Political Notebook

Rochester Tea Party member to challenge Norton

Active Rochester Tea Party Patriots member Max Sullivan has announced he plans to take on DFL Rep. Kim Norton for the House District 25B seat.

The Republican Party of Olmsted County's blog features a note from Sullivan detailing his decision to run. In it, he writes that Norton "is against about everything we are for such as a ban on state funded abortions, cutting the State work force, reducing state funding for mass transit, and repealing the cap on carbon emissions to name a few."

Sullivan works as a Realtor in Rochester. He has become one of the most well known members of the Rochester Tea Party Patriots, attending local government meetings to voice his opinions. He has also testified on several occasions at the state Capitol against the proposed $77 million Mayo Civic Center expansion and the proposed Rochester sales tax extension.

I put a call into Sullivan this morning and have not hear back from him yet. Sullivan just called me back. He said he decided to run because he has been vocal about his opinions on various issues and "I think if you are going to do that then you should be willing to step up and put your money where your mouth is."

If elected, Sullivan said he would focus on decreasing the size of government and education.

Norton was elected in 2006, relacing retiring Republican Rep. Fran Bradley.

One candidate who has decided not to run is Rochester School Board member Terry Throndon. He said several legislators approached him and encouraged him to run but ultimately he decided against it.

"I made a commitment to do the school board for four years, and I am going to honor that commitment," he said. "And I can't just abandon my business for three or four months to go up there."

He owns Throndson Oil and L.P. Gas Co.

Republican Party of Olmsted County Chairman Bruce Kaskubar said the date has not yet been set for the local district endorsing conventions. He said it is still possible that another candidate may run for the House seat.

Senjem introduces bills to fund Mayo Civic Center, veterans museum

With Senate Republicans slated to release their bonding proposal tomorrow, Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem has recently introduced a bill to fund the $35 million expansion of Rochester's Mayo Civic Center.

It's hard to know whether that is good news for the project when it comes to the Senate bonding bill or not. Senjem, who chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee, declined to introduce the civic center bill last year. He has said whether the civic center makes it into the Senate Republicans' bonding bill depends on how much his fellow Republicans are willing to borrow this year for construction projects. He has also said if the Mayo Civic Center project is included then other civic center projects for St. Cloud and Mankato would also likely have to be part of the deal to get the necessary votes.

House Republicans put forward a scaled-back, $280 million bonding proposal. Funding for the Mayo Civic Center is not included in that proposal. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's $775 million bonding proposal includes funding for the Mayo Civic Center project.

Rochester hospitality industry representatives have been  hard to get the civic center expansion in the bonding bill, arguing it will provide a much-needed boost to the city. Meanwhile, the Rochester Tea Party Patriots have been vocal in their opposition to the project raising concerns about its costs.

The Mayo Civic Center project has had trouble winning over Republicans in the House. DFL Rep. Tina Liebling is sponsoring the civic center bill in the House and DFL Rochester Rep. Kim Norton is the only co-sponsor.

Senjem also introduced a bill seeking $15 million in state bonding money to build a new veterans and emergency services museum in Rochester. Fellow Rochester Republican Sen. Carla Nelson is a co-sponsor of both of the bills.

Majority of Minneapolis City Council backs stadium deal

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Minneapolis leaders announced this morning that a majority of the Minneapolis City Council supports the Vikings stadium proposal. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said it is now up to state lawmakers to take action on the plan.

"If the Legislature acts, the City Council will act as well," Rybak said. "We can put 7,500 people to work right away. We can build a solution that has been out there needing one for a long, long time."

But it is still far from certain whether the Minnesota Legislature will take action on the stadium plan in the few remaining weeks left in the session. As part of the deal, the Minnesota Vikings would pay $427 million towards building the stadium with the state paying  $398 million and Minneapolis paying $150 million.

The state's share of the cost would be funded through charitable gambling via electronic pull-tabs. That proposal has generated concern from charitable gambling groups and some lawmakers who question whether the revenue estimates are too high. Minnesota Revenue Commission Myron Frans stood by his department's estimates today saying it would mean more than $62 million in additional revenue in the first year for charitable gaming group. Dayton said even if the department's revenue estimates are off by one-third, there would still be enough money to cover the state's debt payments for the stadium.

Some lawmakers have said they want to see a back-up plan in case the charitable gaming money falls short of estimates. Dayton said he is open to negotiating such a plan.

When asked whether he is concerned about time running out for a deal this session, Dayton said legislative leaders can make this stadium deal happen.

"If they don't want to do it, then whether they have two day or two months they will find a reason not to do it," he said.

