Last night I caught up with Katie Rodriguez, who's running for the State House of Representatives in district 32B (Maple Grove). A public finance expert and involved community member, she's brought a ton of energy to recent DFL campaign efforts in the west Metro, and this cycle she's taken the leap into running her own.
Bottom line: K-Rod rocks. She has a tough row to hoe -- Maple Grove has historically not been fertile ground for DFLers at the state level, and her opponent is incumbent Rep. Kurt Zellers, who will probably have the House Republican Caucus working hard for him in September. But Team Rodriguez has officially completed their "first pass" through targeted voters in their doorknocking efforts, having visited 11,000 households across the district so far.
There's already been a few political games being played -- in a recent Facebook post, she noted that "the MN GOP sent a Freedom of Information [request] to my previous employers to snoop around" ... in cases like this, it's almost too bad that FOIA requests don't force the requestor to publish all information they receive, so Katie's previous employers could send back great stuff about her expertise in public budget management and ensure that those missives were published in their entirety by the GOP.
In any case, the party opposite is clearly taking her challenge seriously. Nevertheless, Katie told me the response she's been getting from voters has been great, and that's good news both for her campaign and for Maple Grove.
The link to her campaign site is above -- if you're in the area, I strongly encourage you to get connected to and involved with Katie's campaign.
Foung Hawj (Hew) is one of nine candidates running for the Minnesota state house seat on east side of St Paul, Senate District 67. The nine candidates running in the DFL primary race have many excellent choices, with no DFL endorsed candidate.
I find interviewing people to be my most fascinating work. And Foung is one of the most interesting interviews that I have had. I am presenting the parts of the interview that you are not likely to get elsewhere.
I have been an Assistant County Attorney for over 8 years, prosecuting crimes affecting the most vulnerable in our society. I can say from firsthand experience that it takes a special kind of person to successfully run a large office of prosecutors. Former Saint Paul City Attorney and candidate for Ramsey County Attorney John Choi is a leader who has those types of management skills.
You do not have to take my word for it. I am happy to share that some of the most prominent chief prosecutors in Minnesota have now endorsed John. This distinguished group includes Vice President (and former MN Attorney General) Walter Mondale, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, Former US District Court Chief Judge (and former MN Attorney General) Miles Lord, Former MN Attorney General Mike Hatch and Former MN Attorney General Warren Spannaus.
Here is what Vice President Walter Mondale recently said, "John Choi has the experience and integrity to be an outstanding Ramsey County Attorney. He will aggressively fight crime, especially domestic abuse and gang violence, while taking innovative steps to prevent crime. I strongly support him for Ramsey County Attorney.
In addition, John has also been endorsed by Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, Former U.S. Attorney Tom Berg, Former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, Former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug, Former Hennepin County Attorney Tom Johnson, Anoka County Attorney Robert M.A. Johnson, Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster, and Former Hennepin County Attorney Gary Flakne.
Former U.S. Attorney David Lillehag recently said, "The Ramsey County Attorney's Office is a critical agency in ensuring the public's safety. A County Attorney must have good judgment and the ability to lead and manage career prosecutors. As the Saint Paul City Attorney, John has been tested and he has proven that he has the skills necessary to be a superior County Attorney."
In addition to these endorsements, John has the support of more than 80 current and former elected officials, past bar association presidents, the Saint Paul Police Federation, Firefighters Local 21, IAFF Local 3939, AFSCME Local 5, the Ramsey County DFL, the DFL Seniors, Veterans, and Stonewall Caucuses, Teamsters Local 120, Laborers Local 132, Minnesota Pipe Trades Association, Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation (AFL-CIO), Teamsters Joint Council 32 DRIVE, United Transportation (Minnesota), and Minnesota Nurses Association.
Please cast your ballot August 10th for the candidate with the right leadership experience for this important office. Cast your ballot for John Choi for Ramsey County Attorney.
Cory Tennison
Political Director
Volunteers for Choi
Satveer Chaudhary has had a very bad couple of months and it doesn't look to be getting better for him anytime soon, from today's Pioneer Press:
The Minnesota state senator who pushed through last-minute legislation for Fish Lake that contributed to the governor's veto of a major fish and game bill is the subject of a federal tax lien for $252,000 in past-due income taxes, the News Tribune has learned.
Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, and his wife, Denise, failed to pay $100,000 in income taxes in 2007 and $151,000 in 2008, according to tax records.
Ouch. That's quite the tax hit. Here is Chaudhary's attempt at an explanation:
Chaudhary, who owns a home on Fish Lake that would have been affected by his legislation, told the Duluth News Tribune on Thursday that the delinquent taxes were due to his wife's wrongful termination by Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company.
