A player in one of the oddest twists in last spring's medical marijuana debate has been defeated in his bid for re-election as sheriff of Dodge County.
Dodge County Sheriff Jim Jensen also serves as chair of the Violent Crimes Coordinating Council, according to a pdf of its . 2014 Membership List.
Last February, City Pages' Jesse Marx reported in Does a police advisory council have any business in the medical marijuana debate? [UPDATE]:
Last month, the Violent Crimes Coordinating Council did something odd.
Members decided to make their "strong opposition" to medical marijuana known by sending a letter to the bill's chief legislative proponents, including State Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-6A). It asserted that the chronic pain of individuals did not outweigh the interests of public safety.In response, Melin solicited the nonpartisan House Research Department for background information on the VCCC. She asked specifically about whether the council had the authority to issue opinions on pending legislation. . . .
Marx followed up that report with Police group that opposed medical cannabis still struggling to find its place in politics:
The state's Violent Crimes Coordinating Council is having a hard time obeying the rules.
You may remember that these were the guys who, in January, jumped unexpectedly into the medical cannabis debate by sending a letter of "strong opposition" to key legislators. The problem was that no one asked for the council's opinion, and by providing one, its members overstepped their boundaries. . . .So in response to the letter, State Rep. Michael Paymar (D-St. Paul) the chairman of the public safety finance and policy committee who oversaw the creation of the council, expressed frustration, as did State Rep. Carly Melin (D-Hibbing). In April, Paymar countered by attaching an amendment to a public safety bill that would have made it clear: the VCCC could not lobby any government figures except the commissioner of public safety.
Paymar's amendment did not make it into the final public safety bill. However, at a June 11 meeting, the VCCC acknowledged the complaint and agreed that it would be best to limit its own power, so that members could approach the legislature only when asked for an opinion.
Hardly had the air cleared, though, before Dodge County Sheriff Jim Jensen dropped this curious line: "It seems like the legislature wants to take the freedom of speech away from the committee, but we still have our own freedom of speech." Instead of taking out a group policy position, he suggested, "we can formulate and send individual letters" from "inside our (law enforcement) associations." . . .
Jensen lost his bid for re-election to Dodge County Investigator Scott Rose. Rose announced his candidacy back in February, KTTC-TV reported:
Rose tells KTTC if he becomes the new sheriff, he can bring the department together in a positive way.He also talks about what he can do for the staff saying, "the first thing we want to do is pull the guys together as a team. I think it's important for the sheriff to not only have a good relationship with his staff and with his department. But we also need to build better relationships with some of the other people that we serve."Rose's announcement to run for sheriff comes after Jim Jensen fired his chief deputy last month. Rose did not talk about that situation Monday night, but he did say that certain circumstances over the last year have pushed him to run for sheriff earlier in his career than he had anticipated.
The campaign not only was heated, but marked by one of the stranger episodes Bluestem recalls in local politics in Minnesota.
The West Concord News Enterprise reported in Magazine's distribution remains a mystery:
More than a month after a magazine was sent to all Dodge County residents containing an article critical of current and former Dodge County legal officials, it is still not known who paid for the magazine's countywide distribution. Outer Boundary is a small outdoors magazine published by Moose Track Publishing in Menasha, Wis. The summer 2014 issue contained an article by publisher Steve Krueger alleging misconduct by several past and current Dodge County officials, including former Dodge County Sheriff Jim Trihey, Deputy Jerremy Gunderson and Assistant County Attorney Gary ReMine and Sheriff's Department Investigator Scott Rose.
The issue was mailed to all postal addresses in Dodge County in August, after someone in Dodge County purchased more than 8,000 copies of the magazine for mailing. Krueger has said he did not know the two individuals who came to his office to buy the magazine but that it was not the individual who first told him about the issues discussed in the article. The magazine had been working on the story since 2012, he said.
Although distribution of the article has political overtones, as Rose is running for sheriff against incumbent Sheriff Jim Jensen, neither candidate has been using the article as a campaign issue.
Jensen said he would make no comment on the article other than to say he had nothing to do with the magazine's mass distribution. He also said that without more information, he did not know if the information is accurate.
