Day was a guest from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. to about the NTSB interim report and his request that Senator Murphy apologize to Transportation Commissioner Molnau. Senator Day's press release calling for Murphy to apologize is available after the page jump.

UPDATE #2: David Bossie, producer of "Hillary: The Movie", was a guest from 4:05 to 4:30 p.m.

Day Calls for Murphy to Apologize To Transportation Commissioner Molnau

St. Paul – State Senator Dick Day (R – Owatonna), member of the Senate Transportation Committee and long-time advocate for transportation issues, today called on Committee Chairman Steve Murphy (D – Red Wing) to apologize to Transportation Commissioner Molnau forprematurely and recklessly blaming her and anyone else connected to thePawlenty administration for the I35W bridge collapse. The NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB) said today that it believes that faulty design of crucial components in place since the bridge was firstbuilt 50 years ago caused the collapse.

"It is clear that MNDOT did everything humanly possible to maintain our bridges. I call on Sen. Murphy to immediately apologize to Commissioner Molnau and all the smart and hardworking folks at MNDOT forboth his relentless personal attacks and for assigning blame without sufficient information," said Day.

"Sen. Murphy has said he wants engineers to be making decisions. Well, the engineers have spoken, and I, for one, am going to trust these
bridge experts rather than showboating politicians who have neither knowledge or good judgment but manage to come to their own politicallyconvenient conclusions."

"In press conference after press conference–next to the bridge, ontop of the bridge, under the bridge–Sen. Murphy has made irresponsible pronouncements and stated half-truths that have mislead Minnesotans and polluted the atmosphere in which legislators have to try to work together. Saying the governor is "repulsive" is certainly not helpful. I hope we can all act more like grownups and get serious about finding a solution we can all live with.

"For starters, on the first day of the legislative session I will offer a resolution to cancel the $500,000 of taxpayer’s money that Sen. Murphy authorized to study the bridge collapse because he doesn’t trust the state auditor, MNDOT, consultants hired by the governor, or the National Transportation Safety Board to give him a truthful answer.

"I will propose that we instead spend the money in some useful way that will benefit the Minnesotans who travel around our state every dayby car, bus, and train. I hope that will be a beginning to a seriousdiscussion about how to fix our transportation problems. I look forward to getting to work."

Tags: Dick Day, NARN

In each interview, Nobles specifically discussed Minnesota Statue 3.978, Subdivision (b): "[a] person who swears falsely concerning any matter stated under oath is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. "

It is with great surprise that I read Ritchie's answer to a question in which he states that he's "never been engaged in electoral politics before, never active in a political party" after Nobles specifically states that it is a gross misdemeanor to give a false statement: 

Tags: Mark Ritchie

I will be posting Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's interview later this evening. I will be highlighting one answer that Ritchie provided under oath that the dedicated readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed may find inaccurate or untruthful.

Tags: Mark Ritchie

If Minnesota's first-term DFL secretary of state had owned up when first asked about giving his campaign the names and addresses of people who participated in a series of civic engagement meetings his office sponsored, the matter likely would have blown over weeks ago." Source: Star Tribune, January 9, 2008

Click here for the complete editorial. 

###

"When Ritchie failed to tell the whole story for several weeks, not only to this newspaper but also to the Office of the Legislative Auditor, he enlarged his error. Nobles was right to rap him for changing his story about how his campaign obtained the data between a first exchange on Nov. 9 and a subsequent e-mail on Nov. 20.

Nobles' report said Ritchie's initial dissembling to the office charged with evaluating state agency conduct was 'a serious breach of responsibility' that 'did not fulfill his legal obligation.' That last line hints at the possibility of more official proceedings — and where there's an opening to go after Ritchie, Republican officials have shown themselves excessively eager to seize it. Their overblown rhetoric, going so far as to call for Ritchie's resignation, calls their sense of proportion into question. Their zeal makes plausible DFL claims that Ritchie's real offense in GOP eyes is something else — perhaps his vigorous defense of the opportunity to register to vote on Election Day." Source: Star Tribune, January 9, 2008

Click here for the complete editorial.

Tags: Mark Ritchie

But the report criticized Ritchie for failing at first to be forthcoming with the Legislative Auditor's investigation of the complaint, filed by two long-time Republican activists." Source: Star Tribune, January 8, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

###

"But Ritchie's initially contradictory responses to Nobles' inquiries required the unusual step of requiring Ritchie and other members of his office to be interviewed under oath.