"It forced her to exercise or lose some of her stock options," he said. "In general, she had to use some of her stocks to purchase other stocks, and so that led to a huge tax liability."
He said his wife has filed a wrongful termination suit against Celgene with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.
He said he didn't know the reason for the 2007 tax delinquency and was checking with his accountant to learn more.
It's hard to tell what effect, if any, this will have on Chaudhary's already difficult re-election bid, I mean at this point the damage has been done, but for anyone still on the fence about Chaudhary's actions this is yet one more issue to cause doubts.
Over the weekend I moved from Minneapolis to Columbia Heights; from district 61A represented by Karen Clark and Linda Berglin, to district 50A represented by Carolyn Laine and Satveer Chaudhary.
Tonight is the SD 50 DFL Central Committee meeting to decide if Chaudary will keep his DFL endorsement. The outcome will determine if the primary will be contested or not as former state Rep. Barb Goodwin has said she will challenge Chaudary in the primary if he is stripped of the endorsement, which she also characterized as a likely occurrence. I'll have more on this after the committee meeting today.
In this post I instead wanted to focus on Carolyn Laine's GOP opponent for state house this year, Timothy Utz. Let's just start with the quote on the front page of his website:
"Liberty only endures when Americans diligently use the chains of the Constitution to restrain the three branches of government." ~Timothy Utz
February 9, 2010
What exactly does that mean? What are the "chains of the Constitution"? I thought that the point of the three branches of government was to restrain each other. Aren't the three branches of government made up of Americans? This is one of those quotes that's meant to sound really deep and meaningful, but it doesn't mean anything.
I've been following the continuing Eden Prairie GOPer Mayor Phil Young Scandal; Part 4 (which has links to parts 1, 2, and 3) is here.
And as Joe posted earlier, Young is DEFINITELY taking more heat; the 4th - 4th - Strib story on this scandal is here.
There's an "Open Podium" at 6:30 pm, before tonight's 7:00 pm Council Meeting. I'm supposed to speak first, as I was the first to sign up, but: GOPer Young turned the gavel over to a fellow GOPer so we'll see how that works out!
TheUpTake might be streaming it live; go over there around 6:15 and take a look to see if you can watch the ol' TwoPutter deliver the following remarks!
Hey, political news in my neck of the woods! Eden Prairie Mayor Phil Young's apparent misuse of reimbursement funds, allegedly claiming reimbursements for meetings he either didn't attend and some that didn't even occur, is hitting home.
Critics see the mayor's repeated expense-report transgressions as a breach of trust that should prompt his resignation. A city employee involved in a similar matter would have been fired, they contend.
As Young waits to learn whether he will face misdemeanor charges for the erroneous claims, he will hear from constituents on Tuesday. It's the first City Council meeting since news reports surfaced about the police investigation of his case.
For an open microphone session that promises to be well attended, he has turned the meeting gavel over to City Council Member Brad Aho.
...
Longtime resident Tommy Johnson, a blogger and political pundit, says he will tell the council that Young must go.
"Good leaders lead by example," Johnson said. One false expense claim "is an accident, two is a coincidence, three is a pattern and 26 is inexcusable. I think he should resign and I think he should be prosecuted."
Yep, that's MPP's own TwoPuttTommy. Great work covering this thing, TwoPutt. Yet another interesting aspect of this is that EP City Council Member Ron Case should be on hand -- Case is the DFL-endorsed candidate for the SD42 State Senate seat currently held by Republican David Hann.
Sixth District DFLers Unite to Defeat Michele Bachmann
Maureen Reed ends campaign, endorses DFL-endorsed candidate, Tarryl Clark
St. Paul (June 6, 2010) - Dr. Maureen Reed dropped out of the election in Minnesota's sixth congressional district today, and endorsed State Senator Tarryl Clark. State Chair Brian Melendez released this statement:
"First, I want to congratulate Dr. Reed for running a diligent and spirited campaign. She and her staff, volunteers and supporters have put in long hours and done their part to spread the word on Michele Bachmann's failures. Throughout it all, we were working toward the same goal, and now, we welcome them to the team of supporters uniting behind Tarryl to take back the sixth district.
"With such major challenges facing our state and our nation, there is a lot at stake in this year's elections. DFLers are united and focused on unseating Minnesota's most ineffective, absentee member of Congress who will do anything except work for the people of her district. Working together, we will elect Tarryl Clark this November, and finally give sixth district residents the representation they deserve."
Former State Rep. Ron Erhardt has decided not to run for the 41A House seat he once occupied.
