Political Notebook

Parry, Howe among first to file for office

Two area Republicans wasted no time this morning filing for office. 1st District congressional candidate Mike Parry was the second candidate in line at the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office in St. Paul. He said he wanted to be among the first to file for office to show voters he is willing to put in the hard work necessary to defeat three-term DFL incumbent Tim Walz.

"It really sets a tone for people when they see that. They know that I'm aggressive and I'm out early and I will be working late and they know that this is the type of person I am," he said.

Parry will battle former GOP state Rep. Allen Quist of St. Peter in the Aug. 14 Republican primary for the chance to take on Walz in November.

Also lining up to fill out the necessary paperwork and pay the filing fee was first-term Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing. He was the first senate candidate to file for office. He was the first Senate incumbent to file for re-election.

"I think it's important to let your intentions be known right away, and to let the people of the district know how proud I am to continue serving them," Howe said in a statement.

Howe will face Red Wing public policy consultant Matt Schmit, who recently won the DFL party endorsement.

The filing period runs from today to 5 p.m. on June 5.

 

The Minnesota Vikings — based in Delaware?

Sen. John Howe has discovered something that does not make him happy. The Minnesota Vikings, LLC is incorporated in Delaware — not Minnesota. Delaware is a popular place for companies to incorporate because they do not have to pay income taxes if they don't do business in the state. The state also has no sales or personal property tax.

Howe argues that if the Minnesota Vikings want a public subsidy from the state of Minnesota to build a stadium, they should be based here and paying taxes.

"There is a fairness issue and everybody who says just vote yes for a stadium doesn't understand that," Howe said.

The Red Wing Republican said he plans to offer an amendment today to the Vikings stadium bill that would require the Vikings organization to be based in Minnesota in order to get state funding for a stadium. Howe also plans to offer an amendment that would pay for the state's share of the stadium with a user fee on stadium-related items like tickets, parking and sports memorabilia. The Minnesota Vikings are fiercly opposed to that idea. Click here to Download Vikings letter to Sen. Howe. Go here to see Howe's response.

Quam blasts new political boundaries in Dodge County

Republican Rep. Duane Quam said the special redistricting panel did a poor job when it came to redrawing the boundaries in Dodge County. The county of just over 20,000 people to the west of Rochester has spent the past decade being represented by one senator and one representative. But the redistricting maps released yesterday show the county being carved up among five representatives and four senators.

"That doesn't serve them well," Quam said. "I think it's poor drawing. There is some identity to a county."

Of the House members whose districts will include Dodge County, three are Republicans and two are Democrats. Among senators, three are Republicans and one is a Democrat. So, here is a breakdown of how Dodge County's cities are divided up among incumbents.

— Hayfield and Blooming Prairie will be part of House District 27A with incumbent Rep. Rich Murray, R-Albert Lea. The Senate incumbent is Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin.

— Claremont, Ashland Township and Ripley Township will be part of House District 24B with incumbent Rep. Patti Fritz, DFL-Faribault. The Senate incumbent is Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca (who, incidentally, is running for the 1st Congressional District seat).

— West Concord will be within House District 21B with incumbent Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa. The Senate incumbent is Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing.

— Kasson, Mantorville and Dodge Center would be in House District 25A with incumbent Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron. The Senate incumbent is Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester.

— Vernon Township will be part of House District 27 B with incumbent Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin. The Senate incumbent is Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin.

So could these new maps encourage a bunch of politicos in Dodge County to run for office? We'll have to wait and see. For now the only candidate to announce running for the legislature from the county — Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School Teacher John Vossen — will still be taking on Quam.

 

Howe opposes Anderson nomination because of stance on wind project

Red Wing Republican Sen. John Howe said he could not support Ellen Anderson's nomination as Public Utilities Commission chairwoman after the way she voted on a controversial wind project in his district.

In June, Anderson joined a majority of commissioners in overruling Goodhue County's new wind ordinance and issuing a site permit for AWA Goodhue's wind project. The $180 million project would cover 32,000 acres in Goodhue County and has drawn strong opposition from neighbors concerned about possible environmental impacts caused by the wind turbines.

"When you are making that decision to overrule a local governing body, it should rise to a very high level and that certainly didn't," Howe said. "And because of that and because of her legislative record, I could not support her."

