Bluestem Prairie

Sutton's secretive slush fund, Count Them All Properly, Inc., changes management

Bluestem has a long history of posting about "Count Them All Properly, Incorporated," the 2010 gubernatorial recount slush fund for which failed burrito baron and former state party chair Tony Sutton committed the Republican Party of Minnesota as the equivalent of an unknowing co-signer for a pile of debts.

Last month's revelation was news to everyone except Sutton and a small group of lawyers, seen and unseen, since he'd bragged last winter that unlike party finances, CTAPI's books wouldn't face public scrutiny. With the party under new management, the current occupants have owned up that they're disputing whether they have to pay Count Them All Properly's $719,000 unpaid legal bills.

In mid-December, Bluestem noted that Daniel Puhl,  go-to FEC compliance guy for Minnesota federal office candidates and agent for the recount fund, had moved on to a higher calling as the CFO and Director of Administration for the Republican National Committee.

That move is now reflected in Count Them All Properly, Inc's filing at the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. On December 15, papers were filed naming Mary Igo as CTAPI's registered agent. 

According to December 20, 2011 annual filing, the new CEO is Maple Grove's Jon Richard Schroeder, owner of  Maple Grove firm that represents manufacturers of heating and plumbing supplies. Schroeder has no record of large giving to the Republican Party on the state or federal level, according to databases at the Minnesotan Campaign Finance Board and the FEC. And while Maple Grove is located in SD32, there's no evidence of Republican activism by the businessman at the local GOP website (albeit the page hasn't been updated for months).

Igo is well-known in Republican circles; Schroeder, apparently not so much. Given the large role this entity now plays in determining the financial well-being of the Republican Party of Minnesota, it bears watching.

Image: The enduring legacy of Tony Sutton's fiscal genius, by Tild.

"Our own army": Emmer and Davis play doctored Hoffa tape when kvetching about political tone

Over at City Pages, Mike Mullen sends up conservative carping about glitzkrieg in in a glorious post, Tom Emmer wants criminal prosecutions for glitter-bombing.

But the whinging about poor Nick Espinosa as an obscure subject of desire doesn't come until late in the podcast. When Bluestem was asked by friends to listen to the podcast, we noticed something even more striking about Emmer and Davis's lamentations about the tonal horrors of contemporary political discourse.

To prove their points--and then to bash unions while calling for right-to-work-legislation to be passed in Minnesota--Emmer and Davis played a doctored tape of a speech by International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Jim Hoffa. By leaving out references to voting, what was Hoffa's call to the ballot box in November 2012 becomes instead a call to violence.

Some tone, dudes.

The Real Hoffa Speech

Here's what Hoffa said (full transcript taken from the Detroit Free Press):

Here is a transcript of Hoffa’s entire speech on Monday:

“Are there any Teamsters in the house? This is Motown, but today, this is union town. We are union, we are workers. That is the message that we send today, and that is the message that we send to America.

There is a war on workers. You see it everywhere: It is in the unemployment, it is in the Tea Party, it is in the people that fight what we believe in. And we see the war in Wisconsin where they try to take collective bargaining from our public employees. We took two senate seats back, we are taking Wisconsin back.

That’s number one. Number two, in Ohio, we are fighting a battle there with regard to taking away collective bargaining. We will beat SB5. We’ve got a million signatures. We are going to win in Ohio — that is our number two. And in Michigan, they are thinking about right to work. It ain’t going to happen in Michigan. No way.

We have to keep an eye on the battle we face — a war on workers. And you see it everywhere there is the Tea Party. And you know there is only one way to beat and win that war.

The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what, they’ve got a war, they’ve got a war with us and there is only going to be one winner. It is going to be the workers of Michigan and America – we are going to win that war. All the way.

But it starts with your involvement, it starts with next November. We’ve got a bunch of people there that don’t’ want the president to succeed, and they are called the Tea Party – the people who don’t want him to do anything right and he is working hard for us.

President Obama is frustrated by what’s going on. Well, guess what, we’ve got the vote. And the answer to what we say is, we remember in November. We will beat the Tea Party and give this country back to workers and America. We can do it together.”

We’ve also got to talk about jobs. I get so tired about people who …(inaudible) these big corporations that send our jobs to Mexico, they send our jobs to China, and they’ve got the audacity to say ‘where are the jobs?’

Well I’ve got news for you. It’s time to bring those jobs back to America and bring America back to work. That’s what we’ve got to do.

We are going to hear from President Obama in a few minutes, and I am so glad that he has come to Michigan because this is where he sees the real America. He looks out on this army of people and you know what I say? President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. President Obama, we want one thing: Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs…(The crowd joins the chant.)

That’s what we are going to tell America…..When he sees what we are doing here, he will be inspired, but he needs help. And you know what? Everybody here has got a vote. If we go back, we keep the eye on the prize, lets take these sons-of-bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.”

Some excerpts from the speech are found at ABCNews.com [link here] in which it's obvious that he's talking about working people will "take these sons-of-bitches out" of office via petition and the ballot box.  [Update] Moreover, it's not unusual for campaigns to be compared to war; indeed conservative bagman Charles Koch recently compared the 2012 election to the Iraq War. [end update]

The Origin of the Smear

But the tape Emmer and Davis play doesn't contain any reference to voting. Instead, they're playing the audio of a Fox News segment described in Media Matter's Timeline Of A Right-Wing Media Smear: Hoffa's Call To Vote Became "A Call For Violence":

Fox Then Aired Clearly Edited Video Of Hoffa's Comments. Approximately 20 minutes after Henry's initial report on Hoffa's comments, Fox News' Megyn Kelly reported that Hoffa had issued "a pretty harsh attack on the tea party and Republicans. Here's some of that now." Fox News then aired a clearly edited version of Hoffa's speech:

HOFFA: We gotta keep an eye on the battle that we face: a war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there's only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what, they got a war, they got a war with us, and there's only gonna be one winner. It's gonna be the workers of Michigan and America. We're gonna win that war.

[...]

HOFFA: President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march.

[...]

HOFFA: Let's take these son of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong! Thank you very much! [Fox News, America Live, 9/5/11]

Blakeman: "I Think It's Thuggery At Its Best." After she aired the clearly edited version of Hoffa's remarks, Kelly asked Republican consultant Brad Blakeman to respond. He said, "I think it's thuggery at its best" and "these are the kind of remarks you'd expect out of Tony Soprano, not a union president." Blakeman further said: "When a union president says, 'let's take these son of a bitches out,' it usually means somebody's legs are going to get broken, somebody's going to disappear." [Fox News, America Live, 9/5/11] . . .

It's that sort of discourse Emmer and Davis decry; sadly, they don't seem to know what Hoffa really said. There's no evidence of due dilgence, just two guys repeating a something they heard because it supports a talking point the political agenda they support: passing right-to-work laws.

Bluestem thinks that the right-to-work champion American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its corporate sponsors scored some real value last month when it gave Tom Emmer a press pass and let him in to its annual convention for free. Who says you can't buy earned media like this for your agenda?

Mosh now

Willful misinterpretation of Hoffa or just convenient laziness in failing to do the due diligence of checking a tape for accuracy? Does it matter?

