Laura Brod says no to Marty Seifert

Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) asked Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) to be “considered on his short list” to be his Lt. Gov. running mate.

Brod said no, accordingly to several impeccable sources.

That’s a big blow to Seifert, and a possible indication that Brod might be supporting the other unabashed conservative in the race for the GOP endorsement:  Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano).

Actually, it may also be a sign, given the general consensus in GOP circles that Brod is a great running mate pick, that there’s an Emmer-Brod ticket in the not-so-distant future.

These same sources also say that Seifert has approached several others — all women — and they all have said no.

19 Responses to “Laura Brod says no to Marty Seifert”

1. mark wernimont Says:
   January 28th, 2010 at 8:16 pm

   Emmer is the true conservative in this race.

   An Emmer / Brod ticket would be the real winner as far as I’m concerned.

2. Tom Rees Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 7:50 am

   Is Representative Emmer is the “true conservative in this race”? I believe that being a conservative means having a level of honesty and integrity that begins with how you value yourself as a public servant. The framers of our constitution did not ask for “per diem” moneys while in Philadelphia drafting our basic rights. The leader of the Tax Payers League has indicated that legislators accepting per diem payments rather than expense reimbursement points out one way how padding one’s government compensation. Is Representative Emmer proud of taking per diem payments seven days a week including holidays during the legislative sessions? Does he really have legitimate legislative expenses on Holidays and Sundays? Is this how a “true conservative” respects the taxpayer?

3. mark wernimont Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 9:31 am

   Emmer is far more conservative than any other individual in the race.

   As for per diem compensation, to begin with MN Reps earn $31,140 annually (last figure I saw), a meager salary to be sure. The per diem is for travel for those living outstate, Delano is 37.5 miles away (one way) from capitol, so I do not begrudge outstate reps.

   Democrat lawmakers seemed to be the biggest abusers of the per diem

   found online here:
   http://jungbauer2010.blogspot.com/2007/11/senate-per-diem.html

   Mee Moua, DFL St Paul is the number one taxpayer gouger in per diem. And she lives on Saint Paul’s east side! She probably lives closer to the capitol than any other senator! She could easily set a fine example to all of us and ride a bike to session!
   Per Diem, $19,266.00 Number One!
   Mileage, $0.00
   Other, $4,105.24 What is this for? I am quite sure she does not receive any housing allowance.
   Total, $23,371.24

4. Tom Rees Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 10:20 am

   Mark Wernimont, thank you for trying to justify the unjustifiable. Is this like being a little pregnant? I would concur that the annual salary for our legislators if they worked year round may be considered meager. (Check on how much annual pay a New Hampshire legislator, also part-time, receives sometime.) However, we are dealing with about five months the first year of the biennium and maybe three months or so the second year. So if we annualize the meager salary it becomes substantially more! I believe that if you check the way our House members are compensated, those legislators that live more than 50 miles from the Capitol receive a housing allowance of $1,200 per month for twelve months a year for lodging negating the necessity for commuting from, say Virginia, MN. Can you seriously believe that there is an expense approaching $66 for Representative Emmer to travel to and from his home to the Capitol each day let alone on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays during the legislative session? Just for your info, the federal government in 2009 allowed $64 for their employees with business in St. Paul. If reports are correct of Representative Emmer’s in-kind and cash contributions to his gubernatorial campaign, those contributions would about equal just the per diem payments he received. Interesting way to finance a campaign, don’t you think?

5. mark wernimont Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 10:53 am

   My point is that we need to make sure the fiscally inept Democrats (DFL) DO NOT get the Governor’s seat. Republican candidate therefore is obvious choice, and for my money Emmer has the more conservative track record in the race, I like Hann also, but Emmer gets my vote.

6. Bill Jungbauer Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 11:36 am

   I have just spoken with the house controller and sent an email requesting per diem records for the last six years, which I will post as soon as I can.

   Tom, One thing you may find interesting is the fact that Tom Emmer has never voted for an election year, pork stuffed, bonding bill. Can Marty Seifert make that claim?

