Political Notebook

Fight over where to put vets cemetery reemerges

Last session, lawmakers representing Fillmore County squared off with lawmakers representing Olmsted County over the issue of where a new veterans cemetery should go. In the end, it was the Olmsted County lawmakers who prevailed.

Former state Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview, and former Sen. Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester, both backed a bill that would require all of southeast Minnesota be considered for a new state veterans cemetery. The argument was that all of southeast Minnesota should be examined for a possible site to make sure the best location was picked. That could potentially include land near Stewartville.

Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, and former Sen. Sharon Erickson-Ropes, DFL-Winona, had backed a bill that would require the new cemetery be built in Fillmore County. The county and city of Preston have offered to donate land for the project.

But in the end, the broader language passed last year. But Davids is bringing the issue back up sponsoring a bill to require the cemetery be built in Fillmore County. There is a hearing at 12:30 p.m. before the Veterans Services Decision on his bill, HF 226. Sen. Jeremy, Miller, R-Winona, is sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate.

The bills rely on $500,000 in funding already appropriated for veterans cemeteries. That isn't much, given that there are three proposal in the works in Minnesota — one in southwestern Minnesota, one in northeastern Minnesota and one in southeast Minnesota.

 

A look at how much campaigns raised in Rochester

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board today released the latest campaign finance reports covering the 2010 elections. Here is a quick look at how much Rochester area legislative candidates raised and spent on the race.

A couple of interesting things to note. Former DFL Rep. Andy Welti of Plainview outspent his GOP opponent Rep. Mike Benson by nearly $15,700. But it is important to keep in mind that plenty of money outside the campaigns flowed into that race in the final days. The challenge is getting a real sense of where all that money came from and how much was spent.

Also GOP Sen. Carla Nelson raised more than $69,000 beating out former DFL Sen. Ann Lynch, who raised nearly $56,500. But they both spent roughly $65,000 on the race. Similar to the Benson/Welti race, this race also attracted plenty of dollars from around the state.

Here are the fundraising totals for Rochester area legislative candidates.

Senate District 29
Greg French, DFL-Byron
Total receipts: $14,937
Total expenditures: $14,932

*David Senjem, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $44,468
Total expenditures: $41,193

House District 29A
*Duane Quam, R-Byron
Total receipts: $22,108
Total expenditures: $19,853

Doug Wunderlich, DFL-Mantorville
Total receipts: $12,374
Total expenditures: $13,610 (includes $1,000 loan)

House District 29B
*Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $30,464
Total expenditures: $33,856

Mike Rolih, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $24,883
Total expenditures: $24,339

Senate District 30
Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $56,464
Total expenditures: $65,008

*Carla Nelson, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $69,113
Total expenditures: $65,996

House District 30A
*Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $27, 483
Total expenditures: $32,262

Charlie O’Connell

UPDATE: O'Connell turned in his report by the deadline but it was not posted online until today.

Total receipts: $100

Total expenditures: $3,038 with funding coming from O'Connell.

House District 30B
*Mike Benson, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $22,491
Total expenditures: $22,939

Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview
Total receipts: $25,129
Total expenditures: $38,627

* Winner of the 2010 election

Tea Party forum? Local DFLers say thanks but no thanks

All of Rochester's DFL incumbents signed a letter declining to participating in a candidate forum sponsored by the Rochester Tea Party Patriots. In the letter, the lawmakers thank the group for hosting the forum but add that they hope their members will take advantage of one of the "neutral forums" being held. The lawmakers declining to participate are: Sen. Ann Lynch, Rep. Tina Liebling, Rep. Kim Norton and Rep. Andy Welti. Also choosing not to go is the District 29A DFL candidate Doug Wunderlich. Click here to  Download Letter from DFL candidates

One DFL candidate is going to participate. Senate District 29 candidate Greg French, of Byron, has said he plans to attend. The Republicans who have said they will attend are Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, former state Rep. Carla Nelson, House District 29A candidate Duane Quam, House District 29B candidate Mike Rolih, House District 30A candidate Charlie O'Connell and House District 30B candidate Mike Benson.

Rochester Tea Party Patriots Chair Cindy Maves said the group does not endorse and candidate or party "but endeavors to educate the voters and provide opportunities for them to make the own informed decisions." The group does urge its members in its e-mail news updates to help elect conservative candidates.

The event starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23 with a buffet dinner at Godfather's Pizaa, 1611 16th St. N.W. in Rochester. The forum runs from 7 p.m.t o 8:30 p.m. All candidates will have five minutes to introduce themselves and they will then answer questions from the audience.

