Political Notebook

Emmer and Seifert square off in Rochester

 
Republican gubernatorial candidates Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert are set to debate this evening in Rochester on day before the Olmsted County GOP Convention. There is plenty at stake for both candidates, with Olmsted County boasting the second highest number of delegates in the state.

Emmer announced two big endorsements today in advance of tonight's forum. Former GOP Congressman Vin Weber and Republican National Committeeman Brian Sullivan announced their support for Emmer. Here is a link to the announcement on Emmer's Web site. He also has 18 endorsements from state lawmakers including Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing.

Seifert also made news this week with the announcement that Sen David Hann of Eden Prairie is backing him. Hann recently dropped out of the governor's race.

During the GOP caucuses, Seifert dominated in Olmsted County beating Emmer by a 2 to 1 margin in the gubernatorial straw poll. He has also secured a lengthy list of local GOP backers. They include former Rochester state Rep. Fran Bradley, Olmsted County Republicans Co-chair Bruce Kaskubar, former state Rep. Carla Nelson, former 1st Congressional District Republicans Chair Duane Quam and former state Senate candidate Dr. Scott Wright.

It will be interesting to see what kind of a reception they each get tonight. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Ramada Inn and Convention Center in Rochester. Also on hand will be candidates for the 1st Congressional District seat --  Randy Demmer, Jim Engstrand, Jim Hagedorn, Frank McKinzie and Allen Quist. State GOP Chair Tony Sutton, former Congressman Gil Gutknecht and state Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem are also expected to attend.

Senate votes to override gov's veto of GAMC

The Minnesota Senate voted to override the governor's veto of a bill that would temporarily extend the General Assistance Medical Care Program. The bill passed 45-21 along party lines. Voting "yes" were all of the area's Democrats — Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, of Winona; Sen. Ann Lynch, of Rochester; Sen. Steve Murphy, of Red Wing; and Sen. Dan Sparks, of Austin. Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, voted no.

Republican criticized Democrats for bringing the override measure forward at a time when they are negotiating with the governor on a compromise. Democrats responded that the governor's office is moving ahead with its plan starting Monday, which has given an urgency to the situation.

The House is expected to vote Monday on an override of the GAMC veto.

The Minnesota Hospital Association released an interesting spreadsheet showing the potential financial impact on hospitals across the state if the GAMC bill does not pass. For Mayo Clinic hospitals in Rochester, the DFL proposal is a better financial deal. But for some facilities including Olmsted Medical Center, the governor's proposal to transition GAMC patients to MinnesotaCare would be better financially.

Click here to Download GAMC hospital impact

Rochester on Tour returns to the Capitol today

Hundreds of Rochesterites are on their way to St. Paul for the 7th annual Rochester on Tour at the Capitol. There is plenty at stake for the Med City during this year's legislative session. DFL legislative leaders announced yesterday they were going to hold off on sending  $1 billion public works bill to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who vowed to veto the measure. Instead, lawmakers say they want to work with the governor to come up with a deal. Here's today's story. The bonding bill was stuffed with Rochester area projects including $34 million to expand the Mayo Civic Center and $4 million for the National Volleyball Center, just to name a couple.

The big question is, will a big turnout today help push these projects forward? That is what Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede and Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce President John Wade are hoping. They issued a joint news release last week urging residents to turn out because the projects are in jeopardy.

Participants have a busy day on tap. They will arrive at the Crown Plaza in St. Paul at 11:30 a.m. for lunch with Gov. Tim Pawlenty scheduled to address the group. They will then head to the Capitol for a rally. After that, they will meet with lawmakers and discuss local issues in groups. The day is capped off with a "Grand Reception" at the National Guard Armory featuring Rochester food, drinks and live music.

Gambling money for bioscience?

Austin DFL Sen. Dan Sparks joined other lawmakers this morning in announcing they are introducing a bill to allow slot machines at  two horse racing tracks in the state. They say these "racinos" would raise $125 million a year and that money could be divvied up among several area -- including for a Minnesota Vikings Stadium.

In an interesting twist, lawmakers also touted the potential of this to raise money for bioscience projects like the proposed Elk Run Biobusiness Park in Pine Island. City Administrator Abraham Algadi attended a Capitol news conference this morning to show his support for the project.

"From our perspective, biotechnology is going to be spurring a lot of economic activity in our region," Algadi said.

According to the bill, 20 percent of the total revenues raised would be allocated to five areas: Agriculture and rural development; early childhood development and family education; research and development of bioscience and medical technology business; athletic, recreations or extracurricular facilities and general fund expenditures.

"This is a unique idea that has the potential to infuse millions of dollars into the state at the time we need it the most," said Sparks, who is the senate author of the bill.

Also helping to push the bill is former state Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna, who now heads the Racino Now lobbying group.

Pawlenty to veto bonding bill

House and Senate lawmakers have yet to vote on the final $1 billion public works bill, but the governor has already said he won't sign it.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent a letter to lawmakers this afternoon saying that the bill is too expensive and "represents severely misplaced priorities."

The Republican governor proposed a bonding bill that was $685 million. He had also called on lawmakers to include funding to expand the Moose Lake sex offender treatment center and to upgrade the security system at the maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights. Neither of those are in the legislature's bill.

The governor's letter does not bode well for Rochester's Mayo Civic Center expansion project He specifically sites civic centers as an example of misplaced priorities in the bill.

Click here to Download Governor's veto letter

Bonding bill winners and losers

The Minnesota House and Senate are poised to vote this evening on a final bonding bill drafted in a conference committee. Rochester area projects fared well in the negotiations with several of the big-ticket items making it into the $1 billion public works bill. 