The district, which covers part of Edina, used to be an easy hold for Erhardt, who was a moderate Republican representative. But in 2008 he was turned out on his political ear for voting to overturn Tim Pawlenty's veto of the transportation bill, and ran as an independent against eventual Republican victor Keith Downey and DFLer Kevin Staunton.
This time around, there was some question as to whether Erhardt would run again, but this decision makes it a two-way race between Downey and Staunton, who's back for another go.
There's some reason for Staunton and his supporters to be hopeful as well. Edina has been turning blue rapidly over the past three election cycles, and Rep. Paul Rosenthal won in 2008 on his second try at the 41B seat. With a solid ground game and a clear message, 41A is a winnable seat, especially against an incumbent like Downey who, if reports from the district hold any truth, doesn't do much to appeal to moderate suburban voters (he won with just 36% in 2008).
As he filed for the race, DFLer Staunton released a statement:
"Ron [Erhardt] deserves our thanks for his 18 years of service. I look forward to continuing his legacy as Edina's next moderate voice in the state legislature."
...
"This campaign is about whether we are going to dismantle the Minnesota Miracle and give up on our future or take responsibility for making the tough decisions today that will bring the next generation of Edina and Minnesota citizens the quality of life we have been so fortunate to enjoy."
John Harrington, the previous St Paul police chief has filed to run as a Democrat for the east-side St Paul State Senate seat of the popular State Senator Mee Moua. Senator Mee Moua is not running again. In the backdrop of Polly's coffee shop, I interviewed John Harrington. While we spoke of many things, part of my job is bring out the essence of what I see in a potential candidate. I see in John these charateristics:
Caring for the community
Problem solving skills that target the roots of problems in practical ways
Eloquence in the ability to persuade
So if you can only watch one clip of this interview, check out this one on problem solving.
An interesting situation in Illinois makes for an appropriate news story to cover amidst all this debate about what Arizona's new immigration law does and does not require, and how it relates to the proposed immigration law in Minnesota.
The Minnesota version proposed Representatives Steve Drazkowski and Greg Davids, has been discussed throughout the state, and on this blog http://www.mnprogressiveprojec...
Eduardo Caraballo is an American citizen(being born in Puerto Rico makes you a US citizen, since, you know, Puetro Rico belongs to the US).
He was arrested last Friday outside of his family owned hair salon in connection to a car robbery that he says he is innocent of. When his bail was posted, he was not released to go home, rather he was released to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement because, they felt he might be in the US illegally.
Even after his mother brought his "papers" to show the immigration enforcement officials, it took them until Tuesday (amidst some calls from a Congressional office) to figure out his legal status as a natural born American citizen.
Something is broken, and we need federal comprehensive immigration reform to make our country a safe and livable place for all people wanting to live legally in our great country. So that we don't have situations like this one in Illinois, and reactionary laws proposed and/or passed in places like Minnesota and Arizona.
Mary Ellen Otremba has decided to retire rather than stand for reelection later this year, giving us a total of 14 State Representatives who are leaving open seats.
The Senate has some retiring leaders too, but let's be honest, the Senate really isn't a problem right now. The DFL has a huge majority, and could lose about 9 seats and still maintain that majority.
But the House is a different animal -- the DFL is close to a veto-proof majority right now, and probably will lose some seats regardless of retiree numbers. But how many?
As I am talking to folks across Ramsey county, I surprised to hear Republicans splitting themselves into two groups: Roosevelt Republicans vs Tea Party Republicans. The Roosevelt Republicans are Republican brand loyal from the days of President Roosevelt, yet they feel alienated from the current Republican party. Both groups are calling each other not-real Republicans.
Roosevelt Republicans like less taxes and yet are winning to raise taxes if the cause is worthy enough. Roosevelt Republicans like balanced budgets, government that actually works and would rather stay out of social issues.
Tea Party Republicans think think that taxes are forbidden unless one is building a stadium. They think that government should disappear except for enforcing social issues as long as the social issues are only considered from only their perspective.
The point here is that if someone gave the Roosevelt Republicans some visibility and if a leader appeared, then Republican party will probably go to full out war. Emmer is clearly a Tea Party candidate. Is the independent Tom Horner a candidate for the Roosevelt Republicans? Can Tom Horner be that leader?
The split is there. Can Democrats craft persuasions that will appeal to Roosevelt Republicans? Can we identify and track them? Here is an opportunity for better government in Minnesota, if we can find a way to build bridges to connect with Roosevelt Republicans to win elections.