The blather about the doctored audio Emmer and Davis bloviate over brought to mind words about voting by  another famous Detroit native, pop star Eminem. In 2004, he urged Americans to good to their polling places, knowing that his call for a fight would be taken the wrong way. He wrote in Mosh:

I scrutinize every word, memorize every line
I spit it once, refuel and re-energize and rewind
I give sight to the blind, my insight through the mind
I exercise my right to express when I feel it's time
It's just all in your mind, what you interpret it as
I say to fight, you take it as I'mma whip someone's ass
If you don't understand, don't even bother to ask

Just in case people were confused about what it means to speak and be heard in this country, the artist had a video made. It's dated and it's a different election, but by the end, it's clear what process Eminem is talking about. It's what Hoffa was talking about. Voting, dudes, but perhaps Emmer and Davis didn't hear that part.

Golddigger of 2006?: Golnik was MNGOP ED while treasurer conducted naughty fund transfers

Upon reading Sutton was treasurer: failed burrito baron's MNGOP fined $170K for shifting party funds, a friend of Bluestem wrote to remind us that Ben Golnik was executive director of the Republican Party from 2006 until March 2007. Prior to taking the position in January 2006, he served as political director beginning in April 2005.

Golnik's tenure as state party director becomes relevant when reviewing the period during which the party committed the acts for which the FEC fined it, and for Golnik's subsequent involvement in a party affair that concealed financial activity: the 2010 gubernatorial recount.

Unlike the Dayton campaign, which has publicly reported its recount spending, the Republican Party created a special account that isn't subject to public disclosure laws, the Associated Press reported.

The heady election of 2006

Back to the series of unfortunate financial events that happened during Sutton's watch as treasurer and Golnik's gig as Executive Director. Most of the mischief took place in 2006, an election year that ushered in Tim Pawlenty's reelection and Michele Bachmann's elevation to the national stage. Perhaps Sutton and Golnik were too busy to think about bookkeeping.

The consent agreement between the Republican party of Minnesota and the Federal Election Commission was generously posted at the Hot Dish Blog by Rachel Stassen-Berger. In it, readers learn that the party violated federal election law in two ways:

1.Respondents violated 2 U.S.C. § 434(b) by failing to report debts and obligations.

2.Respondents violated 2 U.S.C. § 441a(f) and 11 C.F.R. §§ 102.5(a) and 106.7(f) by making excessive transfers from the Committee’s non-federal account to its federal account for allocated administrative expense

Read the entire document for the details. According to sources who have worked with the MNGOP, expenses have to be approved by the Executive Director, and the ED reviews campaign finance reports for the treasurer. Current MNGOP chair, failed burrito baron Tony Sutton, was treasurer at the time the violations were set in motion.

The forgotten years of Ben Golnik

Golnik left the MNGOP and its mixed up financial files in March 2007 to work for McCain's early presidential campaign, the Big Question noted, but was demoted to volunteer Minnesota coordinator when the Arizona senator ran out of money. Golnik rose from the dead with the McCain campaign, the BQ reported, serving as "regional campaign manager for a territory stretching from Minnesota to Idaho, including the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming."

A month after Golnik left the party without helping to clean up, Darren  Bearson, now ED for the Ohio Republicans after serving as a regional political director for the RNC during the midterm elections, was hired as Golnik's replacement. The FEC reports were amended under his watch, if Bluestem reads the timeline of the consent agreement correctly.

Then Tony Sutton was elected chair in the summer of 2009. In New state GOP chairman reorganizes staff, Capitol View readers learned:

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman-elect Tony Sutton today announced he would be appointing Ryan Griffin executive director . . .

Sutton praised the work of Carey and executive director Darren Bearson, who he says will continue to play a role in helping elect Minnesota Republicans.

"I was impressed by Darren's achievements during his tenure as executive director. His considerable skills in decision-making, political strategy and financial management have helped make our Party stronger. I look forward to continuing to work together in the future," Sutton said.

"2010 is going to be an important year for Minnesota Republicans. It will be an incredible opportunity to focus on the future of this great state, and I look forward to working with the new team," Darren Bearson said.

Ryan Griffin previously worked on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's successful 2002 race and has worked with both the House and Senate Republican Caucuses. . . .

Golnik would pop up again, working for energy concerns and Marty Seifert's gubernatorial endorsement bid, then move on to engineer the GOP senate caucus takeover of the chamber. Then the 2010 gubernatorial recount happened.

Counting them all properly in 2010

Tony Sutton quickly took over the recount efforts from the Emmer campaign, as MinnPost reported in GOP's saber-rattling Tony Sutton vows aggressive recount fight:

This time, the state GOP is taking over the legal reins for candidate Tom Emmer, and they've hired Michael E. Toner. He's the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission under George W. Bush. He is highly respected by election lawyers nationwide. But Democratic sources told me they were unaware whether he has any extensive recount experience.

Minnesota Republican Party lawyer Tony Trimble, who was one of Coleman's chief lawyers, is also on the team. . . .

A few days later, Sutton hired Golnik to run the recount effort for the Republican Party of Minnesota.  Using AP and original reporting, Minnesota Public Radio reported in Emmer attorney says no thought to waiving recount:

Meanwhile, the state Republican Party, which is coordinating Emmer's recount efforts, announced that a prominent strategist would lead the team. Ben Golnik is a former party executive director, who ran presidential candidate John McCain's campaign in the state in 2008. . . .

The Republican Party then created Count Them All Properly Inc., a separate account free from state or federal disclosure.

MPR reported in MNGOP won't disclose recount fundraising:

The Republican Party of Minnesota and Republican Tom Emmer's campaign for governor will not disclose the money it raised to help with the recount. Minnesota Republican Party Chair Tony Sutton said today that the group created a separate corporate account, Count Them All Properly Inc., for their recount efforts. He said they won't disclose the amount of money raised or by whom -- and state and federal laws don't require them to release it.

Golnik's firm does show up in the RPM's state account end of year report.  According to the amended RPM year-end campaign finance report, Golnik Strategies LLC was paid $6000.00 on November 19, 2010, by the Republican Party of Minnesota, for fundraising and political consulting. It's likely this is his fee for the recount.

But since the public doesn't get to see the secret account, Bluestem will never know what was spent, but at last Golnick and Sutton had found a way to keep those thugs at CREW off their backs while they hid money.

Golnik-Emmer tensions continue

Perhaps the story should end there, but there's a sequel every bit as dramatic as the pelf: the Great Golnik-Emmer Conflict of 2011.

Golnik's involvement in the recount didn't end tensions between the one-time Seifert supporter and Emmer. Both threw their hats into the ring for an open RNC committee seat, while political observers with a keen eye order popping corn by the dump truck load.

They didn't disappoint. A Weekly Report in PIM from reported:

We also hear Emmer and political operative Golnik mixed it up a little this week at an 8th Congressional District Republican gathering in McGregor. There's, of course, history between Emmer and Golnik. Golnik was a campaign advisor for Emmer's 2010 GOP endorsement opponent, Marty Seifert. However, Golnik also managed the Emmer campaign's recount efforts following the razor-thin general election.

The final sentence has value only if one assumes that Sutton's takeover--which ran the recount, not the Emmer campaign--was entirely welcomed and voluntary on Emmer's part. Sources tell Bluestem that efforts to extract not only the recount effort itself, but the remaining dollars in Emmer's campaign committee kitty, weren't entirely amicable.

That effort is said to have fortified Golnik when he was able enact his revenge against Emmer at the 2011 state central committee meeting when Jeff Johnson was elected RNC delegate in one ballot. Golnik himself had wanted to be a RNC committee member, but withdrew when he decided to spend more time with his young family. Bluestem looked at the politics of his departure in Disturbance at the elephant house: MNGOP party platform purity tests RNC candidates.

