Update 8/31: On Tuesday, August 30 the referee ruled in Westrom's favor, we reported in Referee's Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: Torrey Westrom stays on MN12 ballot.[end update]
It's not the first time I've been happy to have a subscription to the Swift County Monitor, which allows me to read all of Klingbeil claims Westrom doesn’t live in new Senate District 12.
Reed Anfinson begins:
Ashley Klingbeil, an independent candidate running for the new District 12 Senate seat, claims that Republican candidate Sen. Torrey Westrom hasn’t established residency in the district and should be removed from the November ballot.
Klingbeil, a conservative running under the party label “We the People,” told the Swift County Monitor-News Monday that she had filed her case challenging Westrom’s residency this past Friday with the Minnesota Supreme Court. . . .
In our subscription, we read down column in the article which carries on to the fifth page:
Minnesota state statutes say that to challenge a candidate’s residency, a petition shall be filed with any judge of the Supreme Court when it involves a state Senate candidate. It also requires the petitioner to serve a copy of the petition to the candidate accused of not establishing residency in a district.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for serving Westrom with the petition of her challenge of his residency, Klingbeil said. They have the notice, she said. “But I don’t think they are going to find him,” Klingbeil added. “I think he went on a family vacation. I think he left, so I can’t find him to serve him.”
In a YouTube interview, Klingbeil said Westrom was served on Saturday morning, with a jump drive that included the video evidence her campaign collected. The article continues:
...Westrom’s staff also told the Monitor-News that it was no surprise that he would be spending time in Elbow Lake since Grant County is still in the district he currently represents.
We're surprised Westrom couldn't spend time at his Elbow Lake law office instead of his former home if he wanted to meet with constituents, but what do we know. More from the Monitor:
“The [ new home] property said, ‘No trespassing.’ We didn’t care. We did it anyway. What good journalist follows the rules? There is no way you can hide out behind a six-foot fence that says private property and say that you live there,” Klingbeil told the Monitor-News. The property is overgrown, and the house is empty with no furniture in it, she said. “You can’t say that nobody has the right to come and expose that.
“He didn’t even try…” to conceal his not moving to Douglas County,” Klingbeil claims. “That is the part that boggles my mind the most. Move some furniture over and pretend that you live there, right? He didn’t even try to protect his claim. Is that arrogance?”
For many nights, Klingbeil said, she sat in Elbow Lake until 11:30 at night watching Westrom’s house. “They were there every time, lights on, occupying the home. And, of course, we documented the empty house where he said he lived.”
Klingbeil and her supporters have taken photos they say support their allegations. She brought the claim to the Grant County attorney, who told her that it was “out of his realm and that she needed to bring the claim to the Minnesota Supreme Court.”
There are six or seven documents that Klingbeil says she is ready to submit to the Supreme Court included her notarized petition and exhibit list. There are documents from observers of both the Alexandria property and the Elbow Lake properties that were under simultaneous observation, she said.
There are six or seven documents that Klingbeil says she is ready to submit to the Supreme Court included her notarized petition and exhibit list. There are documents from observers of both the Alexandria property and the Elbow Lake properties at were under simultaneous observation, she said.
Klingbeil’s claim that Westrom is not living at his new residence isn’t the only one this reporter has heard. Others in Elbow Lake have made the same claim to the Grant County Herald staff.
She went to Grant County Sheriff Mark Haberer with her claims that Westrom was living in Elbow Lake, not on Lake Mary as he claimed. Klingbeil said he was helpful and told her, “Oh, no, Torrey lives here right in town, and I can’t believe he is doing this. The whole town knows that he is just right there.”
When contacted Sunday about Klingbeil’s comments, Haberer said, “I do not recall giving Ashley any information regarding when or where Torrey has been living this past summer. I did tell her that throughout the summer, I have seen what appears to be a cleaning up and a moving process taking place at the Elbow Lake address.” He also told her that he had not seen much activity around the Westrom house in Elbow Lake.
“I personally have no information regarding if Torrey was living there or not, and I certainly have had no conversations with people around Elbow Lake about Torrey’s residency prior to learning of Ashley’s investigation of which those conversations have only been with the staff at the sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s office.
Tuesday, Aug. 2, Haberer received a packet from Grant County Attorney Justin Anderson that contained documents Klingbeil had provided in her assertion that Westrom hadn’t established residency in Douglas County.
Uncertain about his role in her claim, Haberer contacted the Minnesota Secretary of State Office and was told that removing a candidate from a ballot was a civil matter. A couple of days later he informed Klingbeil of the process necessary to serve a petition to Westrom through the sheriff’s office.
Haberer also said that he had told Klingbeil that some of the tactics she had used in collecting information on Westrom’s residency “were concerning.” . . .
There's more, but readers should subscribe to access the paper, as we did around the time we posted Associated Press: In Benson, Minnesota, two warring visions of America on one block.
Klingbeil has shared more information on her personal Facebook page about press coverage of her petition, including Westrom attempting to "weaponize" the local sheriff's office. She alleges:
As a poor country blogger, I try not to trespass when chasing a story (telephoto lenses are helpful) but perhaps there's a realtor journalist exemption somewhere in Minnesota law.
She also posts a link to a YouTube on Todd Carlton Pearson's "Minnesota Black Robe Regiment" channel. Pearson lives in Spring Valley, in Southeastern Minnesota, known for going to neighboring towns, like Rochester and Owatonna, to test the limits of civility at public meetings. There's a good piece on the national "Black Robe Regiment" trope here at the Washington Post.
Here's the YouTube , in which Peason remotely interviews Klingbeil and Fischer:
She's also posted a playlist of her video evidence on YouTube as MN Court of Appeals Case #A22-1112 Video Evidence Files. Those video files do not appear to involve a fixed trail cam, as was used by those challenged Representative Bob Barrett's residency years ago.
Make of it what you will. Research about the third owner of the home we posted here is mentioned in the interview, but not the name of the "leftist" blog that published it.
Earned media and the MN12 money chase
Klingbeil received $1,316.17 in individual contributions before the July Pre-Primary Report deadline, and ended the reporting period with $391.71 cash on hand. She also reported that campaign chair Christine Fischer loaned the campaign $1,239.63 and paid Fischer $294.97 back, so the campaign still owes Fischer $944.66. Fischer is one of the petitioners on the filing challenging Westrom's residency.
What Klingbeil can't buy in ads or campaign literature, she's certainly getting in "earned media," though a loss in court may demonstrate not all media is good media.
The other candidates in the race? As a veteran candidate, Republican Senator Westrom started the year with $33,853.67 cash on hand; he raised $38,250.02 and spent $5,647.98, closing the period with $66,455.71 cash on hand. Kari Dorry, the DFL endorsed candidate, started the year with $7,217.22 in the bank, raised $35,602.29 and spent $18,296.18, closing with $24,523.33.
Meanwhile, she's getting ready for a chance to talk with voters at the Stevens County Fair:
Related posts:
- MN12 Westrom residency challenge: Supreme Court sets August 15 deadline for evidence
- MN12: "We The People" candidate Klingbeil follows through on Westrom residency challenge
- Via personal Facebook page: independent candidate vows to challenge Westrom residency
- MN12: Ashley Klingbeil to challenge Torrey and Dorry from the right for state senate seat
- Will 2020 redistricting plan boundary adjustment get snuck in to let Westrom live in lake house?
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