UPDATE April 13, 2023: In an amended report filed on December 20, 2022, the Altendorf campaign committee noted "re-entry with proper description. The 4H items are now listed as advertising expenses rather than donations to the non-profits. Here's a screenshot of the Amendments to Filed Report:
We noticed a couple of hits on this post as Altendorf was talking about a different sort of amendment--to HF3, the elections bill--on the floor of the House--and thought it best to review her filings to make sure the information is accurate. It is now, reflecting the Amendment #1 to the 2022 Pre-General Report. [end update]
We didn't know much about Pam Altendorf when we published Crockett and crew share curious definition of "common sense" at Pine Island rally back on September 21.
Since then, we've learned more about her, including her appointment to the new Elections Finance and Policy committee, as we posted this morning in Election deniers appointed to Minnesota House Elections Finance & Policy committee
Altendorf says she's different
Altendorf "is committed to being a different politician in the #mnhouse."After doing a bit of research, Bluestem is completely persuaded that the MLM business executive and 4-H mom is indeed different.
Those words in a tweet of a YouTube interview of Red Wing Republican-elect Pam Altendorf by a Minnesota House Information Services caught Bluestem's attention:
WATCH ➡️ Rep.-elect @PamAltendorf (R-Red Wing) talks about how she is committed to being a different politician in the #mnhouse
— MNHouseInfo (@MNHouseInfo) December 9, 2022
See the full interview here ➡️ https://t.co/mZX3r6iJYF #mnleg pic.twitter.com/OYz7OE9tPp
Watching the YouTube sparked our interest in her, and so we looked into her campaign and background.
One difference in campaign finance report
A visit to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's (MCFBD) page for her committee revealed in its 2022 Pre-General Report that the committee had given $525.00 in a charitable contribution to the Goodhue County 4-H program and $1000 to the Wabasha County 4-H.
See the screenshot from the filing at the top of this page.
Now, like many people, we love 4-H as an organization building leadership among young people. One labor leader we know in Chicago became a member at the city's ag high school, so it's not just a rural thing. It's an American institution.
Surely Altendorf's heart was in the right place, and she was just showing some love using campaign committee funds to assist a group close to that heart.
Indeed, in a July 13 letter to the Lake City Graphic, Business Experience Makes Me Ready To Represent 20A, Altendorf wrote in part:
. . . My husband, Kevin, and I have five children and live in rural Red Wing. Both my husband and I grew up on farms and we have instilled in our family a strong work ethic based on our agricultural roots. We are a 4H family that values our rural way of life. . . .
And in the Red Wing Republican Eagle, there's this in a press release article, Rep. Steve Drazkowski endorses Pam Altendorf for House seat 20A:
"I met Pam Altendorf through her extensive work leading conservatives helping with the Recall City Hall effort in Red Wing. She has also been holding elected officials accountable at local school board meetings over parent concerns regarding critical race theory and mandates to mask kids. Pam has been on the front lines, helping restore election integrity in our state. She is a strong advocate for agriculture because she has five kids that participated in 4-H and she grew up on a farm herself, where she learned her strong work ethic and the importance of the family farm.
While we have sent up a grateful prayer that Altendorf didn't get placed on the House Ag Committee, we can clearly see Altendorf's interest in 4-H.
So what's the problem?
According to the MNCFPDB handbook for Minnesota legislative candidates, a committee can give up to $100 per 501c(3) charity per year; if the committee will terminate within 12 months it may give an unlimited amount to a charity. In the candidate manual the general provision is on page 24, the termination provision is on page 51.
Bluestem doesn't believe Altendorf, just elected, has terminated her committee.
Are the 4-H chapters 501c(3) charities?
We visited the Wabasha County 4-H page (part of University of Minnesota Extension) and looked at the Give to Wabasha County 4-H tab. That took us to the Wabasha County 4-H Program Fund page at the University of Minnesota Foundation. Its Legal and tax information page noted:
The University of Minnesota Foundation administers gifts on behalf of all University campuses, colleges, and programs.
The University of Minnesota Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been charged by the Regents of the University of Minnesota to receive and administer gifts on behalf of all University campuses, colleges, and programs.
There's a similar path for those who wish to give to Goodhue County 4-H. Like the link for Goodhue County 4-H, it leads to a conduit for the program at the University of Minnesota Foundation, a 501(c)(3).
Thus, we suspect that Altendorf's committee violated campaign finance regulations.
Since the Minnesota House Elections Finance and Policy Committee is brand new for 2023, Bluestem doesn't know whether it has authority over the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, but we are curious if Altendorf is off to one heckova start as a committee member.
She's different, that's for sure.
Related posts
- Election deniers appointed to Minnesota House Elections Finance & Policy committee
- SD Searchlight: Incoming Secretary of State looks to hand-count ballots, audit each election
- Crockett and crew share curious definition of "common sense" at Pine Island rally
Screenshot: A visit to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's (MCFBD) page for her committee revealed in its 2022 Pre-General Report that the committee had given $525.00 in a charitable contribution to the Goodhue County 4-H program and $1000 to the Wabasha County 4-H.
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