Bluestem's Southern Minnesota readers are remarkably diligent in reading campaign finance reports. Another sharp-eyed friend, this one a lay citizen in Blue Earth County, noticed that Bron Scherer, the state treasurer of the Republican Party of Minnesota and his business partners at Protein Sources, an LLC that provides "production and financial management services for farrowing and grow-finish swine operations in the upper Midwest," are contributors to Mike Parry's campaign.
While it appears that an in-kind contribution of $1384.36 is added in two separate entries for Paul Fitzsimmons of Good Thunder, the combined giving for Protein Sources partners equals $7518.16.
The Fitzsimmons family are well-known and respected pork producers in Minnesota; while the report lists Scherer as "self-employed," Protein Sources's website provides this biography:
Bron Scherer, CPA, Partner. is a founder of Protein Sources and serves as its Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the company’s financial accounting, reporting and analysis. Bron is originally from the rural Amboy, MN area and now resides in Northfield MN. Bron is a 1979 graduate of Minnesota State University-Mankato and is a Certified Public Accountant who worked in public accounting for the international accounting firm, Arthur Andersen & Co to 1987 and consulting for a variety of businesses and individuals for another 12 years prior to the company’s inception. . . .
Here are the listings from the report:
| John FitzSimmons County Road 1 Good Thunder, Minnesota 56037 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 500.00 |
| Feed Mill Manager | |
500.00 | |
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| Patrick Fitzsimmons 72515 237th ST Dassel, Minnesota 55325 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 500.00 |
| Farm Manager | |
500.00 | |
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| Paul Fitzsimmons 54440 148th St Good Thunder, Minnesota 56037 |
Protein Sources | 06/26/2012 | 1284.38 |
| AG Consultant | |
1384.38 | |
| In-kind - Food and Beverage Paid For | |
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| Paul Fitzsimmons 54440 148th St Good Thunder, Minnesota 56037 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 1000.00 |
| AG Consultant | |
2384.38 | |
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| Richard FitzSimmons County Road 1 Good Thunder, Minnesota 56037 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 500.00 |
| Farm Management | |
500.00 | |
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| William FitzSimmons County Road 1 Good Thunder, Minnesota 56037 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 500.00 |
| Farm Management | |
500.00 | |
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| Bron Scherer 617 Turnberry Ct Northfield, Minnesota 550573423 |
Self Employed | 06/30/2012 | 1000.00 |
| CPA | |
1250.00 |
| Dan Sohre 305 Smith Court Mapleton, Minnesota 56065 |
Protein Sources | 06/30/2012 | 500.00 |
| Farm Management | |
500.00 | |
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A few observations: In 2008, the endorsement of Mike Huckabee by Ron Carey, who was at the time state chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota drew criticism from activists. Via True North, the Star Tribune reported in GOP leader gets flak for endorsing Huckabee:
Discontent about Minnesota GOP chairman Ron Carey's endorsement of Mike Huckabee for president surfaced Thursday night at the party's executive committee meeting in St. Paul, and the committee asked the party's central committee to consider prohibiting paid party officers from endorsing candidates.
Given the state of the MNGOP's finances and past tradition, it's unlikely that Scherer is a paid party officer; still, the support of the state party treasurer might raise eyebrows among the independent Republican base in the First.
Second, the concentrated giving by executives of one firm quietly underscores the narrow base of financial support for the Parry campaign. Parry has collected only $102,305.29 in receipts. In addition to the money from Protein Sources executives, the Davis family (Davisco/Cambria) accounts for $10,000 of his haul. Paul and Susan Rosenau contributed another $10,000.
In short, just over $27,000, or one-fourth of his contributions, have come from members of three families and their business partners. Like Quist, Parry isn't drinking widely in the Republican waters; unlike Quist, he's declined to drink from his own well.
Photo: Bron Scherer, international CPA of mystery.
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