Upon leaving the RNC committee member race, Golnik threw his energy behind the remaining candidate Not Named Tom Emmer. PIM's Charlie Shaw wrote in RNC upset: Johnson spanks Emmer on one ballot:

. . .Johnson ran an aggressive effort that included a strong floor presence at the State Central Committee meeting. In some respects, the RNC election was a rematch of the 2010 GOP State Convention fight in which Emmer beat Seifert. Key operatives for Seifert, including campaign veterans Gregg Peppin and Ben Golnik, helped execute a thorough floor strategy. "A lot of the Seifert team was in [the Johnson campaign's] red T-shirts, and that made a difference," one attendee noted. . . .

. . .On the campaign finance front, Emmer drew the ire of some in the party by not using the $46,000 in leftover cash to help the state GOP pay off its legal expenses from the statewide ballot recount that followed last year's general election. While the issue of financial support would be mere background noise in the context of a campaign for public office, the issue was a sore spot to some party activists. . .

In many feuds, that would have ended it, but a chafing public embarrassment remained for Tony Sutton and the Republican Party. As part of the recount effort, the Republican Party--and not the Emmer campaign--had ordered every county to send copies of every election related record to it post haste, with threats of legal action if the records weren't prepared immediately.

Then the party failed to pay many of the counties.

Newspaper reports of the bad debts flowered like spring beauties in the hills, Senator John Howe pleaded for senate majority caucus members pony up, and then Cindy Brucato's column appeared MinnPost, Emmer sends checks from campaign fund to reimburse counties for recount expenses.

Bluestem used the final item in that series to ask Missing at Minnpost: Why isn't Tony Sutton talking about Count Them All Properly Inc. recount fund? because we could.

In short, the FEC fine doesn't look out of character for guys like Sutton--it only looks like an early career blunder, before they learn better ways to hide the lettuce.  If it weren't for those pesky rural counties, that is.

Update: Ben Golnik is now serving as a campaign adviser to freshman congressman Chip Cravaack, and was recently heard from in Cravaack's Campaign Disputes Legal Bill:

A New Jersey law firm has filed a claim against U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack for unpaid legal services.

Jeff Neu, of J.C. Neu & Associates of Red Bank, N.J., says his firm is seeking reimbursement of legal services provided to Cravaack during his congressional campaign. The Republican congressman reported a $32,250 claim from Neu to the Federal Elections Commission and characterized the bill as "disputed." Cravaack's campaign adviser, Ben Golnik, tells the Duluth News Tribune that it's an ongoing legal matter which they are working to resolve.

Neu says the case is in arbitration. No hearing has been scheduled before the New Jersey Arbitration Board. . . .

Popcorn, anyone?

Photos: Ben Golnik, above; Tony Sutton, below.

Now earning $100,000 party salary, Sutton exploits shutdown in MNGOP fundraising email

The pixels had scarcely dried on Bluestem's post, Did Emmer finish paying party's bills? MNGOP to pay failed burrito baron $100,000 salary, when Mr. Google Alert brought an item in Politico to my attention.

In Minnesota shutdown persists; Mark Dayton says GOP taking advantage, Politico reports that Sutton is singing for his supper, tone-deaf as he may be:

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton condemned Minnesota’s Republican Party on Tuesday for trying to raise money off the state government shutdown.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate that we raise money off this,” he said at an afternoon press conference outside his state capitol office, after an hourlong meeting with the top two Republican legislative leaders.

But that $100,000 has to come from somewhere, right? And the MNGOP didn't just owe counties money for the recount, but a horde of other vendors as well, after the 2010 election. Why, back on June 1, Bluestem reported in From the fascinating FEC reports of the Republican Party of Minnesota: of counties, committees, and candidates, that there was even a sitting freshman state senator on the list of open receipts.

Now Sutton began drawing a salary as well last Friday, coincidentially the same day that the shutdown began. Certainly this new expense, along with older debts, at the Republican Party of Minnesota headquarters creates an incentive for some aggressive fundraising on Sutton's part.

Given the situation, Speaker Zeller's fastidiousness seems well advised:

The Republican speaker of the state House, Kurt Zellers, distanced himself from the solicitation.

“We don’t communicate with Chairman [Tony] Sutton,” he said at a capitol press conference.

“I can’t direct them to do or not do something,” Zellers said of the state party.

Sutton, the GOP state chairman, sent an email solicitation earlier in the afternoon asking for $25, $50 or $100 contributions to “help us stop Mark Dayton and build for the next election.”

“Our Republican majorities are all that stand between Dayton and his desire to raise taxes on the hard-working citizens of Minnesota,” Sutton said in the email.

When a local journalist sought comment from the Republican budget negotiators, deputy state GOP chair and state Senate communications staffer Michael Brodkorb interjected that Democrats are doing it, too.

Asked about this later, Dayton said his state party is pushing a petition offering support. He said that’s “appropriate” because there’s no request for money.

The failed burrito baron, however, doesn't skip a beat in launching a little classy warfare:

Sutton has no apologies for the email. He called Dayton’s comments “outrageous.”

“It’s easy for him to say because he self-financed his campaign for governor and he’s got his allies spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV right now,” Sutton told POLITICO.

Photo: Has MNGOP chair and failed burrito baron Tony Sutton opened a self-serve joint at party headquarters? You be the judge. Image by the divine Tild.

Did Emmer finish paying party's bills? MNGOP to pay failed burrito baron $100,000 salary

It's no wonder that the ersatz socialist Mike Parry whines about his legislative salary being too low, gobbles up all the per diem money and housing allowance that he can while the legislature is convened, and now takes his paycheck and per diem during the state shutdown.

A simple invidious comparison with the new $100,000 salary the Republican Party of Minnesota is doling out to failed burrito baron and state party chair Tony Sutton must make Parry feel as if he belongs in the Waseca County Poor Farm.

Such a state of affairs would provoke the urge for pecuniary emulation even in men with stronger wills than a state senator from Southern Minnesota.

Bluestem, however, frets over other concerns. Last Wednesday, June 29, over at the Minnesota Progressive Project, team member Tommy Johnson wrote in Tony Sutton's Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Minnesota Counties:

For months and Months and MONTHS here at MPP, we've covered the Deadbeat MnGOP's refusal to pay their debts to Minnesota Counties for the services they demanded - DEMANDED - concerning the  November 2010 Election Recount.

And that's just here, at MPP - - SallyJo at Bluestem Prairie has been all over this scandal, too.

And just this morning, I found two, and possibly three, Counties that STILL HAVEN'T BEEN PAID - Cass, Fillmore, and Grant.  There may be more; after two "No" and a "Don't think so; will get back to you" why keep going?

The funny thing is, despite Tony Sutton claiming way back in March that the MnGOP would pay it's bills, it took someone else to to it!

Yes, Beltrami, Chisago, and Clearwater counties told me earlier today that Tom Emmer stepped up and did what Tony Sutton's MnGOP wouldn't - pay some bills. . ..

One certainly hopes that Sutton is grateful to Emmer for clearing the way for an income stream to flow from the MNGOP into his bank account rather than to county coffers. 

The other Sutton item simply made Bluestem giggle like a schoolgirl in a new dress. Via Brian Lambert at the Daily Glean afternoon edition, the New American (the essential news source for freedom-loving Americans that's published by American Opinion Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of The John Birch Society), BSP learned that the failed burrito baron was judging Governor Mark Dayton by the exacting standards of his own business acumen:

GOP Chairman Tony Sutton: “[Mark Dayton] is a dilettante lecturing businesspeople in this state on how to live their lives and run their businesses. As a small business owner, I know what it is like to sweat out making a payroll. Sometimes you even hold your own check to ensure that people get paid because they depend on it. He has never had to experience these things.”

