Political Notebook

Draz to celebrate Halloween with Emmer endorsement party

Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski has picked Halloween to announce his support for GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. The Mazeppa lawmaker is holding a meet and greet event tomorrow at noon at the National Guard Armory, 1715 Marion Road S.E. in Rochester.

Rep. Emmer, an attorney from Delano, Minn., is considered to be one of the more conservative candidates in the race. In a news release, Drazkowski explains why he is backing Emmer.

"Representative Emmer stands solid for the working people of our state — advocating for the individual liberties and common sense policies rewarding work and personal responsibility, rather than discouraging it."

Drazkowski goes on to state that "Tom Emmer respects the Constitution and is devoted to God, his family and the freedom that Minnesotans have died to protect."

Pawlenty touts Pine Island interchange, some transportation advocates grumble

Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Monday touted efforts in Pine Island to get a new interchange built using public and private dollars and announced an initiative to boost these types of partnerships statewide.

The $36 million interchange would serve the 2,325-acre Elk Run development, which is slated to include a Biobusiness Park, commercial space and residential homes. To get the interchange built, Elk Run developers donated an estimated $13 million in right-of-way for the project.

Pawlenty said in the past, Minnesota has been hesitant to ask private businesses to help pay for infrastructure that would benefit them. But the Republican governor said that needs to change.

“Now we’re much more aggressively and proactive ly looking for areas of improvement that would benefit existing or future commercial or private interest and then asking those interests to join us,” Pawlenty said.

But some question whether Pawlenty’s proposal will hurt efforts to get road upgrades in rural areas with limited economic development. J.D. Burton, a spokesman with the U.S. Hwy 14 Partnership, said his organization is frustrated that residents have been waiting decades for the roadway to be upgraded from a two- to four-lane road from North Mankato to Dodge Center. Over the next 20 years, the state transportation department still does not have the funding needed to finish the project. The stretch from Dodge Center to Owatonna is slated to cost $151 million.

“If the governor is suggesting now we need to have a multi-billion company to support us and that is the only way we are going to get our projects done, then I think that is unwise for the future of transportation in our state,” Burton said.

Rybak, Dayton draw Rochester voters' interest

Last night's speed-dating style candidate event drew more than 100 DFLers interested in checking out ten gubernatorial hopefuls. One of the most interesting parts of the night is when voters were given "ladies and gentlemen's choice" as to which candidate they visited.

During the first choice round, two candidates drew the biggest crowds — former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. Dayton had 15 voters, with Rybak grabbing 14. Now, it should be noted that voters were asked when they arrived who they wanted to see first. If a candidate's slot was full, they started with a different candidate. So the choice is not necessarily an indicator of people's first choice. Nonetheless, it did highlight which candidates were drawing voters' attention.

Coming in next was House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher with 11 and state Rep. Paul Thissen with 10. Here's how the remaining candidates were divvied out — state Rep. Tom Rukavina, 8; former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, 7; state Sen.John Marty, 7; Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, 6; former state Sen. Steve Kelley, 6; and state Sen. Tom Bakk, 4.

One voter said she was particular interested in Rybak because of the work he had done in Minneapolis. She was also interested in Entenza. Another chose to listen to Kelliher first, but said he fears that any candidate currently in the legislature will have a tough time winning. He had been slated to listen to Bakk but said he had no idea who he was and opted to skip him to listen to Gaertner.

The candidates also did their best to win over Rochester voters. Kelliher talked about the importance of having a big bonding bill this session to create jobs and mentioned the proposed Rochester Civic Center expansion as one of the projects that makes sense. Rybak said he is an ardent supporter of having the high-speed rail line go through Rochester.

Meanwhile, Entenza visited high schoolers at Grand Meadow on his way to Rochester. Thissen stopped by a bakery in Blooming Prairie.

It's DFL date night in Rochester

Ten DFL gubernatorial candidates will be in Rochester tonight as part of a speed-dating style format with voters. Participants will be put in small groups and rotate among the candidates.

The candidates scheduled to be at the event tonight include House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kellliher, state Sen. Tom Bakk, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former state Rep. Matt Entenza, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, former state Sen. Steve Kelley, Sen. John Marty, state Rep. Tom Rukavina, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and state Rep. Paul Thissen.

The event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Rochester Community and Technical College's Heintz Center Commons, 1926 Collegeview Dr. S.E. in Rochester. The event is free and open to the public.

Senjem for governor? Local newspaper publisher makes the case

Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem got an unexpected endorsement for governor — even though he is not running.

Community News Corp Publisher Larry Dobson wrote an editorial with the headline "Senjem is good governor material." Community News Corp publishes the Byron Review, Dodge Center Star Record and the Hayfield Herald.

In his editorial, Dobson said he "decided to do something I've never done before and suggest a candidate for your consideration." That candidate is Senjem, a Rochester Republican.

In the editorial, he said that he has been impressed by Senjem's "integrity, reliability, tenacity and energy." He said Senjem has another prime quality— his lack of ambition when it comes to being governor.

"I know Dave isn't all that driven to be governor, but that is one reason I would like to see him in the office. He won't be using the office as a stepping stone to greater things, so he will be more inclined to consider what is best for Minnesota, rather than what is best for him."

So what does Senjem think about this?

He said he surprised by the editorial and "humbled" by it. He said that at this point he is not interested in running for governor although "you never say never."

He added, "We've got certainly enough in terms of legislative activities that haunt me and keep me active. The idea that I would step away from that and take on a governor campaign is not something I've ever considered."