As you know, Rep. Steve Drazkowski and Rep. Greg Davids recently proposed immigration legislation not unlike Arizona's new law. http://mnprogressiveproject.co... http://mnprogressiveproject.co... Minnesota does not have time to deal with Drazkowski and Davids. Yes, everyone is entitled to express their opinion freely, but it is our job to open those ideas up to criticism and dissent. So how can we prevent an Arizona-like immigration policy in Minnesota? By electing new representation. Steve Kemp is running for David's seat in House District 31B and NEEDS YOUR HELP!! Here is Kemp's comment on the immigration proposal:
Recently, Representatives Steve Drazkowski and Greg Davids introduced immigration legislation that Rep. Drazkowski admits is a waste of the legislature's time. This law would require more mandated work with little increased funding. It's a tragic continuation of Governor Pawlenty's "do more with less" philosophy long supported by Representatives Davids, Drazkowski, and Tom Emmer, a philosophy that has brought our state to the dire economic situation that it currently faces. It's a law that enforcement professionals in Minnesota have already said is not needed. Lets not add on to the burden of our local law enforcement departments that are already feeling the tight squeeze of our budget crisis. This proposed law would create a Minnesota where racial profiling is not only encouraged, but legally prescribed. This legislation provides a venue for anyone in the state to sue the government if they believe law enforcement is not making a "reasonable attempt to enforce" the proposed law, how do we measure that? We need to be focusing on our current problems, not creating more. We need to focus on our crumbling roads, our schools, and our budget crisis. Minnesota is not Arizona and that's a good thing. Let's not follow them down the same bumpy road, let's lead Minnesota down a different path, a path to financial soundness and economic prosperity, with safe roads and a good education. As for Arizona and its recent immigration law, let us Minnesotans remain colder in climate, not colder in heart.
Kemp is ready to tackle the tough issues in St. Paul. His dog Gus even thinks so (he has his own blog). Please consider supporting Steve by contributing to his campaign.
That poll we told you about yesterday has disappeared, replaced with more standard fare about how the evil liberals are going to tax your pets. Surprised?
Their online advocates were kind enough to respond, getting top billing on the party's website:
RACISTS!! You are all RACISTS! Oh, uh, except French people aren't a race....hmm, yeah, neither are Mexicans. You could pick a hundred other countries, a hundred other languages and make the same comparison. This was a light-hearted use of the Spanish language in a silly internet poll. These people aren't logical, they're nuts, moonbats all.
They can't argue the issue which is this: Should Arizonans continue to allow people to knowingly, willingly break the law or not? Or should Arizonans try to do something about it? It's as simple as that. That's the issue in Arizona.
Wrong once more, Sheila. That is most certainly not the issue in Arizona. Let's check in with Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com, who outlines the major features of the odious new law and the problems inherent in polling on it:
_ Requires police officers to "make a reasonable attempt" to determine the immigration status of a person if there is a "reasonable suspicion" that he or she is an illegal immigrant. Race, color or national origin may not be the only things considered in implementation. Exceptions can be made if the attempt would hinder an investigation.
_ Allow lawsuits against local or state government agencies that have policies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws. Would impose daily civil fines of $1,000-$5,000. There is pending follow-up legislation to halve the minimum to $500.
...
To their credit, Rasmussen later asked people whether they were concerned that "efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants will also end up violating the civil rights of some U.S. citizens"; 58 percent said they were in fact somewhat or very concerned. But that finding did not get their lede, nor was that concern expressed relative to Arizona's law itself.
Those are the real issues in play here. Law enforcement officers aren't just empowered to inquire as to immigration status; they are required to do so if there is "reasonable suspicion" that the subject might be an undocumented immigrant. The rightful concern is that being brown in Arizona now constitutes "reasonable suspicion" and that law-abiding citizens will be required to carry identification papers with them everywhere they go to prove that they are not guilty of subverting the law.
I wonder if Eden Prairie's own Ms. Kihne carries her immigration papers with her everywhere she goes. If she doesn't have immigration papers, that might be a problem -- neither do thousands of Latino citizens in Arizona who could wrongfully be deported under this law. But then, Ms. Kihne isn't a Latina, so she probably doesn't have much to worry about, even if she travels to Arizona.
We'll leave out the enabling of lawsuits against municipalities who don't live up to this god-awful law's supporters' idea of what enforcing this law means.
Of course no good GOP scandal is complete without claims that it was all just a lighthearted joke that the liberals took way out of context, blah blah blah.
But if it was all just a joke, why was the poll yanked so quickly once it was publicized? And then changed, then manipulated, then pulled altogether and replaced with more neutral content? When does "bad sense of humor" graduate to "entirely inappropriate"?