Bluestem hopes that Governor Dayton manages the state better than Tony Sutton handled Baja Sol before TCF boss,  GOP bigwig and relatively silent partner Bill Cooper assumed control of the business and showed the last Sutton to the door.

Photo: MNGOP party boss and failed burrito baron Tony Sutton probably isn't accepting his salary in these bills.

Missing at Minnpost: Why isn't Tony Sutton talking about Count Them All Properly Inc.recount fund?

In my twitter feed, many readers express astonishment at this passage in Cindy Brucato's column in today's MinnPost, Emmer sends checks from campaign fund to reimburse counties for recount expenses:

Thanks to recent Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the check really is in the mail for Minnesota counties waiting to get repaid for their recount expenses.

When Emmer heard that around 20 counties were still waiting for the state Republican Party to reimburse them, he contacted the county auditors directly and sent them checks from the balance in the Tom Emmer for Governor campaign fund – about $20,000 to $25,000, he estimated.

"This is not my responsibility, but I feel it's my obligation," he said.

Emmer said he was startled to learn that the counties were still waiting for reimbursements almost six months after the recount was finalized. The invoices for such services as copying costs and requests for information had gone to the Republican Party which, like the DFL, is stretched financially after the 2010 election expenses.

'It allowed me to help the party'
"It caught me a little off guard and so I started calling some of them," he said. "It allowed me to help the party. It allowed me to call these folks to say thank you."

Provided that Sutton really was telling the truth in the past few weeks when he's said that he hasn't talked to Tom Emmer about the recount bills, Brucato's readers shouldn't find Emmer's statement surprising.

They might be better able to understand this passage if they simply recall two facts from last November. First,  failed burrito baron Tony Sutton moved with great alacrity to have the recount effort put under the control of the Republican Party of Minnesota, rather than the Emmer campaign.

The most entertaining contemporary analysis of this development last year remains Jay Weiner's article, also on MinnPost, GOP's saber-rattling Tony Sutton vows aggressive recount fight. Weiner wrote:

This was Day One of The Next Big Recount, and the Republicans aren't going to go gently after Tuesday's long election night.

For one, they're going national with their legal team. In 2008, Sen. Coleman oversaw his recount team and went local. This time, the state GOP is taking over the legal reins for candidate Tom Emmer, and they've hired Michael E. Toner. He's the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission under George W. Bush. He is highly respected by election lawyers nationwide. But Democratic sources told me they were unaware whether he has any extensive recount experience.

Minnesota Republican Party lawyer Tony Trimble, who was one of Coleman's chief lawyers, is also on the team.

For another, Sutton came out swinging, noting early and often at Republican Party headquarters today. . .

Thus, unlike the Coleman campaign, the Emmer campaign didn't oversee contact with election officials. Given that, why and how would Tom Emmer know--months later--who had or hadn't been paid? Has Sutton shared the RPM's books? Doesn't sound like in Brucato's article.

The second fact is like unto it, but more significant. For while the Federal Election Commission oversees regulation of the federal accounts of the Republican Party of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board reviews the state accounts of the party, no agency at either level reviews the accounts of Count Them All Properly Inc., the fund Tony Sutton set up to fund the recount efforts.

Via the Bluestem post, From the fascinating FEC reports of the Republican Party of Minnesota: of counties, committees, and candidates,  MPR reported in MNGOP won't disclose recount fundraising:

The Republican Party of Minnesota and Republican Tom Emmer's campaign for governor will not disclose the money it raised to help with the recount. Minnesota Republican Party Chair Tony Sutton said today that the group created a separate corporate account, Count Them All Properly Inc., for their recount efforts. He said they won't disclose the amount of money raised or by whom -- and state and federal laws don't require them to release it.

How would Tom Emmer--or his treasurer--know if this separate corporate account had paid any of its bills? How will anyone?

Brucato notes that the assumption of the county bills by the Emmer committee will take some fancy footwork with regard to the state campaign finance rules that regulate gubernatorial committees:

Emmer said the campaign surplus came from contributions that arrived after the November election and that repayment to the counties leaves the campaign with just a few dollars on hand.

It also leaves the campaign with some explaining to do to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Usually, once all vendors are paid, campaign surpluses are designated to another campaign or political unit, like the Minnesota GOP, but Sutton believes such payments are a legitimate campaign expense.

There will be some kind of supplemental reporting, Emmer says.

Frankly, that seems fairly transparent. Meh.

Bluestem believes there's a far more interesting question posed by the element of this story that Brucato omitted from the columns. If Count Them All Properly Inc. didn't use money it raised to pay the counties, how was the money Sutton and his minions raised to pay for the recount spent?

While neither Sutton nor the RPM are legally obligated to disclose the books of CTAPI, perhaps the failed burrito baron might rise to the level of generosity displayed by Emmer and his committee. Surely, contributors must be wondering where the money went.

Related posts: From the fascinating FEC reports of the Republican Party of Minnesota: of counties, committees, and candidates

 From Howe's Epistle to the Deadbeats: news of MNGOP debt "spreading through the political blogs"

 

 

From Howe's Epistle to the Deadbeats: news of MNGOP debt "spreading through the political blogs"

Last night, Bluestem posted an entry looking at the last development in the sorry tale of the Republican Part of Minnesota's unpaid recount bills in Amid failed burrito baron's promises to pay counties, state senator rattles a tip jar while shaking its own begging bowl.

That's pixelated fish wrap now.

This morning, the Post Bulletin's Heather Carlson reports in Red Wing senator offers to help pay GOP'S recount bills to counties:

A Red Wing Republican senator is offering to donate money to help the Republican Party of Minnesota pay bills owed to several counties for last fall’s gubernatorial recount.

Sen. John Howe said it is time for the party to pay back these bills. In a letter he sent to members of the Republican caucus obtained by the Post-Bulletin, he wrote “ This is embarrassing and painfully indefensible. This damages us not just on the local level, but statewide as well. It is spreading through the political blogs, and must be a reason for much head shaking in water cooler conversations.” [emphasis added]

Asked about the letter, Howe said he never intended for it to be public.

Thank you, Post Bulletin, for sharing some of the deets in John Howe's epistle to the political deadbeats.

But there's more to the story that Carlson posted:

It appears that former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer is also working to get the bills paid. Houston County Auditor Char Meiners said she was pleasantly surprised to get a call from Emmer on Monday asking for a copy of the bill telling her he was going to try and get it paid. The party owes Houston County $1,067. Emmer did not return a phone call seeking comment on Monday.

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton said there is no need for Emmer or Howe to chip in. [emphasis added] He said the party sent out payments to eight counties last week. He said of the 87 counties in Minnesota, the party still owes money to 20 of them for a total of just under $20,000. Olmsted, Dodge and Mower counties are among those that have been paid back. He said the party plans to finish paying back counties shortly.

This is a fascinating development, especially that last paragraph. Earlier this spring, Bluestem had heard from conservative activists that Sutton was trying to get Emmer to paid for the bills with the money that remains in his gubernatorial campaign committee kitty.

Now I read in the Post Bulletin that Sutton doesn't feel the need for that, or for Howe's letter. Bluestem feels immense relief at learning that the rumors simply aren't true, not one single bit.

And Tony Sutton is a man of his word. The Post Bulletin reports:

The party owes $500,000 from the last election, which has made it tough to pay back the counties. Sutton did say a check for Houston County’s costs was sent out on Friday. As of Monday, the county had not yet received the check. . . .