Freedom Club goes after Welti in billboard ad

I was driving west on U.S. 14 the other day in Chester and spotted this billboard going after Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview. The billboard is sponsored by the Freedom Club PAC, a conservative organization funded mainly by Twin Cities business leaders.When former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin visited Minnesota for a book tour in December 2009, she did a fundraiser for the PAC.

The billboard states that "Democrat Andy Welti opposes photo ID to vote. Do you?" I did double check the vote they were referencing in the billboard and it is true that Welti voted against a voter ID proposal on March 8, 2010. I did put in a call to Welti this afternoon to ask about his views on the issue, and I am waiting to hear back.

Welti is running against GOP political newcomer Mike Benson, a professor at Crossroads College in Rochester. But the billboard specifices that "This is an independent expenditure not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee."

I can't remember seeing any billboards in recent years going after a Rochester area legislative candidate before. Does anyone remember seeing one before?

Norton, Welti launch "listening tour"

 
Two DFL incumbent lawmakers are kicking off listening tours in their districts to hear from voters. Rep. Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester and Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview, are both launching their tours today.

Welti was scheduled to start his listening tour at 9 a.m. at Century High School. He plans to make several spots in House District 30B to talk with residents. His district includes a portion of southeast Rochester and surrounding small towns including Stewartville, Eyota and Plainview.

Norton's listening tour kicks off at 12:15 p.m. at Goose Egg Park in Rochester. She also plans to travel around her district, House District 29B. That district covers northwest Rochester. The media has been invited to tag along with both of the candidates on their tours.

Both Welti and Norton are running against endorsed Republican candidates in November. Former Rochester Postmaster Mike Benson is challenging Welti, and former professional baseball player Mike Rolih is running against Norton.

Local GOP candidates join in mass election filing

A crowd of Republican candidates gathered in St. Paul today as part of a mass election filing. Several area candidates made the trek and joined in a news conference featuring Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

Local non-incumbent GOP candidates filing today to run against were Duane Quam for House District 29A, Carla Nelson for Senate District 30, Charlie O'Connell for House District 30A, Mike Benson for House District 30B and Jeremy Miller for Senate District 31. Incumbents at today's mass filing included Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem of Rochester, Rep. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa and Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing.

At an enthusiastic (and very warm!) press conference, Republican candidates this morning compared this year to the GOP's landslide midterm election win in 1994.

"If you can't get excited about this year, your heart is not beating," Senjem told a crowd of enthusiastic candidates and supporters.

Local Republicans running say voters are concerned about government spending.

"The number one issue people are talking about is out-of-control government spending," said Miller, who is running for the seat currently held by Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona.

Benson, who is running against DFL Rep. Andy Welti of Plainview, said he believes voters want change.

"I've knocked on 1,600 doors now, as late as Saturday I knocked on 400, and overwhelmingly the people I've talked to are looking for a new direction," Benson said.

In particular, he said they want lawmakers who will restructure government and lower taxes with the goal of encouraging economic development.

Kelliher touts her support for Mayo Clinic

DFL-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher stopped in Rochester today to emphasize her support for a plan to expand Medicaid in order to tap into $1.4 billion in federal money. That would spare Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System from an estimated $20 million to $25 million in cuts.

"These are our dollars we're sending to Washington D.C. I think we should bring them right back here. This money will be used to protect and create 22,000 jobs — jobs for nurses, physical therapists, doctors, health care providers, lab technicians across the state," Kelliher said.

She was joined by Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, and House Assistant Majority Leader Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview.

As part of the final budget deal, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the next governor have the option of enrolling in an early expansion of Medicaid. The bill passed included $188 million in state revenue that could be used to get the federal money. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer has said if elected he would not support opting in to what he calls "Obamacare." He said if the state enrolls it would lose the opportunity to enact health care reforms.

But Democrats are clearly hoping to win voter support in southeast Minnesota by focusing on the financial impact on Mayo Clinic. Kelliher went after Pawlenty, Emmer and GOP congressional candidate Randy Demmer for opposing the early expansion of Medicaid.

"Right now, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Emmer and Randy Demmer are all using inflated partisan language to really I think mischaracterize this issue for political reasons," she said.

