The Republican primary in Minnesota House District 55A, where political newcomer Erik Mortensen grabbed his party's endorsement with the help of Action4Liberty, was a big draw for independent expenditures.
PACs spent $86,088.30, with the lion's share ($62,867) coming from the mostly metro rich folks' Freedom Club State PAC, which also donated to Mortensen's campaign, as did Freedom Club stalwart Joan Cummins. That's some swamp crushing.
Mortensen proved his worth Tuesday morning, gracing his Facebook page with the observation, "If it were up my opponent, he'd ban hunting entirely..."
A Shakopee hunting enthusiast and supporter of the DFL-endorsed candidate Brad Tabke shot back with a correction and defense of the former Shakopee mayor.
Mortensen didn't just erased the comment, but deleted the entire post within five minutes, Steve Stauff told Bluestem Prairie, but not before he preserved the moment with the screengrab at the top of this post. As he mentions in his comment, Stauff serves as one of the admins for the 18,742 member Minnesota Hunting Club Facebook page. According to Minnesota Campaign Finance Board records, the Shakopee resident's only reportable campaign contribution is to Tabke.
The Mort seems to be quite the pip. We'll keep an eye on him. As for Tabke, the Shakopee Valley News reported in Former mayor Tabke to run for Legislature:
. . .Tabke was elected mayor of Shakopee in 2011 with 54 percent of the vote and re-elected in 2013 with 65 percent of the vote. . . .
In Tabke’s first term as mayor, a slew of businesses chose to open up shop in Shakopee or expand here, often with public subsidies, creating more than 2,000 jobs. The list includes Datacard, TE Connectivity, Shutterfly, Emerson Process Management, TryStar, Imagine Print Solutions expansion, CertainTeed’s $20 million expansion, and SanMar warehousing distribution.
In his second term, Bayer expanded, Amazon began building its warehouse off County Road 101, Badger Hill Brewery opened, and Rahr Malting Co. completed an expansion.
The Main Street Shakopee program was implemented during Tabke’s time as mayor, and consequently 27 businesses opened or expanded downtown.
Tabke is well-known for leading the charge to expand the Shakopee Community Center. The $30 million expansion, which includes a new ice arena, has since been completed and is open. The City Council’s decision to move the expansion through without a community referendum was contentious. In a 2016 interview with the Valley News, Tabke said he viewed the decision to expand the community center as a necessary, responsible decision for the future of a growing city.
“We worked hard together to get so much done for our community during those four years (as mayor),” Tabke said in a press release. “We successfully worked together to bring more high-paying jobs to Shakopee, rejuvenated downtown Shakopee, opened up communications in our local government, built parks, improved the community center and so much more, all while keeping city taxes low through good, solid governing.
“That collaborative approach will work when I represent all citizens in 55A. Together, we can get a lot done for our Minnesota families and our future by bringing that same work ethic to St. Paul,” he said.
Tabke is a founder of the Shakopee Diversity Alliance, appointed member of the Transportation Advisory Board for the Metropolitan Council, former chairman of the Shakopee Chamber of Commerce, former chairman of the Shakopee Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal 40 under 40 honoree. He owns and operates a consulting business based in downtown Shakopee.
Tabke and his wife Kathryn Tabke have lived in Shakopee since 2003 and have two daughters, a rescue mutt and backyard chickens.
Screengrab: Some fake news from The Mort and its correction by a Shakopee hunter.
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