Goodhue County Finance Director Carolyn Holmsten said they are still waiting for a check for $1,010 from the Republican Party of Minnesota. So far, she said their requests for payment have gone unanswered. . . .

It's a good thing to know, finally, that Sutton intends to clear this up and political blogs will no longer spread these stories.

Image: Bluestem is conducting a bleg, but please don't send us Tild's version of Tony Sutton's currency. Bluestem has plenty of those.

Related posts: Amid failed burrito baron's promises to pay counties, state senator rattles a tip jar

Winona Daily News spanks MNGOP for county recount fiscal irony

Failed boorish burrito baron's bills burden boonies

 Six months later, MNGOP failed burrito baron Sutton hasn't paid Brown County recount tab

The failed burrito baron bonus: MNGOP refries its beans about unpaid county recount copying

Mower County to Tony Sutton: Send us the $2,242 MNGOP owes for recount

New Madrid Fault moves north; or, Tony Sutton shakes it up in the Rochester Post Bulletin

"A lot of problems going on": Republican Party of Minnesota led way in letters from FEC

Google is not your friend; or, another winning strategy from MNGOP chair Tony Sutton

Career opportunities: Bridget Sutton is "no longer with" Baja Sol

Star Tribune finally notes Sutton-Baja split; Bluestem Prairie reported story March 7

 

Amid failed burrito baron's promises to pay counties, state senator rattles a tip jar

Bluestem Prairie has just learned it has competition for your coin as we near the seventh day of our bleg, or request for reader contributions.

The rival? Tony Sutton's Republican Party.

We knew times were tough, but an article in the Duluth News Tribune underscores just how tight money is. In GOP promises to repay counties’ recount costs, Forum Communications' veteran political writer Don Davis reports:

Republicans say they are paying what they owe Minnesota counties for information from last fall’s governor election recount.

“We have about 20 counties left to go,” GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said. “We have been chipping away on them.”

Sutton estimated that the party could finish paying its recount bills within four weeks. He said about $20,000 remains to be paid.

“It is about managing all the bills we have,” Sutton said.

The chairman answered questions about the issue Monday following a letter Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, sent to Republican legislative colleagues suggesting they contribute to pay the bills, although in an interview he thought just $3,000 to $4,000 remained.

“If we owe the money, we should pay it,” Howe said.

The first-year senator said he asked party officials more than a month ago whether a legislator or a campaign committee could make contributions. He said he had not heard back as of Monday.

Sutton, however, said that he has not talked to Howe for months and never heard the senator’s question.

The chairman said anyone can give to the party, and state campaign committees may donate to the party, although they could not earmark the contribution for any specific cause.

Why did Howe rattle the tip jar? Davis reports:

Howe said that the unpaid bills reflect poorly on the party and suggested that all 109 Republican lawmakers contribute.

Sutton said he would accept any donation.

Indeed.

Readers should respond to Howe and Sutton's appeals as they wish. And Bluestem will put the MNGOP's awkward moment to good use, and shamelessly shake our own begging bowl on the page. To our many generous readers who have already  contributed, many thanks. To those who can spare a dime, please consider contributing here.

To learn more, read Bluestem Prairie preservation drive: help keep a different prairie voice publishing.

Image: Please don't send us Tild's version of Tony's currency. Bluestem has plenty of those.

Related posts: Winona Daily News spanks MNGOP for county recount fiscal irony

Failed boorish burrito baron's bills burden boonies

 

Six months later, MNGOP failed burrito baron Sutton hasn't paid Brown County recount tab

The failed burrito baron bonus: MNGOP refries its beans about unpaid county recount copying

Mower County to Tony Sutton: Send us the $2,242 MNGOP owes for recount

New Madrid Fault moves north; or, Tony Sutton shakes it up in the Rochester Post Bulletin

"A lot of problems going on": Republican Party of Minnesota led way in letters from FEC

Google is not your friend; or, another winning strategy from MNGOP chair Tony Sutton

Career opportunities: Bridget Sutton is "no longer with" Baja Sol

Star Tribune finally notes Sutton-Baja split; Bluestem Prairie reported story March 7

Failed boorish burrito baron's bills burden boonies

If failed boorish burrito baron  Tony Sutton let customers stiff him at Baja Sol, the restaurant chain he and wife/Republican activist Bridget Sutton once co-owned, like he's done to Greater Minnesota counties, it' no wonder former business partner and TCF boss Bill Cooper showed them the door.

The Star Tribune reports today that the Republican Party of Minnesota still owes $27,115 to Greater Minnesota counties for 2010 gubernatorial recount.

In GOP still owes some counties for recount, readers learn:

The Republican Party of Minnesota still owes money to about one-third of the state's counties for work performed before the 2010 gubernatorial recount.

Thirty counties are owed a total of $27,115 for work processing data requests for the party, according to the GOP.

"We are picking away at them," said state party Chairman Tony Sutton.

The recount came after DFLer Mark Dayton scraped past Republican Tom Emmer by 9,257 votes.

GOP leaders filed a blizzard of requests around the state seeking data about election judges, absentee ballots and other issues in an effort to find voting irregularities. In the end, they dropped their challenge.

The party's debt ranges from $192 for Yellow Medicine County in western Minnesota to $2,020 for Goodhue County, southeast of the Twin Cities. . . .

As the related posts below indicate, Bluestem has kept a tab on this story. The Star Tribune sotry notes that the DFL has paid the counties all it owed for recount costs.

Related posts: Six months later, MNGOP failed burrito baron Sutton hasn't paid Brown County recount tab

The failed burrito baron bonus: MNGOP refries its beans about unpaid county recount copying

Mower County to Tony Sutton: Send us the $2,242 MNGOP owes for recount

New Madrid Fault moves north; or, Tony Sutton shakes it up in the Rochester Post Bulletin

"A lot of problems going on": Republican Party of Minnesota led way in letters from FEC

Google is not your friend; or, another winning strategy from MNGOP chair Tony Sutton

Career opportunities: Bridget Sutton is "no longer with" Baja Sol

Star Tribune finally notes Sutton-Baja split; Bluestem Prairie reported story March 7

 

Mower County gets paid by the MNGOP; party owed $31,000 to counties three weeks ago

Friends have been wondering how big the checks have to be that failed burrito baron and current MNGOP chair Tony Sutton needs to cut to Minnesota counties in order to pay off long-overdue recount costs.

A probable answer comes from behind the paid subscribers firewall at the Austin version of the Post Bulletin in the article County receives GOP payment, lesson:

As of three weeks ago, 31 counties still hadn't been reimbursed by the GOP, said Sharon Anderson, auditor/treasurer of Cass County. The total owed is about $31,000.[emphasis added]

The GOP still owes Cass County nearly $1,800.

"We have not received it," Anderson said Tuesday. "I've dropped that ball for the last couple of weeks; the reason I put that ball away is because our leadership spoke with the state party chair and the accountant and at least had a verbal assurance that as funds were raised, counties would get paid."

It's been frustrating, she admitted, but said she's been in regular contact with the Cass County attorney.

"I've lost patience," Anderson said. "I don't feel politically at liberty to go any further than the county administrators want."

Her position is an appointed one, unlike many of the state's auditor-treasurer roles.

Anderson hasn't spoken with Tony Sutton, the Republican Party chairman.

"Our leadership and association did the homework," she said, "and their advice to us is to keep sending the bill every month. I'm going to suggest to our county board that we should be invoking an interest charge on those late accounts."