Norton calls Republican House bonding bill "ridiculous"

Rochester DFL Rep. Kim Norton blasted Republican House bonding bill on Tuesday saying it offers very little for the state's third largest city and sends most of these construction dollars to the Twin Cities area.

"The size of the bill is ridiculous for a bonding bill," she said.

Republicans put forward a $280 million bonding bill in what is a traditional bonding year. The bill does not include either of the city of Rochester's bonding requests —  $35 million to expand the Mayo Civic Center and $6 million to build an interchange on U.S. 52 at 65th Street Northwest. Also left out is $5 million for an environmental study for the proposed Zip Rail high-speed rail line.

The only Rochester project including in the bill is $3.1 million to relocate Rochester's Workforce Center to the Rochester Community and Technical College.

"Rochester is the third largest city and that's it? And that (workforce center) is a good project, but it's not enough to get my vote," Norton said.

She also said it is particularly frustrating to see that the St. Cloud Civic Center expansion is included in the bill and would get $1 million while the Mayo Civic Center was left out. Republicans are also moving ahead with a separate $221 million bonding bill to repair the Minnesota Capitol. Norton said there is no need to dedicate all that money up front for a project that will take years to get done. Instead, she said that should be done incrementally and more projects from greater Minnesota should be included.

"There is some sort of anti-bonding movement, and if that is what the GOP freshmen think is good for the state of Minnesota, they are mistaken," she said.

Republicans have argued that it is important to remember that lawmakers approved $500 million in bonding last year as part of a budget deal with Gov. Mark Dayton.

Lobbying expenditures top $59 million for 2011

Organizations spent more than $59 million on lobbying in Minnesota last year, according to a new report released by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

Xcel Energy spent the most on lobbying last year, forking out a grand total of $2.3 million. Rounding out the top five were Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — $2 million, Minnesota Business Partnership — $980,000, Minneapolis Radiation Oncology Physicians — $900,000 and Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities — $820,000.

The local group spending the most on lobbying was the Prairie Island Dakota Community, which spent $340,000. Mayo Clinic spent $180,000, Rochester Public Utilities spent $50,000 and Gold Cross Ambulance spent $30,400.

The report also shows that Geronimo Wind LLC, a wind developer looking to build a wind farm in Goodhue County, spent $140,000.

Click here to view the report.

 

 

 

Senjem says Brodkorb's lawsuit threat "not distracting at all"

Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem said former Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb's threat to sue the Minnesota Senate for gender discrimination is not keeping the Rochester Republican up at night.

"At this point it is just process and procedure and I just understand it as that and at this point it's in lawyer land and I'm not worried about it. It's not distracting," Senjem said.

Brodkorb claims that he was fired last December because he had an affair with his boss, former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch. His attorneys said yesterday that they plan to file a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and then file a lawsuit. The attorneys plan to argue that Brodkorb was treated differently than other staffers who had affairs with lawmakers because he is male. They say they have examples of female staffers who had intimate relationships with lawmakers and were not fired. His attorneys say they are planning to depose all female legislative staff that had affairs, as well as lawmakers, to prove their case that Brodkorb was discrminated against. Brodkorb is seeking more than $500,000 in damages and legal costs.

Minnesota Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman has denied that Brodkorb was fired because of the affair and said he was dismissed because he was an "at-will employee" and there was no longer the will to keep him on staff.

When asked if there is any appetite to settle the case with Brodkorb, Senjem said, "The answer is simple — no there isn't. I think everybody feels confident with where we are at in terms of our lack of liability." 

As far as he is concerned, Senjem said the most difficult time was last December when the Koch affair first came to light. He was ultimately elected to take over for Koch, who resigned her post. So while Brodkorb and Minnesota Senate staff continue to exchange barbs in the media, Senjem said "It's honestly not distracting at all."

As for Brodkorb's threat to air the dirty laundry of some lawmakers, Senjem said he has nothing to fear.

"I'm pretty innocent," he said. "I've lived a fairly boring life."

Brodkorb claims others who had affairs with lawmakers treated differently

Former Senate Communications Director Michael Brodkorb claims he was unfairly fired from his job for having an affair with then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch.

In a legal document, it states that Brodkorb "has evidence that similarly situated female legislative employees, from both political parties, were not terminated from their employment positions despite intimate relationships with male legislators."

Brodkorb alleges he was fired because he is male. It states in the legal document that he "intends to depose all of the female legislative staff employees who participated intimate relationships, as well as the legislators who were party to those intimate relationships, in support of his claims of gender discrimination."

Brodkorb's lawyers held a press conference this morning to discuss the discrimination claim. This comes a day after Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman announced the Minnesota Senate had declined Brodkorb's request to mediate his complaints regarding his firings. In a news release, Ludeman said that "despite repeated Senate requests to provide any factual basis for any dispute over his termination, Michael Brodkorb has failed and refused to do so."

