HometownSource Blogs

Several area lawmakers have returned from a trip to Israel. The idea of the trip was to foster better ties to the country.

According to the House DFL Caucus, the group, which consisted of some nine lawmakers, had some 40 meetings/tours during the visit.

Local lawmakers on the trip were Rep. Sandra Masin, of Eagan, and Rep. Jeremy Kalin, of North Branch.

One Republican on the trip was Rep. Sarah Anderson, of Plymouth.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials indicated today (Nov. 18) that retail store Santas will have to wait like everybody else to get vaccinated for H1N1 until people at greater risk get theirs.

“We have heard about Santa’s request,” said MDH Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Kristen Ehresmann.

Media reports have department store Santas arguing that they should be allowed to be vaccinated because their duties require them to be around children.

But Ehresmann theorized that most retail store Santas are older people, and older people generally are at less risk for H1N1 flu than the young.

Because of this, there’s no pass to the front of the vaccination line for Santas.

An MDH spokesman stressed that if children are feeling sick, parents shouldn’t take them to meet Santa or anyone else, for that matter.

They should stay at home, he said.

Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, is carrying Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed state spending limit constitutional amendment and will take the bill before the Senate Tax Committee on Dec. 7.

Democrats in general have expressed a willingness to listen to the proposal, an attitude Koch won’t second guess.

“I’m going to take them at their word,” she said.

“I think it’s (the proposal) an idea out there. I don’t think it’s an extreme idea,” said Koch.

Koch said she personally likes the idea of establishing a spending cap on state government.

Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Holsten today (Nov. 16) told a House/Senate natural resources committee his agency had no intentions of relinquishing $20 million in bonding lawmakers approved for a proposed state park.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty many months ago proposed the creation of Lake Vermilion State Park on land currently owned by U.S. Steel — about 3,000 acres near Soudan Underground Mine State Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

But Holsten told lawmakers that talks with U.S. Steel about purchasing the land, which the company is proposing to develop, have been suspended.

“We are still hopeful we’ll be able to come to terms with United States Steel,” said Holsten.

Still, the commissioner explained that the land negotiations and an environmental review the DNR is completing on a proposed expansion to a U.S. Steel facility in the state had become wrongly merged in public perception.

Those two issues must be seen as separate, Holsten said.

But some lawmakers suggested that negotiations had played out long enough.

It’s time to fish or cut bait, said Sen. Elllen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul.

“We are still fishing,” insisted Holsten.

He dismissed Anderson’s assertion that the governor had washed his hands of the park project, saying that would be a grossly inaccurate statement.

“We need some time,” said Holsten, a former state representative from Stillwater.

Rep. Denny McNamara, R-Hastings, praised Holsten for keeping the appraised value of the U.S. Steel land a secret — currently the state can offer 12 percent above appraised value in land deals.

McNamara asked whether a third party — an environmental group, for instance — could add funding for the park land purchase.

“Sure,” said Holsten.

One lawmaker suggested that perhaps the 12 percent purchase cap could be altered.

Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, suggested that the conflict of interest the negotiations presented the DNR could be avoided by having the Department of Administration negotiate with U.S. Steel instead.

Holsten indicated that there was no conflict of interest, as different sections within the agency are dealing the issues.

Some lawmakers — Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, for instance — look to the expansion of gaming as a means for the state to capture extra dollars in tough economic times.

But Rep. Paul Gardner, DFL-Shoreview, believes the easiest ways of bringing in state revenue aren’t always the best.

“Personally my issue with gaming is the money is too easy,” said Gardner recently.

“Raising money for government should be hard,” he said.

Lawmakers should have to stand before voters and justify taxes increases, he explained.

“With gaming you allow government to grow without any accountability,” he argued.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Gardner said.

Gardner indicated he had no inkling whether gaming would be a big issue when lawmakers return to the Capitol in February.

“Who knows,” he said.

“I would say there’s a general distaste for gaming,” said Gardner.

The House Rules Committee today (Nov. 16) approved a resolution that will have House attorneys filing a “friend of the court” brief in support of legal actions against recent Pawlenty Administration state budget unallotments.

“Members of the Minnesota House feel strongly that we need to address the important issues raised by this case,” said House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm.

“The plaintiffs are arguing that the governor did not follow the law when he (Pawlenty) resorted to unallotment in this instance. We believe it is important that the court understand we agree with that argument,” said Sertich in a press release.

House attorneys will file the legal brief as soon as possible.

Pawlenty in the past has expressed satisfaction that the administration stands on solid legal ground in its unallotment.

Anyone can file a lawsuit, he has said of legal challenges to the administration.

It will focus on separation of power between the branches of government.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty today said the buck he shot at Saturday (Nov. 7) morning at the 7th Annual Governor’s Deer Opener has not been found.

Six to eight people — “including me,” he said — looked for the better part of two days for the deer but the blood trail dried up, said Pawlenty, who left the opener on Saturday for a political engagement in Iowa.

It’s not uncommon, explained Pawlenty, to “graze” a deer hunting and that’s what happened.

The governor said he took a 175 yard to 200 yard shot at the buck.

“I do it from time to time,” Pawlenty said of practicing shooting.

A brother had sighted in the scope on the rifle he used deer hunting, he said.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, snagged a handful of endorsements from local Republican lawmakers in his quest for governor.

The lawmakers are: Representatives Bruce Anderson, Buffalo Township, Mark Buesgens, of Jordan, Tom Hackbarth, of Cedar, Mary Liz Holberg, of Lakeville, Tim Sanders, of Blaine, and Peggy Scott, of Andover.

