Political Notebook

Judge rules against Pawlenty in unallotment case

Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin today ordered the state to reinstate money for a food program that Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty cut in June to balance the state budget.

The judge concluded that the governor acted unconstitutionally when he used his executive authority of unallotment to cut the program. In June, the governor unilaterally cut $2.7 billion after he and the DFL-controlled Legislature were unable to reach a budget deal.

Several people who receive assistance through the food program for the poor had sought an injunction to reinstate the funding while the court case advances. The judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order requiring that the cuts be reinstated. A hearing is scheduled for March 10.

The governor issued the following statement in reaction to the news.

“We are disappointed in the judge’s decision.  We are weighing all of our options including appeal, reestablishing unallotments under the current forecast, potential legislative action, and other options.”

DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher praised the decision in a statement.

"Today's ruling represents a victory for all Minnesotans concerned about the overreach of executive authority. I applaud Judge Gearin's order and look forward to a full hearing on this case early next year. As I said earlier, this is an important case about the separation of powers in state government. The legislative and executive branches of government need to be equal partners in addressing Minnesota's budget crisis."

To read the decision, go here.

Big fundraiser for Seifert in Rochester tonight

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert is in town today for a big fundraiser in his honor.

Former Rochester City Councilwoman Marcia Marcoux and former state GOP Rep. Carla Nelson have helped plan the event at the home of Al and Sharon Tuntland. Nelson said they are expecting about 70 people for the event. It is part of an end-of-the-year push by Seifert to raise $20,000 in the final days of the year.

The Pioneer Press had a story today about Seifert, declaring him the clear front-runner among the Republicans in the race. But it notes he is still in a hotly-contested race for the Republican nomination with state Rep. Tom Emmer, of Delano. Others vying for the endorsement include former state Auditor Pat Anderson, former state Rep. Bill Haas, state Sen. David Hann, environmental activist Leslie Davis and businessman Phil Herwig.

It seems clear that Seifert, of Marshall, has the backing of the key Republican movers and shakers in Rochester. His southeast Minnesota leadership team is a who's who of local GOPers. It includes former state Rep. Fran Bradley, Republican Party of Olmsted County Co-Chair Bruce Kaskubar and former state Senate candidate Dr. Scott Wright.

What remains unknown is whether a well-known Republican like Norm Coleman may end up jumping into the race at the last minute. In an interview this afternoon, Seifert said he "wouldn't be shocked" if Coleman decided to get in the race. But he said at this point he is just focusing on his own campaign and the statewide convention in April.

"At the end of the day, I feel confident that our campaign is gaining momentum and a lot of positive accolades that we'll be able to very, very competitive on April 30 regardless who gets in," Seifert said.

Dayton reveals private struggles

DFL Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Dayton revealed over the weekend that he has privately struggled with mild depression and alcoholism.

In an interview with Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant, Dayton disclosed that he has long been medicated for his depression.  A recovering alcoholic, he said he relapsed and began drinking again after deciding not to run for re-election to the U.S. Senate. You can also listen to Minnesota Public Radio interview with Dayton here.

The real question is how this news will impact Dayton's chances as a governor. He and 10 other Democrats are vying for the job. Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton is quoted in another Star Tribune story saying he remembers hearing discussions within the party in 2000 as to Dayton's mental health. But he said "it is not relevant" when it comes to the race for governor.

"I am more troubled with what he wants to do to businesses in this state than I am about his private mental health issues or his struggles with drinking," Sutton is quoted as saying.

Several of Dayton's DFL competitors offered praise for his openness. It will be interesting in the coming months to see how much a factor Dayton's disclosure will have on his campaign.

Former vampire candidate for governor jailed, vows to run again (UPDATE)

In an update to this post, turns out "The Impaler" is no longer in jail, although he was sentenced for two years in jail recently in Marion County, Indiana. Apparently, he received credit for time served and is now free. He has apparently also been asked to stay out of the state of Indiana.

In a phone call to me on Dec. 28, the self-proclaimed vampire said he fully intends to return to Minnesota and announce his plans to run for governor on March 15 a.k.a. the "Ides of March." Here is the original post:

File this under the category of bizarre news. A man known as "The Impaler" who ran as a fringe candidate for governor in 2006 is in legal trouble once again.

Jonathon Sharkey, 45, was sentenced last week in Indiana to more than two years in jail after pleading guilty to charges he threatened to torture and kill an Indianapolis judge and his family, the Associated Press reports. But City Pages has an interesting story about how Sharkey believes that the judge who sentenced him is violating "vampire law." Check it out here.

Sharkey pled guilty earlier this year in Olmsted County District Court to two gross-misdemeanor harassment counts for harassing a teenage Rochester girl by e-mail in 2007. Sharkey previously ran for governor under the banner of the "Vampyres, Witches and Pagans" party.

Wade for Congress?

Local Republicans say Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce President John Wade is considering running for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by Democrat Tim Walz.

Here is a link to today's story. When asked whether he was considering a run for Congress, Wade said "I am not ruling anything out." He did add that his focus for now remains on his job as chamber president.

"Right now I am focusing on what I do, and that is focusing on building jobs in this community," Wade said.

But an online search shows the Wade did buy the domain name "wadeforcongress.com" on Nov. 17, 2006 -- shortly after Walz won re-election. Republican Party of Olmsted County Co-chair Bruce Kaskubar said Wade had announced a few weeks ago at a Christmas dinner that he was considering running for the seat.

"He has good name recognition, at least in our corner of the district," Kaskubar said. "He has got experience. He was a key member of Gil Gutknecht's staff, so he knows the political territory."