Now, that figure is three weeks old, and presumably Sutton has paid a few more bills. Has he made a specific ask to contributors--or maybe to statewide Republican candidates who had money left in their kitties at the end of 2010? Say Pat Anderson's $3283 or Dan Severson's $8781?

That's a state fund, and if I understand things correctly, "Doc" can't roll the bucks over into a federal campaign committee if the charming Navy airman decides to sacrifice himself as the Official 2012 Republican U.S. Senate candidate to challenge centrist Amy Klobuchar.

There's that other guy's 2010 money, too, but he may have other plans for the fund.

But perhaps Sutton's mind is  preoccupied with more immediate matters. The Star Tribune reports in GOP activists are questioning state chairman:

A bitter divide in the state Republican Party over expanded gambling has activists saying they want a closer look at the party chairman's ties to the anti-gambling group he helps lead and the tribal money that funds it.

Republican leaders want Party Chairman Tony Sutton to explain how GOP activists on a closely held party database began receiving e-mails from Citizens Against Gambling Expansion, a group funded in part by American Indian casino operators opposed to gambling expansion.

"If Sutton wants to be part of CAGE, then he's going to have to answer questions," said John Gilmore, a St. Paul Republican who supports Sutton.

Sutton said Wednesday there's no proof CAGE even has the list. The group's chairman, Republican operative Jack Meeks, said the group built its own database over the past several years.

"We don't give anybody the list," said Sutton, a CAGE board member. He said the latest accusations are part of a "smear campaign" by those who want to expand gambling.

Sutton and the GOP are between a couple of rocks; I will not speculate about the hard places, as we simply aren't that close.

Image: Tild's take from last summer still has currency.

Six months later, MNGOP failed burrito baron Sutton hasn't paid Brown County recount tab

The New Ulm Journal reports in Brown County still awaits GOP payment for recount:

Half a year after the November gubernatorial recount, Brown County is still awaiting payment from the Republican Party of Minnesota.

A total of $1,441 is still owed to Brown County, which covers the cost of employee time to hand count the ballots and the materials sent to the Republicans.

Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Marlin Helget said he was astonished by how long it has taken the county to receive its money.

"I have never heard of something like this happening before in all my time here," said Helget.

Brown County tends to vote Republican; indeed, voters there backed Tom Emmer by 52.46 percent in November (with Dayton garnering 31.45 percent and Horner 15.16 , so Bluestem has to wonder why Sutton's GOP would do this sort of thing to a friendly area. Because he can?

The Brown County Auditor-Treasurer notes that the MNGOP wasn't Minnesota Nice when asking for the data:

"They were pretty nasty and harsh. We just sent the stuff because we concerned about the legal risk," said Helget, "They were demanding everything yesterday. But, they turned around and didn't pay."

Helget said Brown County has repeatedly sent requests for payments to the Republicans since then, but have received no response.

"They act like they've never gotten our bill," said Helget.

Staff writer Josh Moniz reports that Sutton promises to pay:

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairperson Tony Sutton said the Party is working diligently to pay off all money owed to all Minnesota counties.

"I really wish we could have gotten it paid sooner, but we're paying it off as we can," said Sutton, "The Republican Party of Minnesota has been around since 1858. We will get this taken care of."

Sutton said that the repayment of select counties is being done in groups and that Brown County is in the next group. He said the repayment of that group will likely occur in the next few weeks.

Maybe Sutton could sell off some antiques the MNGOP has lying around and pay the bills.

Image: Tony Sutton's tender legal issues.

 

 

 

The failed burrito baron bonus: MNGOP refries its beans about unpaid county recount copying

It seems like Bluestem has been posting and posting and posting about how the Republican Party of Minnesota hasn't paid its recount copying bills to Minnesota counties. The first entry, KEYC-Mankato investigates: MNGOP owes So. MN counties for election data requests was posted back on December 3, 2010.

The last two BSP posts? April 14th's Failed burrito baron and party boss Tony Sutton stiffs counties, looks to MNGOP to stuff tortilla and April 17th's Mankato Free Press gives thumbs down to MNGOP for stiffing counties on recount expenses.

 

Last Friday, April 22, the Mankato Free Press reported in Counties awaiting Republican payments:

Some area counties continue to wait for money owed them by the Republican Party of Minnesota for document-copying costs following November’s gubernatorial election.

Martin County is still owed $350, Nicollet County is owed $1,300 and Sibley County is waiting on $1,623.. ..

Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton told The Free Press last week that the party is short on cash but is paying off counties as it gets money to do so. He said all will eventually be reimbursed.

At the party’s request Nicollet County copied 3,000 pages of documents, but not before a party attorney threatened the county with a lawsuit if the documents weren’t received by a set date....

The story's been picked up by the AP, Minnpost and blogs like MPP, which boldly notes that "GOPers are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS."

What we may have here is a failure to communicate. When failed burrito baron Tony Sutton was re-elected as Republican Party of Minnesota chair, RNC chairman Reince Priebus praised Sutton:

Chairman Sutton knows there is more work to be done fighting for Minnesota jobs, fiscal responsibility . . .

Given his success with the implosion of Baja Sol's franchising operations and the tortoise pace of re-paying the counties, Bluestem couldn't agree more that Chairman Sutton has to do more work to fight for jobs and fiscal responsibility. I hope he knows what work needs to be done and what he should do.

Getting sideways: New Ulm Journal wonders, What if Emmer won?

In today's Thumbs Up/Thumbs down short editorial, the board at the New Ulm Journal posted this:

What if Emmer won?

SIDEWAYS THUMBS: The Republicans in the Legislature had a busy week passing legislation that is sure to be vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton. Their spending proposals left barely anyone untouched - cities, higher education, K-12 education, social services, schools, prisons, nursing homes all saw either financial cuts proposed, or major policy shifts, or both. Only the income tax payer is untouched, and in fact would benefit from proposed tax cuts.

Dayton has said he will reject all such bills until the GOP presents a complete plan for a balanced budget, and one that uses the projections from the Minnesota Management and Budget office, the non-partisan agency that has analyzed spending and tax bills for years.

Imagine now that Tom Emmer had been elected instead of Dayton. Most of these bills would have been signed already.

I suppose getting sideways is a polite way to speaking of the state the state would be in if Emmer were governor. I'll grant them that.

Note that it's "income taxpayer" that the paper says is untouched. As for the total tax --including property taxes--many middle and lower income Minnesotans could be enjoying nonquality horizontal time from that.

Photo: Sideways and belly up.

Mower County auditor voted for Emmer: "It's not like this is a partisan issue"

A kind friend in Rochester sent me the rest of the Post Bulletin story, GOP hands Mower County an IOU. A couple of interesting items emerge from behind the paid firewall:

"I have a duty to the taxpayers of Minnesota who expended these funds," [Mower County auditor/treasurer Doug} Groh said. "We were abiding by their wishes and accommodating (the GOP). I shouldn't have to spend my time for four months" to collect payment."We just want to get paid for something we did. It's not like this is a partisan issue. I voted for Emmer."[emphasis added]

And the other county having trouble collecting?  Post Bulletin staff writer Kay Fate reports:

Sharon Anderson, auditor/treasurer of Cass County, said the GOP owes Cass County nearly $1,800 and that the county's experience is similar to Mower County's. Some counties required a full or partial payment from both campaigns up front.

Why is a public servant and an Emmer voter being accused of "blackmail" by the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota? As Groh explains it:

"Since December, I've had repeated conversations about when we'll get paid," said Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County. "I had no problem with the Democrats paying, but the Republicans are fudging, because they're short of money — that's what I was told in December."