Ludeman went on to accuse Brodkorb of trying to "disrupt the work of the Senate" and "distract members" in order to "extort a payment from the Senate.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon by Senate legal counsel Dayle Nolan said there are no facts to back up Brodkorb's claim. He also accused the former Senate staff and his attorneys of "continued grandstanding" and trying "to manipulate matters in the media through distortion and distraction from the facts."

 

Walz's SPAM Town Hotdish fails to win over the judges

The results are in and DFL Sen. Al Franken and Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack tied for first place in the second annual "Hot Dish Off."

Members of Minnesota's Congressional Delegation squared off today in the hotdish competition, hosted by Franken. For his entry, 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz used Austin-made SPAM for his inspiration. His SPAM Town Hotdish features pasta shells, onions, cheese, cream of chicken soup, bread crumbs and, of course, SPAM.

“I’m proud to feature SPAM, an iconic product made right here in the First District, in my hotdish this afternoon,” Walz said in a statement. “Today we come together to share our hotdish recipes, tomorrow let’s continue to act in a bipartisan manner and share ideas on how we can work together to get things done for all Minnesotans.”

Alas, Walz's SPAM creation failed to win over the judges — former Republican Congressman Vin Weber and House Chaplain Patrick Conroy.

In a blind taste test, Franken's "Mom's Mahnomin Madness Hotdish" and Cravaak's "Minneosta Wild Strata Hotdish" tied for the top spot. The other members of Minnesota's congressional delegation who competed prepared the following hotdishes:  Sen. Amy Klobuchar made "Ted the Turkey Memorial Hotdish;" Rep. Collin Peterson made "Pølse and Potet Hotdish;" Rep. Michele Bachmann made "St. Croix River Crossing Hotdish; Rep. Erik Paulsen made "Double Barrel Pheasant Hotdish;" and Rep.Keith Ellison made "Minnesota Meat on Your Bones Shepherd’s Pie."

To see the participants' recipes, go here.

 

Franken's "Hotdish Off" returns to Capitol Hill

Who says bipartisanship is dead? When it comes to the classic Minnesota hot dish, both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are eager to show off their cooking skills.

DFL Sen. Al Franken is hosting the second annual "Hotdish Off" at noon today. Every participating member of Minnesota's congressional delegation will submit a hot dish. Two former Minnesota congressman — Republican Vin Weber and Democrat Gerry Sikorski — have agreed to judge the culinary contest.

Members signed up to compete are 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Erik Paulsen, Rep. Collin Peterson and Rep. Chip Cravaack.

Klobuchar won last year's hotdish off with her "Taconite Tater-Tot Hotdish."

Dayton vetoes deadly force bill

A bill that would have given gun owners more freedom to use deadly force in threatening situations has been vetoed by DFL Gov. Mark Dayton.

In his veto letter, the governor cited the strong opposition to the bill by major law enforcement groups as a primary reason for vetoing the bill. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police and the Minnesota Sheriffs Association all lobbied against the bill.

"Most of Minnesota's major law enforcement and public safety organizations remain strongly opposed to the bill, and, I believe, their concerns must be honored," he wrote in the letter.

Dayton's veto won accolodates from advocates working to end gun violence. The National Rifle Association issued a statement expressing its disappointment with the decision.

The bill would have expanded the "Castle doctrine," allowing gun owners to use deadly force while outside the home in hotel rooms, tents, motor homes, boats and cars. It would have scrapped a duty to retreat in the face of danger. It also would have legalized conceled-weapons permits issued in other states.

The bill enjoyed strong support among lawmakers in southeast Minnesota. Of the area's 15 lawmakers, 12 of them voted for the bill. Those "yes" votes included two Democrats — Rep. Jeanne Poppe and Sen. Dan Sparks, both of Austin. The three "no" votes were cast by DFLers — Rep. Tina Liebling of Rochester, Rep. Kim Norton of Rochester and Rep. Gene Pelowski of Winona.

In his letter, Dayton he believes existing state statutes and law "already provide the authorizations for law-abiding citizens to use deadly force to defend themselves or others either inside or outside their homes."

Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas, who sponsored by the bill, blasted the governor's decision to veto the legislation.

"I am very disappointed with Governor Dayton's decision today to deny law-abiding citizens their right to defend themselves and their families. While current law enables the aggressor, my bill focused on protecting the victim. Unfortunately, with the Governor's veto, violent criminals will continue to have the advantage over law-abiding citizens," she said in a statement.

Click here to Download Dayton's veto letter