Local Tea Party group launches 'October Suprise'

Members of the Rochester Tea Party Patriots have organized a week of events to protest Presidents Obama's efforts to overhaul the nation's health reform. The series of events, dubbed "October Surprise," kicked off yesterday with about a dozen Tea Party Patriots waving signs along the 2nd Street Southwest bridge over U.S. 52.

Today, the group plans to protest at 2nd St. S.W. and Broadway over the lunch hour and later this afternoon they are scheduled to decorate cars and drive around town. Registered nurse Rita Gillmore was among those rallying against health reform yesterday. She said she is worried about the changes will end up hurting the health care system.

"We're going to lose our freedom of choice," Gillmore said. "I don't know how in the world we'll pay for it."

The Rochester Tea Party Patriots have been quite active on health care reform and are now focusing other issues, including the cap-and-trade bill. Here is a link to their calendar of activities.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see whether this party ends up embracing local Republican candidates in the upcoming election or opts for other candidates. The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about how the tea party movement is causing headaches for the GOP nationally. The reason? They are backing candidates they see as more ideologically pure instead of candidates backed by the Republican Party who are deemed more likely to win. Here's a link to the article. 

Meanwhile, supporters of health care reform will speak out at 5 p.m. today. Members of the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council will gather at the Rochester Labor Temple with the message "Don't throw away health care reform."

Clock running out on fixing tax reciprocity agreement

A bipartisan group of 21 lawmakers has sent a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty asking them to restore the tax reciprocity agreement between the two states.

The lawmakers are asking officials to start negotiating both a short-term and long-term fix to the reciprocity dispute. And the clock is ticking. The Minnesota Department of Revenue said a solution has to be in place by early November in order to alert affected taxpayers and employers. Otherwise, the reciprocity agreement will end as of Jan. 1, 2010.

Lawmakers signing the letter include DFL-Winona, Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston and Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona and Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.

The letter goes on to ask the two states to also look at a long-term fix to the problem. That could include updating a study that calculates reimbursements and potentially revising the interest rate applied to Wisconsin's payments.

The letter states, "We are keenly aware of the difficult budget circumstances facing both states. We believe, however, that this fact makes it even more important to strive for a long-term agreement that will support the working relationship and regional economy  of which we have been so reliant and have benefited from in the past."

Last month, the Minnesota Department of Revenue announced it was scrapping the 41-year-old agreement as of Jan. 1, 2010. At that point, Minnesotans who work in Wisconsin must file and income tax return in both states. That means higher taxes for Minnesota workers. The department estimates that 8,000 Minnesota residents will see a tax increase of $300 year.

Click here to Download Reciprocity Restoration Letter

Franken to meet with Rochester students tomorrow

State Sen. Al Franken will be in Rochester Friday afternoon visiting with students at the University of Minnesota Rochester.

Franken will meet with the university's Chancellor Stephen Lehmkuhle and students to discuss ways to make college more affordable for students. This is part of his "Making College Affordable" tour of state campuses.

Franken has been busy in recent weeks. Today he announced he was sponsoring a bill aimed at protecting health care workers and nurses from back injuries — often the result of lifting patients. The bill would require OSHA to issue a standard on safe patient handling and injury prevention that requires the use of lift equipment to move patients except when it would compromise patient care. It would also give workers training on safe patient handling.

In other news, Franken also got attention from Daily Show Host John Stewart last night for his amendment that cuts funding for defense contractors who prevent employees from suing over sexual assault. On the show, Stewart criticized 30 Republicans for voting against the measure. You can watch the video here.

Two GOP candidates with familiar names consider run against Walz

Two Republicans with names known within the 1st Congressional District are considering challenging DFL incumbent Tim Walz.

Jim Hagedorn, son of former Minnesota Congressman Tom Hagedorn, said he is considering running for the seat.

"I've been meeting with Republican leaders about the 1st District for some time and am trying to determine how best I can utilize my Capitol Hill and legislative experience to help my party take back the seat," he said.

His father served eight years representing what was the 2nd District — which covered the western edge of the current 1st District including Austin and Mankato. Hagedorn has spent 25 years working on Capitol Hill, including seven years as the senior legislative assistant to former Minnesota Republican Rep. Arlan Stangeland.

Hagedorn also had his own blog "Mr. Conservative." But he posted that after the 2008 election he was suspending all posts "in order to explore the opportunity to return to his southern Minnesota roots, accept a position in the private sector and run for Congress." Here is a link to his blog.

Hagedorn said he is looking at moving back to the district and was checking out homes in Blue Earth, Minn. yesterday.

There has also been plenty of buzz around former Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Quist. Bluestem Prairie wrote about the potential Quist bid. He won the Republican endorsement in 1994 but lost by a landslide to Gov. Arne Carlson. In an interview yesterday, Quist declined to comment on whether he was running saying "It's just a little too early."

But he then advised me I could send my information to his e-mail at allen@quistforcongress.com. Hmmmm....

Here's a link to my story on these two candidates.

Senjem joins GOP senators in calling for ACORN investigation

Rochester Sen. Dave Senjem joined fellow GOP state senators in calling for Minnesota's Attorney General to investigate ACORN's voter registration activities. Senjem, who serves as Senate Minority Leader, signed a letter sent to Attorney General Lori Swanson. The letter states that ACORN claimed it registered 43,000 voters, which is about 75 percent of the state's new registration. It says that at least 15 other states have launched investigations of ACORN and that recent news reports indicate apparent corruption in the nonprofit.

"For this reason, we formally request an independent special counsel to investigate ACORN's activities of possible abuse of the law to restore the public trust in Minnesota's elections."

The request to investigate ACORN comes after some of the nonprofit's workers were secretly videotaped last month offering advice to two conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute on how to set up a prostitution ring and evade the IRS.

Click here to Download ACORN letter