Since then, Groh said, he's been told the invoice was lost and, on three occasions, that the check was in the mail. Payment never arrived.

"We acted promptly, produced these documents they requested, added to our workload, and they don't want to pony up for the payment," Groh said....[emphasis in original online source].

New Madrid Fault moves north; or,Tony Sutton shakes it up in the Rochester Post Bulletin

Yesterday morning, Bluestem posted Mower County to Tony Sutton: Send us the $2,242 MNGOP owes for recount, based on a story in the Austin Herald. I wasn't the only one looking at the story.

The Rochester Post Bulletin took a closer look, and  editor Jay Furst shares his reporter's close encounter of the Sutton kind in Pay the bill, pal! Don't blame the media or the county!:

Tony Sutton, the volatile Minnesota Republican Party chairman, blows a gasket in a story today by Post-Bulletin reporter Kay Fate. . . .

. . ."I don't appreciate him blackmailing us and saying if we don't pay him right away, he's going to the press. I think it's unconscionable for a public official to threaten somebody and blackmail them. … I think that's unconscionable, and it's no way for a public official to behave.

"It's hard to raise money. It's a recession; it's the winter-time, and we're doing the best we can. They're going to get paid, that's going to happen."

This month?

"Absolutely," Sutton said, "but I don't appreciate a public official, who's working at taxpayer expense, threatening to blackmail us. He works for us.

"I know he's probably a big man down there in Mower County, but that is just unconscionable for him to blackmail us in such a brazen way."

Is this appropriate conduct for the man who leads the Republican Party of Minnesota? He can blame Dayton, blame Groh, blame us for assisting in "blackmail," blame the recession, but nowhere does he seem to apologize for being late.

Pay the bill, pal! It's March.

The print version of the PB also reports that the MNGOP owes another county in addition to Mower.

Frankly, this story simply strikes me as weird. The outstanding bills that the Emmer campaign ran up in its futile recount record sweep across the state were widely reported, as was the fact that the bills were being rolled over to the Republican Part of Minnesota. It's pretty hard to blackmail someone with public knowledge.

Perhaps the stress is getting to Chairman Sutton, and once he's raised the money, perhaps he could spend more time with his family.

 

Farm groups respond to Dave Frederickson's appointment as MN Ag Commissioner

Past president of the National Farmers Union, former state senator and current Klobucher aide Dave Frederickson was on the short list created by everyone I asked about potential Commissioners of Agriculture in the Dayton administration.

Today's announcement was no surprise--and neither is the response from farm  country and farm groups.

The most conservative, Republican-leaning group, the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, issued this statement:

Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) congratulates Dave Frederickson on being appointed by Governor-elect Mark Dayton to serve as the next commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).

 “Dave Frederickson brings a wealth of experience to the post of Commissioner of Agriculture,” said MFBF President Kevin Paap. “We have seen firsthand Dave’s ability to work with all farmers and the organizations that represent them.”

 “In addition to actively running a farm, Mr. Frederickson has been engaged on the local, state, national and international level with farmers, agricultural organizations and elected officials,” said Paap. “His real world experiences will serve him well as he works to fulfill the MDA’s mission of enhancing Minnesotans’ quality of life by ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment and the strength of our agricultural economy.”

 “Dave Frederickson is a well-respected, dedicated advocate for agriculture and the environment,” said Paap. “We look forward to working with him in his new role.”

The DFL-friendly MFU president Doug Peterson writes in a statement:

“Dave is the former Minnesota Farmers Union President and former National Farmers Union President and his knowledge of the day to day challenges that farmers face makes him uniquely qualified as the next Commissioner of Agriculture,” said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President. “I look forward to working with Commissioner Frederickson as the Dayton Administration works to improve family farming in Minnesota.”

The most "granola" group, Land Stewardship Project, is also pleased. In an email, LSP policy director Mark Schultz writes:

We’re looking forward to working with Dave Frederickson as Commissioner. Dave understands agriculture as both a farmer and a policymaker. He is a strong supporter of family farms and the stewardship of the land. He can work across the full breadth of agriculture, while emphasizing the positive, growing aspects within it – like expanding markets in local and regional food systems, beginning farmers getting started in Minnesota, increasing growth in organics, and growing interest in sustainable family farm livestock production. We really needed a change in leadership and direction at the Department of Agriculture, so we’re glad to see Mark Dayton select Dave Frederickson for this role.

While farmers and farm groups from across the political spectrum are cheering the appointment of the affable and well-respected Frederickson, the conservtive chorus from the urban trolls in the Star Tribune's comment section illustrate how far so many in the state have come from the farm life. Only someone who has never attended a Minnesota Farmers Union convention or banquet could write these pair of sentences:

He is a politucal [sic] hack. Look for PETA and politics to come to the Ag Department.

Ask us about the year the giant chickens were on the menu.

House Ag committee member Tim Walz released this statement:

“I am extremely pleased with Dave’s appointment and I know he will be an outstanding Commissioner. Dave is a strong advocate for Minnesota farmers. As a fourth generation farmer himself, Dave knows what it will take to keep Minnesota agriculture vibrant and strong. Governor-Elect Dayton made an excellent choice and I look forward to working with Dave on behalf of Minnesota’s agricultural community.”

Photo: Dave Frederickson, far left, gets a thumbs up from my friend Clara during the 2010 MFU auction last month. Photo by Sally Jo Sorensen, Bluestem Prairie.

Back from DC, Harmony farmer sees milk train wreck in $13.41 dairy futures for Q1 2011

For the first quarter of 2011, Minnesota dairy farmers face a new low in dairy future prices, according to an article in Agrinews. Eunice Biel, the Harmony activist and family farmer interviewed for the piece,  had something to say about it recently while participating in a USDA workshop about competition:

. . .Biel heard the milk futures for the first quarter of 2011 went down to a new low of $13.41.

It hit her hard. Her discouragement guided her as she spoke. She was blunt because she is concerned about the future of her family's and her neighbors' dairy farms.

It's tough as a dairy farmer to pay expenses, Biel said as she sat on the five-member panel that was onstage for an hour. Dairy farmers must take care of their animals. They can't skimp on feed or animal care. They have to haul manure and maintain their barns. They have to care for the calves.

There were a few times in 2009 when the feed bill was higher than the milk check, Biel said.

Dairy farmers are still struggling to recover from the devastating low prices of 2009, she said, and another train wreck is coming. . . .

As readers know, I'm fairly active in the Minnesota Farmers Union, a grassroots rural advocacy group of and for family farmers. Eunice is a friend from the organization, and it's good to see her speaking up in Washington at the "Agriculture and Antitrust Enforcement Issues in Our 21st Century Economy: Margins." workshop session.

With her husband, son and daughter-inlaw, Eunices milks around 150 cows. She asks a central question about the dairy industry:

. . . In 2009, the farmers share of what consumers spent dropped to 26 percent, she said. Now, the percentage is around 30 percent.

Biel wants to know who's making the profits in the fluid milk supply chain. Why the disconnect between retail prices and farm gate prices?

Go read the article Harmony, Minn., farmer testifies at competition workshop. It's paired with Paul Sobocinski attends competition hearing in Washington an article about another MFU activist and friend's testimony at a related hearing:

Wabasso farmer Paul Sobocinski spoke in favor of open and competitive markets . . .

. . .Sobocinski was not on a panel, but provided testimony and gave public comments at the Dec. 8 meeting, the fifth of five joint workshops on competition issues. About 400 people registered to attend, Sobocinski said. . .