'Mr. Ritchie never provided us with a convincing explanation as to why he waited eleven days after the formal written response was delivered (and eight days after the deadline to the OLA) to acknowledge that he personally provided the civic education information to his campaign,' the report said." Source: Star Tribune, January 8, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

### 

"But the auditor’s report also concluded that Ritchie did not fulfill his legal obligation to make a full and quick response to the Auditor’s Office.

'We think it is a serious breach of responsibility for a public official not to fully and promptly respond to a request for information from the Office of the Legislative Auditor,' the report states." Source: ECM Publishing, January 8, 2008

Click here for the complete story. 

"The report was not without criticism. Ritchie initially denied having any role in the mailing list matter. But he later admitted to the Star Tribune that he had shared the names with his campaign. That revelation prompted Nobles to expand his investigation and conduct interviews under oath.

'I don't know if I would characterize it as a scolding, but it certainly sends a message to the Secretary of State and to others that when they receive a request from us in the context of a potential investigation they need to take it very seriously,' Nobles said." Source: MPR, January 8, 2008

Click here for the complete story.

Tags: Mark Ritchie

Tags: Brian Melendez, Mark Ritchie, Ron Carey

Ritchie receives a strong rebuke from Nobles' and the DFL decides to celebrate.  What a bonehead move.

UPDATE: I came over to watch DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez attempt to spin today's report from the Minnesota Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles.   

UPDATE #2: This could get very interesting as GOP Party Chairman Ron Carey just walked in to respond to Melendez's spin.

UPDATE #3: Wow, Melendez is getting really desperate and he sounds really angry.  Melendez should have walked around the block before he started speaking. 

UPDATE #4: In a very gusty move, GOP Party Chairman Ron Carey just walked up to the podium after Melendez was done and is doing his own press conference.  That takes guts.

UPDATE #5: The staff from the DFL does not look very happy as Chairman Carey has just taken over the press event. 

UPDATE #6: The event is over and wow…Chairman Carey just hit a home run. I'll have more on this exchange later today.

Tags: Brian Melendez, Mark Ritchie

I have just received the transcript of the interviews Nobles conducted under oath with Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Catherine Mohn, executive assistant to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Bert Black, Legal Advisor to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, and Beth Fraser, Director of Governmental Affairs for Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.  

In my opinion, these interviews are full of inconsistent statements and they shows the levels at which Ritchie and members of his office provided roadblocks to Nobles' investigation.

I will be post the transcript of these interviews as soon as possible on Minnesota Democrats Exposed.

Tags: Mark Ritchie

Democrats shouldn't be "endzone" dancing today, as Ritchie's problems could be getting worse. Please check back to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for more information on this developing story. 

Tags: Mark Ritchie

Tags: Mark Ritchie

"The fact that Mr. Ritchie did not acknowledge his action in the written response we received on November 9 created suspicion and led to our decision to require Mr. Ritchie and his staff to be interviewed under oath.  We think it is a serious breach of responsibility for a public official not to fully and promptly respond to a request for information from the Office of the Legislative Auditor.  OLA is the investigative office of the Minnesota Legislature, with responsibility to 'see that all provisions of law respecting the appropriate and economic use of public funds are complied with…,' and authority to 'investigate allegations of noncompliance by employees of departments and agencies of the state government….'    

During our interview with Mr. Ritchie, we asked several questions about the November 9 and November 20 responses.  Mr. Ritchie acknowledged that he was aware that the request for information from the Legislative Auditor was part of an investigative process and that he had a legal obligation to respond. He acknowledged knowing that the information was due by November 12 and reviewing drafts of Mr. Black’s response before it was sent to us.

During their interviews, both Mr. Ritchie and Mr. Black told us there were two responses because they thought both 'the office' and 'the campaign' needed to respond to the Legislative Auditor’s request.  But, as noted above, this rationale was not presented in the November 9 letter, or at any other time before we interviewed Mr. Ritchie and his staff.  Moreover, Mr. Ritchie never provided us with a convincing explanation as to why he waited eleven days after the formal written response was delivered (and eight days after the deadline) to OLA to acknowledge that he personally provided the civic education information to his campaign." Source: Legislative Auditor's Report, January 8, 2007

Tags: Mark Ritchie

Ritchie promised to be a non-partisan secretary of state, but was caught lying in the growing scandal surrounding allegations that he used his official office to fund his political machine. Legislators, conservative bloggers, liberal bloggers, Republicans and Democrats all believe that Secretary of State Ritchie lied.