As a side note, Kelliher had initially been scheduled to have the press conference at Mayo Clinic's Feith Family Statuary Park with the bronze statues of the Mayo brothers in the background. But it was changed this morning to the Olmsted County DFL headquarters. Kelliher's campaign said it was "due to inclement" weather. But it is worth noting the Mayo Clinic generally has a policy prohibiting political campaign events on its campus.

Olmsted County solar bill signed by governor

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed a bill that will allow a proposed Olmsted County solar farm to move ahead. The measure allows Dairyland Cooperative to use energy generated from the farm to help meet state renewable energy standards. The project would transform a closed Olmsted County landfill near Oronoco into the state's largest solar farm.

But while the bill may sound simple, it ran into serious obstacles at the legislature this session that threatened to derail it. In the senate, bill author Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, was caught off guard when a senator tried to amend a provision onto the bill to lift the state's ban on nuclear plants. The amendment, which threatened to kill the bill, caused Sparks to delay a vote on the measure.

Once that problem was solved, House sponsor Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview, found himself in a political fight over the bill. Rep. Jeremy Kalin, DFL-North Branch, had concerns about provisions in the bill that would impact conservation standards in the bill. There was concern about allowing Dairyland Power to be able to count energy purchased from the project towards its conservation plan. That lead to a long debate on the House floor.

But in the end, the proposal won the backing of the House and Senate.

Rochester's endorsementpalooza!

This weekend proved to be big for area endorsements. We now have a better idea of who will be on the ballot this November when it comes to local legislative races. Here's a brief recap.

House District 29A: This is the lone open seat without an incumbent running for re-election. Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield, has said he is not running and is instead focusing on winning the GOP endorsement for Congress. Democrats endorsed Douglas Wunderlich for the seat. He has long been active in the party. He is a retired teacher and volunteer firefighter who lives in Mantorville. Republicans endorsed Duane Quam, former chair of the First District Republicans. He beat out two other GOP candidates — Chuck Bradford and Kerry Stoick. Quam lives in Byron and is a senior engineer at IBM.

House District 29B: DFL incumbent Rep. Kim Norton was endorsed for the seat. Republicans endorsed former professional baseball player Mike Rolih for the seat.

Senate District 29: Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem of Rochester secured the GOP endorsement. Democrats endorsed Byron driving school owner Greg French.

House District 30A: DFL incumbent Rep. Tina Liebling was endorsed. So far there is not a Republican candidate but party leaders say a few people are considering running.

House District 30B: Democrats endorsed incumbent Rep. Andy Welti of Plainview. Republicans endorsed Rochester business professor Mike Benson.

Senate District 30: incumbent Sen. Ann Lynch received the DFL party endorsement as she seeks a second term. There is no Republican candidate yet that has been endorsed. Former GOP state Rep. Carla Nelson has said she is considering running for the seat.

It's official: Gander drops out, Quam jumps in

Lots of news coming from local Republicans. Last night at the Senate District 30 endorsing convention, Rochester businessman Jim Gander announced he was dropping out of the Senate race. In an e-mail this morning, Gander said he decided not to challenge DFL Sen. Ann Lynch for the seat because he needs to focus on his business, Superior Mechanical.

Here is his statement:

"Yes, I have decided to drop opt of the race. It was a very difficult decision for Lisa and me. However, the good news is Superior Mechanical has rehired most of its people and we have a good amount of work ahead of us for the next year. The economy has taken its toll on many businesses especially the construction businesses. Superior Mechanical has taken on the challenge and reached out beyond its comfort zone both in types of work and in territory. For this reason, I need to respect the lingering effects of the downturn and pay attention to the business of my business. My family is a large one as it includes the families of my employees; all of us need to return to the earning capacity of years before. The 24/7 commitment of the race made the job of running my company impossible."

Republican Party of Olmsted County Co-chair Bruce Kaskubar said there are a couple of people considering running for the seat. College professor Mike Benson scored the endorsement for the House 30B seat and will challenge three-term incumbent Rep. Andy Welti of Plainview.

Former First District Republicans Chair Duane Quam has also announced he is seeking the endorsement for Rep. Randy Demmer's House seat 29A. Demmer announced earlier he would not seek re-election to the seat as he focuses on his congressional bid. Quam has set up a basic Web site. Quam is a senior engineer at IBM at lives in Byron. He will be competing with two other Republicans hoping to get the endorsement this weekend at the GOP District 29 Convention in Byron. They are Mantorville City Council member Chuck Bradford and Oronoco family nurse practitioner Kerry Stoick. No Democrats so far have announced they are running for the seat.

For more on local races and endorsements, check out today's story.