So far, four Republicans have announced they're running for the seat: Assistant House Minority Leader Randy Demmer of Hayfield, Jim Hagedorn of Blue Earth, retired military veteran Frank McKinzie of Rochester, and former state Rep. Allen Quist of St. Peter.

Rochester "Nightmare Flight" leads to 3-hour tarmac limit

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced new rules today that would limit tarmac delays to three hours.

These new rules come after the so-called "Nightmare Flight" in August when a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Minneapolis-St. Paul was redirected to Rochester International Airport because of severe weather. Passengers ended up getting trapped on the plane for six hours. 

A second incident in August involved a Sun Country Flight from New York to Minnesota when a plane was stranded on the tarmac for five hours.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Clincher, a cosponsor of the Passenger Bill of Rights, praised the new rules in a statement released today.

“I’m pleased the Department of Transportation has taken this action to protect the rights of airline passengers,” said Klobuchar. “This is a victory for airline passengers everywhere. Recent incidents in Minnesota highlighted the need for some common-sense rules.  Passengers shouldn’t be held captive for hours on end when the plane is just sitting on the airport tarmac.”

Sen. Al Franken also praised the new rule in a written statement.

“I thank Secretary LaHood for his thorough response to my and Chairman Oberstar’s request for broad review and am satisfied that the results will prevent future incidents like the one that Continental passengers in Rochester experienced this summer,” said Sen. Franken. “Their six hour ordeal was unacceptable and unfortunately not an isolated incident. I’m glad that with the new three hour limit imposed by the Department of Transportation today, it won’t happen again.”

The new rule would prohibit U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from allowing an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours except in the case of safety or security issues or if air traffic determined that returning the plane to the gate would disrupt airport operations.

The new rules also prohibits airlines from scheduling chronically delayed flights and making those who violate the provision subject to DOT enforcement. It would also require airline employees to monitor the effects of flight delays and cancellations and respond in a timely manner to customer complaints.

Rochester businessman to challenge Lynch

Jim Gander, owner of Superior Plumbing & Heating, is planning to challenge Sen. Ann Lynch for the Senate District 30 Seat.

Gander filed his paperwork last week to establish a campaign committee with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

Gander is a well-known figure in the Rochester business community. He started his business in 1982 selling water treatment products out of his Rochester home. Since then, his business has swelled to more than 150 employees. He is the past president of the Minnesota Builders Association. Gander will be seeking the Republican endorsement for the seat.

The Post-Bulletin interviewed Gander recently about his concerns with the Democrats' health care reform proposal. Here is also a light-hearted question and answer with him from Rochester Magazine.

Lynch, a Democrat, is completing her first-term in the Minnesota Senate after winning election in 2006.

Rochester woman testifies before Congress

Rochester resident Cheryl Burt was on Capitol Hill today to testify in favor of a bill that would strengthen safety standards for carbon monoxide alarms.

Burt lost her 16-month-old son and 4-year-old son to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a malfunctioning furnace. Burt, her oldest son and her husband were also poisoned. The incident happened at the family's home in Kimball, near St. Cloud.

Burt spoke at a hearing held by the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves on the committee and is sponsoring a bill that would require the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to strengthen the safety standards for all carbon monoxide alarms sold in the U.S.

To watch the hearing, go here.

Pelowski's reaction to AFSCME's endorsement of opponent

Minnesota Public Radio has a reaction from Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, on AFSCME's decision to back his DFL challenger Debbie White.I wrote about it yesterday on the blog. I did put in a call to Pelowski yesterday but have not yet heard back. So here is what MPR reported. You can read it here.

In statements to MPR, Pelowski said he was never invited to screen for the AFSCME endorsement, contrary to what union officials said in a press release. Here are his comments:

"For the record I was not invited to the AFSCME endorsing event on November 30th at 3pm at WSU which I found out about for the first time today. I was told today that three people attended this event and that the AFSCME lobbyist from St. Paul told them that I stated I did not want to attend. This is not true! I knew nothing of the event! My home or office has no record of being contacted. Since this took place before White announced she was running it is even more curious."

AFSCME backs Pelowski's DFL challenger

The state's largest union today announced it was endorsing the Democrat running against veteran DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski.

In a news release, AFSCME representatives praised Pelowski's DFL opponent Debbie White, a member of Winona City Council.

“Debbie impressed us as a strong leader who campaigns hard and listens well.  She wants to work in partnership with state employees to deliver the best possible public services to the people of Minnesota," said Violet Belter of AFSCME Local 945.

The news release also quotes Paul Bissen, chair of AFSCME's screening committee, attacking Pelowski.

“Twelve terms is enough for Rep. Pelowski, who treats his constituents with contempt. He ignored hundreds of calls to raise revenue fairly and invest in our community.  Instead, he helped Gov. Pawlenty’s allies protect tax breaks for the wealthy, while cutting the vital public services that working families need most when they’re losing their jobs, their homes and their health care.”

Pelowski has bucked the DFL Party line at times. Last session, he voted against a $1 billion tax bill and also voted against overriding the governor's veto of that tax bill. Pelowski's had a 43 percent AFSCME voting record during the 2009 legislative session.

Pelowski has explained that he did not support the tax bill because he knew the governor would veto it and that there were not enough votes to override it. He said DFL lawmakers instead should have spent last session looking to balance the budget strictly with cuts so that residents would have a real understanding of the impact. Instead, he said Democrats poured energy into a tax bill that they knew would be vetoed and residents did not get a real sense of just how deep the budget cuts would have to be to balance the budget.

The news release states that Pelowski declined an invitation to screen for AFSCME's endorsement.