But I'm hearing mixed reviews on what Nobles will report.  Ritchie may be cleared or it may be a more of a mixed bag for our dear "non-partisan" Secretary of State.  From a political and public relations standpoint, Ritchie has been damaged. Sadly, so has the office he occupies.  

Please check back to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for more information on Nobles' report…the complete report.

Tags: Mark Ritchie

A Republican who got a campaign solicitation from Ritchie after giving his e-mail address at an official state event had asked the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board to look into the matter." Source: Associated Press, December 12, 2007

Click here for complete story. 

As I wrote over a week ago, "I'm not sure that any campaign finance laws were broken, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this complaint is dismissed."

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board doesn't have jurisdiction to enforce the laws Ritchie may have violated.  We'll have to wait and see what the legislative auditor reports.

Tags: Uncategorized

Ritchie, who was elected on a platform of de-politicizing the office of the Secretary of State, may have provided ample ammunition for his political opposition.  His predecessor Mary Kiffmeyer (R) utilized the office for Republican benefit throughout her tenure.  Newspaper accounts and Republican bloggers are having a field day at Ritchie’s expense due to the perceived hypocrisy of these actions." Source: [Subscription required] Checks and Balances, December 11, 2007

Click here for the complete post.

Tags: Uncategorized

Two legislators, both members of Ritchie's DFL party, reported receiving Ritchie campaign materials on their state e-mail accounts, correspondences they described as both 'irritating' and 'inappropriate.'

A member of Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's staff also received an e-mail newsletter from Ritchie's campaign that asked for a campaign contribution.

There is no evidence that the campaign materials were generated from the Secretary of State's office or with state equipment, but the recipients said they consider it improper to be sent such messages on their state e-mail accounts.

Ritchie, the state's chief election official, declined to comment until the completion of a Legislative Auditor's investigation into a separate allegation related to campaign e-mails.

'I am working with the Legislative Auditor and being respectful of his process,' Ritchie said in an e-mail response. 'When [Legislative Auditor Jim] Nobles' work is complete, I will be happy to comment on this matter, the Legislative Auditor's report or any other aspect of this situation. Until then, however, I think it is inappropriate to comment.'" Source: Star Tribune, December 9, 2007

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

Cathy Wurzer: "Chairman Melendez asked Chairman Carey what laws had been broken and it's a question maybe you can answer at this point:

Jim Nobles: "Well, I'd like to do the investigation first. But in the first instance of simply asking Mr. Ritchie to submit information to me, I pointed out to him that he did have a legal obligation to submit a full disclosure. Uh, it turns out that didn't occur. But we'll see on the substance of the allegations whether any laws were broken." Source: Jim Nobles, Legislative Auditor, November 30, 2007

Democrats like DFL Party Chairman have demanded to know what laws have been broken by Secretary of State Ritchie. Chairman Melendez now has an answer.  

Please check back to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for more information on this developing story.

Tags: Uncategorized

I'll have more on tonight's debate later this evening on Minnesota Democrats Exposed.

Tags: Uncategorized

JOHN JORDAN, BROOKLYN PARK

Source: Star Tribune, November 30, 2007

Tags: Uncategorized

Ritchie rejected the suggestion through his spokesman, John Aiken.

GOP Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem and Sen. Chris Gerlach (GER'-lahk) said they were uncomfortable with Ritchie overseeing a Jan. 3 special Senate election while the secretary is being investigated by the legislative auditor for alleged use of a state mailing list for political purposes." Source: Associated Press, November 29, 2007

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

Ritchie, a DFLer, is being investigated by the legislative auditor to determine whether he improperly transferred a state mailing list to his campaign, which then solicited a political contribution.

Ritchie's spokesman, John Aiken, told the Associated Press that Ritchie rejected the suggestion." Source: Star Tribune, November 29, 2007

Click here for the complete story. 

Tags: Uncategorized

### 

A group of Republican Senators announced today that they are seeking a guarantee of fair and impartial oversight for the upcoming SenateDistrict 25 special election, in light of investigations into unethicalactivities by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Minnesota’s topelection official.