Howe said DFL Gov. Mark Dayton called him on Friday about Anderson's nomination. The Red Wing Republican said he told the governor he simply could not back her. He asked that the governor consider nominating someone from rural Minnesota to head the commission who understands the impact of these energy projects.

As for Dayton's announcement that he would offer Anderson a job in his administration, Howe said he did not think that was appropriate.

He added, "One has to ask the question: If we didn't need the position before, why do we need an energy adviser in the governor's office now?"

 

 

Will negotiating schedule help avoid a government shutdown?

Today GOP legislative leaders met with DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to discuss talk about the budget. As part of that meeting, they proposed an aggressive budget negotiation schedule throughout this month aimed at getting a deal in place so lawmakers could be called back for a special session that would start June 27. If lawmakers and the governor cannot work out a deal on solving the state's projected $5 billion budget deficit by June 30, there will be a government shutdown on July 1.

Click here to Download Budget negotiation schedule

The Star Tribune reports that both the governor and GOP leaders described the meeting as productive. But the big disagreement over whether or not to raise revenues to solve the budget gap remains. Dayton has proposed raising $1.8 billion in income taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent. He has said he is willing to consider other revenue options. Republicans have said they will not go above their $34 billion budget, which is based on expected state revenues.

Meanwhile, one area senator had his own meeting with the governor. Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, had lunch with Dayton yesterday, which he described as productive. He said he offered some ideas on how the budget dispute could be resolved. One idea Howe is pushing is changing how the state gets its revenue. He said the state needs to move away from relying so heavily on property and income taxes and instead look at getting more of its money from a consumer-based tax like the sales tax. He said that might offer an avenue for negotiations.

"We have to find something that is achievable. I think just raising income taxes is not achievable, and I think we need to work together and we have to find a way that makes sense and provides a stable funding environment."

Business coalition launches ad campaign backing GOP budget stance

If you flip to page B5 in today's Rochester Post-Bulletin, you'll see a half-page ad thanking four local Republicans — Rep. Mike Benson, Rep. Duane Quam, Sen. Carla Nelson and Sen. Dave Senjem — for "holding the line on state spending."

The ad states, "Families have to live within their budgets — so should government. Grow jobs, not government."

It's all part of a newspaper ad campaign launched today the Coalition of Minnesota Businesses, an organization comprised of 11 employer groups including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Business Partnership. The group is lining up behind legislative Republicans arguing against tax increases and increased spending as part of a budget deal.

The coalition's Communications Director Mark Giga said they are running ads in 33 newspapers across the state specifically thanking 52 Republican lawmakers. Those ads are targeted mainly along the U.S. 52 and I-35W corridors headed up to the cities and Interstate-94 into St. Cloud. Giga said it makes sense to focus on these areas — especially Rochester.

"It's no secret that these are swing districts," he said.

Giga said he did not have an estimate of how much the coalition will spent on the newspaper ads at this point. This is the second part of an ad campaign launched before lawmakers went on their Easter/Passover break. That time the coalition spent roughly $250,000 on radio and internet ads saying the state needs to stop spending more and live within its means.

Other area GOP lawmakers getting praised in the ads are: Rep. Rich Murray of Albert Lea, Rep. Greg Davids of Preston, Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing and Sen. John Howe of Red Wing and Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona. Go here to see what the ads look like.

These ads come as Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a liberal, union-funded group, has launched a TV ad campaign that supports DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to raise $1.8 billion in income taxes on the state's wealthiest 2 percent.

Sen. Howe to meet with governor

So far, no meetings have been scheduled between GOP legislative leadership and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to restart budget negotiations. But one area GOP lawmaker will be sitting down with the governor.

The governor invited Howe to have lunch with him on Thursday. Howe had asked if the governor might have a minute to talk with him before or after he signed one of his bills. To his surprise, the governor responded by extending the lunch offer.

Howe said he expects that a lot of the discussion will center on the budget impasse. The governor wants to raise $1.8 billion in taxes on the state's top 2 percent of income earners. The GOP budget does not include tax increases and relies instead on spending cuts. Howe has made clear he is not a fan of raising taxes or expanding gambling to help solve the state's project $5 billion budget shortfall. But he did say he is open to the idea of revamping the state's tax system by trying to move away from relying so heavily on property and income taxes and putting more attention on consumer-based taxes like the sales tax. He said it would make sense to keep exempting clothes, prescriptions and food from the sales tax, but perhaps that tax should be raised while others are reduced. He also expects there may be discussion about the constitutional amendment that would prohibit same-sex marriage.