  . . .In addition to open and competitive markets, Sobocinski spoke in favor of fair market access for all players and better transparency so farmers can discover the best available price. . . .

Sobocinski said he is the only hog farmer left among of his nine closest neighbors. Some have sold their livestock and focused on crop production. Others have found jobs in town.

He said livestock farmers are not getting their fair share, comparing it to the pieces of a pie. At home, everyone got an equal slice, he said. That's how it should be with livestock producers and everyone in the supply chain. He also asked for timely action.

Sobocinski, who produces pork for Niman Ranch, said he's concerned that hog and beef production will move into the tightly vertically integrated system of poultry growers, who have been contract growers for some time and feel they are losing personal freedoms.

He was referencing a poultry grower who testified at one workshop and expressed fear of losing his contract because he spoke at the hearing. . . .

Niman Ranch is a network of over 650 independent American farmers and ranchers. Its products are available at Lunds and Byerlys.

The situation facing Minnesota's dairy and hog farmers like Biel and Sobocinski underscore the need for Governor-elect Dayton to appoint a skilled Commissioner of Agriculture to replace Gene Hugoson, who has been in the position since Trix was a pup. First appointed in 1995, Hugoson--seen by many family farmers of my acquaintance as a shill for Big Ag--has served as Ag Commissioner during the Carlson, Ventura, and Pawlenty.

Photos: Dairy farmer Eunice Biel (above); Hog farmers Paul and Candy Sobocinski.

West Central Tribune reports "Emmer campaign stiffs Kandiyohi Co"

Give KEYC-TV credit for first investigating the Emmer campaign's reluctance to pay its bills for documents it requested for the recount. That was back on December 2.

The Friday, December 10, the Mankato Free Press revisited county election officials who still hadn't received checks.

Today, Carolyn Lange of the West Central Tribune reports in Emmer campaign stiffs Kandiyohi Co. out of $1,400 during recount:

Sam Modderman doesn’t know exactly how many hours he and his staff spent preparing a cache of documents requested by Tom Emmer during the governor’s recount. But he knows the county hasn’t been paid for the work.

“We completed all the requests, but no, we haven’t gotten paid for them all,” the Kandiyohi County Auditor said.

It’s a common story that’s been reported in other counties who rushed to prepare documents requested by the Emmer campaign but then didn’t get paid for the work.

Modderman said he spent more time at the office than with his family over Thanksgiving in order the meet the request for documents.

“They were a little demanding,” he said.

Lange writes that the Emmer campaign paid $58 for an initial request, but soon demanded far more documents.The documents were collated on a CD, but the Emmer campaign never paid and never picked up the CD, accordin to the article.

Other counties in West Central Minnesota handled the campaign's demand in other way. In Swift County:

Burned by the lack of payment two years ago during the Senate recount “when we did all that work and we made all those copies and never got paid a dime,” [Swift County Auditor Byron] Giese pretty much ignored the requests for documents he got this year from the gubernatorial candidates.

As a result, his county isn’t out any money.

He got the same nasty e-mails other county auditor’s did about providing documents by certain days, but Giese bluntly said he disregarded them. He said he was too busy providing election data to the state and preparing for the recount to deal with the candidates’ requests.

Meeker County was never paid by the Emmer campaign, though the Dayton committee paid its estimated bill (indeed the costs of the entire effort):

Even though Emmer requested the information, he never responded once the invoice was sent. Dayton requested his copies, however, and paid the $2,135 bill. Loch said she is reimbursing Dayton $450 because the actual cost was less than estimated.

Even though Dayton is covering the cost of the county’s research, Loch said Dayton was the only one who actually received the documents and therefore was the only one who should pay.

She’s happy the county’s costs were covered.

Loch said, however, Dayton’s representatives are now saying they only wanted copies of information that the county sent to Emmer and are questioning their payment of the full bill for all the county’s time to prepare the documents.

It's truly remarkable that a guy who campaigned on retooling government should so blatantly exploit cash-strapped rural counties by asking them to devote staff time gathering and copying election records--and then neglect to pick them up.

Next time a Republican complains about the election being stolen, ask how he or she would know that.

After all, it doesn't look like the Emmer campaign or Republican Party of Minnesota bothered to  pick up the election documents Republicans requested, much less read them. Perhaps "stolen"  is GOP code for "we lost."

 Note: this is Bluestem's "Bleg" week. If you like reading posts visit Bleg: Like Bluestem's investigative blogging? Drop some coin in the tip jar to make a contribution.

WDN: A really principled MNGOP would excommunicate Horner heretics forever

The Winona Daily News isn't the first Greater Minnesota newspaper to comment of the Republican Party of Minnesota's recent two-year ban of 18 apostates from pachyderm participation, but it does make the most modest recommendation. 

It is the first to suggest that failed taco lord Tony Sutton and his fellow ideologues didn't go far enough in defending extremism at the expense of the vice of moderation.

The former governors  and legislators had all endorsed IP gubernatorial candidate and former Republican activist Tom Horner.

In Our view: For state GOP, ideology trumps debate, WDN editor Darrell Ehrlick writes on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board:

. . .The two-year banishment is also a bit insincere. It’s important the period is two years. Just time enough for the party to look like it’s being tough on its rogue statesmen, but not too tough that they can’t endorse presumably GOP candidates again in the next election cycle.

If the Minnesota GOP really wants to be the party of principles and convictions, then it should be willing to really make a stand.

Kick ’em out.

Kick ’em out for good. . . .

Read the entire editorial--including those parts where Ehrlick removes his tongue from his cheek--in today's Daily News.

Photo: Tom Horner, the devil in disguise, via Politics in Minnesota.

Southern Minnesota counties still wait for Emmer recount payments

  In Bills are coming due for recount, the Mankato Free Press reports:

Area counties are waiting for thousands of dollars in compensation from the Tom Emmer camp for added costs associated with the governor’s race recount.

While the state provides a small payment based on the number of ballots county officials had to recount, larger bills are pending for Emmer’s camp, which requested a mass of paperwork from election officials. . .

. . .“I sent bills for $800, of which Dayton paid and Emmer did not. I have requested at least three times, where’s my payment, and they’ve responded to nothing," [ Patty O’Connor, Blue Earth County elections director said].

Recently, Emmer’s recount attorney, Tony Trimble, has told counties to send the bills to the Republican Party for payment, O’Connor said. . . .

According to the article, the Emmer campaign owes Brown County $1,441; bills are also due to Waseca and Martin County. Some counties, like LeSueur, held off copying the materials until payments came.

Watonwan County received a payment:

Watonwan County Auditor Don Kuhlman is the only area official that already got paid by Emmer’s campaign. Kuhlman called ahead to say he would deliver the documents the next day if they handed him a check. They did.

Kuhlman made two sets of 2,200 copies of documents. “We only had 4,282 voters, so we got more documents than we had voters.” The county spent about $1,700 on staff cost and copying charges. 

Southern Minnesota county officials aren't happy about Republican officials bad mouthing their efforts to conduct fair elections:

[Brown County Auditor Marlin] Helget said he resented party officials who tried to suggest major problems with how counties handled elections.

“The part that grinds me. They’re telling everyone that we election officials are incompetent and making all kinds of mistakes.”  

There's little evidence of incompetence on the part of folks like Helget. Now, it's time for the Emmer campaign and the Republican Party of Minnesota to pay cash-strapped rural counties.

The party's unpaid bills to counties were first reported b KEYC-TV, Mankato's local CBS/FOX affiliate. Bluestem posted about the earlier report in KEYC-Mankato investigates: MNGOP owes So. MN counties for election data request.