Senator Chris Gerlach, Lead Republican on the Senate Subcommittee on Elections, along with Senate Minority Leader David Senjem and DeputyMinority Leader Betsy Wergin, are demanding a temporary — but official– transfer of election oversight duties to an appropriate deputy Secretary of State until the findings of the Legislative Auditor are completed and made public.  The effort would alleviate concerns about Ritchie’s oversight of the Jan. 3 special election to fill the Senateseat of Republican Senator Tom Neuville of Northfield, who was appointedto a district trial court judgeship.

"We are gravely concerned with Secretary Ritchie’s ability to fairly administer his duties as chief election official while under investigation by the Legislative Auditor for using the office for his own campaign gains," said Gerlach, an Apple Valley Republican. "The underlying and admitted data privacy abuse, along with subsequent liesand attempted cover up have to be examined fully before Minnesotans can have any confidence that he is doing the job in the nonpartisan mannerthat is expected."

Ritchie has come under fire for using email contact information from the secretary of state's office for a campaign fundraising solicitation.When asked of the source of the list, Ritchie initially denied knowing, then admitted he personally transferred the list to his campaign operatives.

Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles, the Legislature’s nonpartisan investigative officer, said he will interview Ritchie and his staff under oath because of doubts that Ritchie has provided honestand reliable information to him and others. In a letter to theLegislative Audit Commission, a bi-partisan group of legislators, Nobles said the admission that Ritchie had released the list changed the scopeof his investigation.

The Secretary of State, Minnesota’s chief election official, is responsible for administering election law, fairly operating thestatewide voter registration system and preparing the official roster ofvoters, conducting official recounts, training election officials, andcertifying election results.

"As a candidate, Ritchie continually promised honesty and integrityin elections while beating down the character of his opponent," Gerlach added. "Then, not even a year into his service, he has already shown his propensity to use the office for his own political and gain. The integrity of the office is compromised, and Senate Republicans have serious doubts that he can be trusted to administer this election without personal and political motives."

Senate Republicans expect Secretary Ritchie to acknowledge the gravity of the situation, Gerlach said, and to take immediate action to
officially transfer his election oversight duties to his Deputy.  

"We need to assure Minnesotans of a fair election," he added. "Our request is not meant to be punitive, and is not meant to beanother round of gotcha politics. We think it’s a balanced, measured,and reasonable response to the current situation."

Tags: Uncategorized

 

 
3:03 p.m.: The press conference is over. Melendez is starting to speak to reporters. 

2:56 p.m.: The senators speaking today want Ritchie to transfer his duties to one of his deputies.  

2:53 p.m.: Gerlach said he and other senators said they feel "uncomfortable" with Secretary of State Ritchie overseeing the upcoming special election.

2:52 p.m.: The press conference is being held by Senator Dave Senjem, Senator Chris Gerlach, and Senator Besty Wergin. 

2:51 p.m.: Senate Republican Leader Dave Senjem said the action taken today is an "official position" of the Senate Republican Caucus. 

2:50 p.m.: DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez is in attendance.  He's sitting in the back row.

2:45 p.m.: I'm at the State Office Building to cover a press conference by members of the Senate Republican Caucus who are now calling for Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to transfer election duties while Ritchie is under investigation by the legislative auditor.

Tags: Uncategorized

Ritchie now has a major ethical issue of his own to deal with because of — well, partisan politics.

Ritchie has admitted to giving his campaign a list of participants in a state-sponsored 'civic engagement' program so they could be sent a newsletter asking for a political contribution.

Ritchie had previously said that he never authorized his campaign to use the list.

Wrong.

Ritchie clearly turned the list over to his committee and names on it, then received an invite to an upcoming fund-raiser and links to Ritchie’s Web site for anyone who wants to donate money to help the secretary of state with his campaign expenses.

In this case, how do you spell hypocrite — R-i-t-c-h-i-e.

If he was on the outside looking in and this was something that would have been formulated by the person he followed into the secretary of state’s office, Ritchie would be calling for Kiffmeyer’s resignation.

But you can bet a campaign donation that he will fight doing that all the way through a Legislative Auditor’s investigation that is now in the works — and most likely afterwards, regardless the findings." Source: Mesabi Daily News, November 27, 2007

###

I love this line: "In this case, how do you spell hypocrite — R-i-t-c-h-i-e." Brutal.

Tags: Uncategorized