 

Howe working on government shutdown bill

With time running out before the May 23 deadline and no budget deal in sight, Red Wing GOP Sen. John Howe is working on a bill in case of a government shutdown.

Howe said he worked for the state in the early 80s during a government shutdown. At the time, he was working as a corrections officer — so he still went to work. But he remembers the chaos during that time.

"We need to bring some order to this (possible shutdown) rather than 'let's not talk about it,'" Howe said.

He said he is hoping to put together a bill that could be used as a roadmap for future government shutdowns so that there is something in place.

"I want to have a thorough, thoughtful road map for the future — not just the biennium," he said.

The GOP-led Minnesota House finished passing all of its budget bills early this morning. The Minnesota Senate wil be wrapping up a few final budget bills today. They will then head to DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, who has vowed to "reject" all of the budget bills. He said he wants to reach an agreement with Republicans on an overall budget number. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers yesterday compared trying to negotiated with Dayton to trying to nail "Jell-O to a tree."

Area Republicans sign court brief challeging constitutionality of health care law

Several area Republicans joined fellow GOP state lawmakers in signing a "friend of the court" brief challenging the constitutionality of the new federal health care law.

A total of 80 GOP lawmakers signed the brief, including House and Senate GOP leaders. Also signing the brief are North Carolina legislative leaders. The brief was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 11th District. This comes after Florida Judge Roger Vinson recently struck down the entire health care law. Vinson concluded that Congress exceeded its authority when it passed the individual mandate requiring all citizens to have health care coverage.

Local GOP lawmakers who signed onto the brief are Rep. Mike Benson of Rochester, Rep. Greg Davids of Preston; Rep. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing, Rep. Rich Murray of Albert Lea and Rep. Duane Quam of Byron. Those who did not sign on are Sen. Carla Nelson of Rochester, Sen. Dave Senjem of Rochester, Sen. John Howe of Red Wing and Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona.

The brief argrees with Vinson arguing that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. It also argues that the law's "ambiguity prevents states from making a clear and informed choice, requiring North Carolina and Minnesota to subject themselves to unknowable and potentially crippling obligations in order to continue their participation in the Medicaid program."

Click here to Download Court brief

Minnesota Democrats filed a "friend of the court" brief last month in the same case defending the constitutionality of the health care law.

Rulings on the health care law have been mixed since it took effect. Some judges have upheld its constitutionality while others have struck down parts of the law or the entire law.

Red Wing senator pushes rail funding compromise

Passenger rail took center stage today as part of the debate over the Senate's transportation budget bill. That proposal would have eliminated all $1 million in funding for MnDOT's Office of Passenger Rail. Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport, offered an amendment to restore all of that funding arguing that without the office the state would miss out on the chance to apply for millions in federal rail dollars.

"It is penny wise and pound foolish to not spend this $1 million in the biennium to fund this office to leverage federal money that is available and Minnesota is very well positioned to receive," Sieben said.

But GOP Senate Transportation Committee Chair Joe Gimse voiced serious concerns about how the office has spent its money in the past. He said $630,000 of the $1 million went towards salary and benefits for the office's three employees.

That's when Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, jumped in with a compromise. He proposed allocating $600,000 for the office arguing that the state has been making significant progress when it comes to rail.

"I understand the concerns around the funding of the passenger rail office, but I do think it's important that we fund to at least to keep that office open," Howe said.

There's plenty at stake for southeast Minnesota lawmakers when it comes to rail. The cities of Red Wing and Winona have been big supporters of a proposed Chicago to Twin Cities high-speed rail line that would run along the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, Rochester leader are pushing for a high-speed rail line from the Med City to the Twin Cities called Rochester Zip Rail. They are also hoping Rochester could be a stop on a Twin Cities to Chicago high-speed rail route.

Ultimately, Howe's proposal won the Senate's backing 38 to 25. It is worth noting that all five southeast Minnesota lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — backed the funding. The funding for MnDOT's passenger rail office still remains in jeopardy. The House transportation bill completely eliminates the funding. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's budget calls for $1 million in funding for the office.