Rose also has made no comments on the article and said his campaign is focusing on the issues of the election.
The only official comment came from county officials, who released a statement at a county board meeting. There was no discussion of the article at the meeting. The statement said:
"Dodge County is aware of a publication that was mailed to all residents detailing a number of complaints against the county. When an allegation of misconduct is made involving the county, the county acts to promptly review the complaint and thoroughly investigate if necessary. This law prevents the county from commenting or releasing information to the public. As for the referenced complaint against a member of the county attorney's office, the Minnesota Lawyers' Professional Responsibility Board, in cooperation with the county attorney, reviewed the author's complaint and determined it did not warrant an investigation."
The Post Bulletin reported in Dodge County sheriff says he didn't distribute article attacking opponent:
A Wisconsin outdoors magazine that features a story critical of current and former Dodge County officials -- including a candidate for Dodge County sheriff -- has been sent to more than 8,000 homes in the county, but apparently no one knows who sent it. . . .
Krueger also said he's "100 percent sure" that Sheriff Jensen did not play a role in the magazine's free distribution. Jensen asserted the same thing in an interview with the Post-Bulletin.
"No, I did not have anything to do with (the article's free distribution)," he said. "I knew there was an article coming out because they said they were going to do one, but what it was about and I had no part in distributing to anybody, other than handing the magazine to my wife from the mailbox."
Regarding the article's content and allegations against Rose, Jensen would only say, "I don't say whether things are accurate or not without evidence. That's how law enforcement works with things. ... I'm not commenting on whether it was accurate or not."
Rose, who has been involved with the Dodge County Sheriff's Department since 1996, said he has never been the subject of a disciplinary action or been accused of corruption.
"The magazine article is both a political attack and an attempt by the author to help his friends in Dodge County," Rose said. "We’re talking about a nearly two-year old Dodge County, Minn., closed criminal case being featured in a small quarterly Wisconsin hunting and fishing magazine.
"While it would be very interesting to find out who financed the countywide distribution of this magazine and what their connection is to this election, I refuse to focus any attention on smear politics," Rose said. "From day one, my campaign’s primary focus has been on the issues and that will continue to be the case until Nov. 4."
Whoever purchased and mailed over 8,000 copies of the magazine to residents of Dodge County certainly valued free speech enough to finance that project.
Larry Dobson, publisher of the Community News Corporation's Byron Review and Star Herald, noted in his August 1 Publisher's Column Dodge County ponders a mystery:
Moose Track Publishing of Menasha, Wisconsin announced on Facebook last week that a secret benefactor has graciously come forward to provide funds to purchase copies of the summer issue of Outer Boundary Magazine for every postal patron of Dodge County. While Publisher Steve Krueger declined to identify the benefactor, he did say the mysterious benefactor was planning to deliver copies of the magazine to every post office in Dodge County Monday morning, July 28. . . .
Facebook notices were sent to news media in the area, including Rochester, Owatonna and Austin, with links to the online release of the article, "The Keystone Cops of Dodge County Minnesota." The Facebook messages were attributed to David Roberts, who is listed as an administrator on the Jim Jensen for Sheriff Campaign Facebook page, which would seem to indicate that the sheriff's campaign is interested in seeing that the article gets read.
Several of us in Dodge Center have been trying to figure out the identity and motivation of the generous benefactor. The majority of opinion is on two possibilities, either Snyder or Jensen, but it is hard to see what either would gain from promoting readership of the article.
While still a deputy sheriff, Jensen ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2008, challenging Randy Demmer, who later challenged Tim Walz for Congress in 2010. David Roberts, Jensen's page adminstrator in the sheriff's race, also served as an IT consultant for Brian Davis, a Mayo Clinic physician who challenged Tim Walz in 2008.
Bluestem was tweeted at by about the article by a sock puppet account, but declined to explore the "scandal" promised in the article when we learned media in the area had it covered.
Photo: A defaced Scott Rose sign, via Facebook. Voters saw through the spray paint and "Jim" was not elected.
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