Big winners include the Mayo Civic Center and the National Volleyball Center. Big losers are the Southern Rail Corridor and the Lake Zumbro restoration project. Here is a look at what is in the bill.

-- $32 million to expand the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. City had requested $34 million.

--$4 million to expand the National Volleyball Center in Rochester. Request was for $5 million.

-- $26.4 million for a new MnDOT Rochester maintenance facility. That is the full amount requested.

-- $5 million for the Chatfield Potter Center for the Arts. A House version had provided $7 million and the Senate had $2.2 million.

-- $3.2 million to re-located the workforce center to Rochester Community and Technical College. This is the full amount.

--$2 million (at least) for wetland conservation in the Cedar River and Turtle Creek Watershed Districts in Mower County

-- $1 million to extend Douglas Trail to Cascade Lake in Rochester

-- $400,000 for the Stagecoach Trail in Dodge County

-- $1.5 million for the Shooting Star Trail in Mower County

-- $1.3 million Goodhue Pioneer Trail

-- $900,000 for the Lanesboro Dam

Not in the bill:

-- Funding for Lake Zumbro restoration. The Senate bill had $3.75 million for the project.

-- No money for the Southern Rail Corridor, a proposed freight rail bypass of Rochester. The governor's proposal recommended $2 million towards a study of the proposal. Olmsted County wanted $10 million. The House and Senate bills did not include any funding.

But what is still unclear is what Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty will do with the bill. It does not include $89 million to expand the Moose Lake sex offender treatment center, which has been a priority for him. He had also told lawmakers he wants a much smaller bonding bill of $725 million. He has the option of line-item vetoing the bill to strip out projects he does not want to fund. Or, he could veto the bill in its entirety.

Roch mayor, chamber prez urge residents to pack the Capitol

Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede and Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce President John Wade sent out a joined press release this afternoon warning that Rochester's bonding projects are in jeopardy and called on residents to show their support by filling the Minnesota Capitol on Wednesday as part of Rochester On Tour at the Capitol.

The press release states that several of the city's construction projects are "on the chopping block" for funding. In particular, the release emphasizes the importance of the Mayo Civic Center expansion, saying it would have an economic impact of $44 million per year and create 1,200 jobs.

This plea from the chamber president and mayor come after Sen. Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester, said that the city is in jeopardy of not getting state construction funding for its projects because fellow Rochester Sen. Dave Senjem, a Republican, voted against the bill. Here is a link to that story. Senjem said his vote had nothing to do with the Rochester projects, saying he is supportive of them. He said it was to show he preferred the House's $1.1 billion bonding bill, which includes $89 million to expand the Moose Lake sex offender treatment center.

Click here to Download Rochester press release

Seifert announces running mate

GOP gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert announced this morning he has picked Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah as his running mate. She has spent seven years serving as a county commissioner. She is also a former business owner and was appointed to Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Workforce Development Council. You can go here to learn more about her.

A recent e-mail update from the Rochester Tea Party Patriots shows that Seifert appears to be reaching out to the group. His campaign made an announcement in the e-mail that they will have a meet and greet in Rochester tomorrow morning at Denny's. It asks people to RSVP ahead of time by calling 651-204-9979 or sending an e-mail to rsvp@seifertforgovernor.com.

Seifert is the first candidate of either party to announce a running mate pick. It will be interesting to see how quickly others jump in with their own announcements.

Seifert's main competitor for the GOP nomination, Tom Emmer, will be doing his own meet and greet event tomorrow in Red Wing. He will be at Caribou Coffee in Red Wing from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Franken talks jobs, domestic violence in Roch

Minnesota Sen. Al Franken will be in Rochester today for two events. In the morning, he will be at the Workforce Development Inc. office talking about a jobs bill that the Senate is working on. He will also be discussing what sorts of resources are needed for workforce training.

In the afternoon, the Democratic senator will join his wife Franni Franken at a women's shelter in Rochester. They will discuss with program leaders and staff ideas to help end domestic violence.

Another GOPer officially announces run for Walz's seat

Pine Island veteran Jim Engstrand officially announced today he will seek the Republican endorsement for the 1st Congressional District Seat.

Engstrand returned from Iraq less than a month ago, where he served as the Lt. Col. in the Minnesota Army National Guard. In a news release, he said he felt compelled to run for the seat held by Democrat Tim Walz out of frustration that Walz continues to support President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's programs despite opposition within his home district.

Here is a quote from his news release:

"While serving in Iraq, I became very troubled when I learned what was happening back home.  The Country I love was becoming divided over issues like terrorism, healthcare, freedom, government spending, and middle class tax hikes.  From the other side of the world, I watched Americans begin to push back with Tea Parties and massive healthcare rallies on the steps of the U. S. Capitol.  Even so, President Obama and Congress continued to advance their agenda, showing little regard for what Americans actually wanted.  When I saw Tim Walz supporting Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi with every vote, even though there was strong opposition from his constituents back home, I knew Minnesotans deserved better.  At that point I realized I needed to continue serving my Country, only this time it would be in the U.S. House of Representatives instead of a military uniform."

Engstrand joins four others vying for the GOP endorsement. They are state Rep. Randy Demmer, of Hayfield, former congressional staffer Jim Hagedorn, of Blue Earth, veteran Frank McKinzie of Rochester and former state Rep. Allen Quist of St. Peter.

Two other candidates are also running. They include U.S. State Department employee Steven Wilson of Rochester, who is running for the Independence Party nomination. He formerly ran as a Republican against fellow Republican Steve Drazkowski for the Minnesota Senate, winning the GOP endorsement but losing in the primary to Drazkowski.

Also running is food safety certification trainer Lars Johnson, of Rochester, who is running independent of any party.