Emmer also picked up an endorsement from Sen. Amy Koch, of Buffalo.

Sen. Tarryl Clark, the St. Cloud DFLer wanting to take on Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann next year, announced her campaign team today.

Serving as campaign manager is Zach Rodvold, who comes from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office where he served as state director.

Former finance director for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s successful reelection campaign Lauren Beecham will serve in that capacity for Clark.

Other campaign staff includes DFL veterans Nicole Wittig-Geske, Stacey Springer — the latter a former St. Cloud University student activist — and Emily Lawrence who previously worked for 4th District Congresswoman Betty McCollum.

Republican businessman Brian Sullivan, who challenged then state representative Tim Pawlenty for the Republican party gubernatorial endorsement in 2001, has been reported to be considering another run for governor next year.

But today Sullivan issued a statement squashing speculation about a 2010 run.

“In June, I announced that I would not run for governor in 2010. However, in the following months, I received many requests from Republican activists to reconsider that decision,” said Sullivan.

“As a result, two weeks ago I asked some friends to sound out the opinions of party leaders about the possibility of my candidacy and to understand the challenges of a late entry into the race,” he said.

“Though I received much gratifying encouragement to run, I concluded that my business obligations would prevent me from dedicating the time needed to run an effective campaign. Accordingly, I will not reconsider my previous decision, and I will not be a candidate for governor next year,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan expressed his intentions of supporting the endorsed Republican party gubernatorial candidate.

During his speech to Iowa Republicans this weekend, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as he has on other occasions, made reference to First Lady Mary Pawlenty’s physical attributes by using the description “smokin’ hot.”

Following the speech, a woman reporter asked the governor about the comment and perhaps offending women by using it.

Pawlenty insisted he was only be accurate.

“I mean it sincerely — I think she is hot,” said Pawlenty.

“It’s my wife, for goodness sake,” he said.

Sixth District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, success at drawing thousands to Washington for a tea party rally yesterday was chronicled in the influential publication Politico.

The publication noted the strong feelings the throng had for the second term Republican, but also quoted a Democratic spokesman with a “bring it on” mentality.

“If Republicans want to make Michele Bachmann the voice of the party, that’s more than fine with us. We’ll help circulate the petition,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan. “It’s their extreme right-wing, rigid ideological agenda that has Americans leaving the Republican Party in droves — and so, if displays like today are what they think is a smart political strategy, all we can say is: Go for it.”

State DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez had some thorny words for Gov. Tim Pawlenty on the eve of the governor’s visit to Iowa.

“After taking a beating in nearly every presidential poll for 2012, Governor Pawlenty is headed to the Ronald Reagan Dinner tomorrow so that he can pander to conservatives in Iowa — after stopping in briefly to tell us Minnesotans what we’re doing wrong before he heads off to his latest campaign stop,” said the chairman.

“While it’s nice that the Governor will be closer to home than usual, let’s not kid ourselves — whether he’s just south of the Minnesota border or halfway across the world, the Governor gave up working for Minnesotans long ago,” he said,

Pawlenty is expected to address about 700 Iowa Republicans tomorrow evening at the Iowa state fairgrounds.

“After taking a beating in nearly every presidential poll for 2012, Governor Pawlenty is headed to the Ronald Reagan Dinner tomorrow so that he can pander to conservatives in Iowa — after stopping in briefly to tell us Minnesotans what we’re doing wrong before he heads off to his latest campaign stop. While it’s nice that the Governor will be closer to home than usual, let’s not kid ourselves — whether he’s just south of the Minnesota border or halfway across the world, the Governor gave up working for Minnesotans long ago.”

Two days after winning reelection as mayor of Minneapolis, R.T. Rybak announced today (Nov. 5) that he filed the paperwork to create the R.T. Rybak for Governor Committee.

In an announcement to supporters, Rybak said he’s been open about his considering a run for governor and doubted his filing the paperwork comes as a surprise.

“Filing these papers is the first step in the process of setting up the Rybak for Governor campaign. In the weeks ahead, we will be building a grassroots campaign to take our message to every corner of the state,” he said.

Senate Tax Committee Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, candidate for governor, today (Nov. 5) called on Gov. Tim Pawlenty to call a special session in order to pass a bonding bill by the end of the year.

“It’s time to increase the state’s bonding limits to create good paying construction jobs that will spur white- and blue-collar jobs, update Minnesota’s neglected state colleges and universities to train the workforce of the future, and catch up on the deferred maintenance on wastewater treatment facilities to improve our water and environment,” said Bakk in a statement.

At the Capitol, the senator spoke of using bonding dollars for projects at the Duluth airport.

But the governor, while saying the administration is willing to examine Bakk’s proposal, noted that currently there’s some $1.5 billion in authorized bonding that remains unused.

Some of this is to be expected.

State Economist Tom Stinson has noted that a very small percentage of a bonding bill actually enters the economy first year after the bonding is authorized.

Pawlenty styled having a special session within 30 days of the start of the legislative session for bonding — session begins Feb. 4 — “just silly.”

Administration officials are currently working on a revised calculation for determining how much bonding the state can afford to do, Pawlenty explained.

He questioned whether DFLers had any intentions this upcoming session to pay attention to the old mark.

But DFLers had a few observations to share too, one of them being if some $1.5 billion in authorized bonding is sitting idle, why doesn’t the chief executive work to make sure it’s utilized.