   Mark, Thank you for referring to my blog. It’s good to see that someone reads it. LOL

7. Tom Rees Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 11:41 am

   Mark Wernimont, while I agree real conservatives need to work together to elect a governor in Minnesota that puts our state and the people that live here first. For my money Representative Emmer fails the crucial test of his loyalty to Minnesotans. I assume you are a business person, maybe from Watertown (a city with a truly conservative Mayor and former legislator and reportedly also an Emmer supporter). Consequently, you should be wary of lawyers and their ability to effectively say one thing while meaning something entirely different. So, when Representative Emmer, a lawyer by profession, is a part of a law suit that the Court ruled per diem payments as expense reimbursement a couple of years ago, he should know full well that the ruling means take the time and submit an honest expense report to the House Finance office and forget about getting per diem payments seven days a week including Holidays and Sundays! However, this so-called “Conservative” (his Campaign Chairman was quoted saying he was “more a libertarian than a Republican”) chose to submit to the House Finance office his “bill” for payment each and every calendar day during the legislative session. He has demonstrated to me that he is an eloquent speaker that cannot back up his words with understanding of being a “conservative” in action. Maybe you should look closer at Senator Hann?

8. Tom Rees Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 12:53 pm

   Bill Jungbauer, perhaps the reason Representative Tom Emmer has “never voted for an election year, pork stuffed, bonding bill” — and I am taking you at your word that such assertion is correct — is because funding for per diem payments on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays are not included in any bonding bill! Did he vote for the legislation that funded his generous per diem payments?
   I will look for the posting on your blog of the per diem info. Remember, Representative Emmer reportedly did refund a portion of his per diem the previous biennium. It appears he realized that the $77 he first was collecting per day would be an increase in his compensation without his having to stand for election with the compensation increase, as was asserted in the unsuccessful law suit he was a party. You may have more information on that adjudication that might be of interest to supporters or would-be supporters because of your blogger career. Thanks for your participation in this wonderful democratic process.

9. Bill Jungbauer Says:
   January 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pm

   No legislator was allowed to vote on the increase in daily per diem. There was no floor vote on raising the per diem in both the House or the Senate. This was done totally by democratically controlled house and senate rules committees. Thus, Tom Emmer, or any other member of the House, never had an opportunity to cast a vote.

   You spend plenty of time on this one issue with Tom Emmer. I would like to see some proof of what you claim. As you state, “Remember, Representative Emmer reportedly did refund a portion of his per diem the previous biennium.” Can any other candidate claim to have refunded any per diem at all? Also, could you tell me please who you are backing in the race for governor? That would certainly provide some insight to your posts.

   I like Tom Emmer and I am a volunteer on his campaign. Why? I too am a Libertarian/Republican that believes in small government, low taxes, personal responsibility, and individual liberties. I trust Tom Emmer to do what he says with out straying from our principles. I believe he will never compromise or go against his word. I believe in Tom Emmer.

   Tom Emmer is the only House candidate for governor who voted against the Minnesota Cap and Tax bill. He also has earned a 100% rating for the past three years from the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, which is the highest rating of any candidate in the running.

   I’m sorry to say that I have no knowledge of the lawsuit you mention. If you could, please forward any info you have. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. I wish I could make a career of it.

10. Tom Rees Says:
    January 30th, 2010 at 7:55 am

    Bill Jungbauer, you make so many passionate defenses. I would suggest that you follow a conservative’s admonition: “Trust, but verify!”
    The per diem rate is set by the respective rules committee in each house of the legislature. The legislative members of the respective administrative committees vote on the maximum that the respective finance offices may provide as compensation for legislative service. So, there were votes by legislators to set the maximum compensation packages for legislators. You are correct that this “administrative” function of the legislature is not voted on by the full bodies.
    However, and I would submit more importantly, each legislator that wishes to receive per diem payments must submit to the finance office a “Per Diem Certificate” that is signed by the requestor. In Representative Tom Emmer’s case, for example, his submitted his request in January, 2009. He requested “$66 per day.” His form did not specify “no weekends, Sundays, etc.” as provided for in the form. Consequently, by taking per diem payments at the $66 per day rate for each calendar day including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays during the legislative session he received the same per diem compensation that another representative requesting $77 per day but took no Sunday payments. Isn’t mathematics fun?
    You may find info on the per diem lawsuit I referred to at:
    http://blogs.twincities.com/politics/2008/05/per-diem-debate-goes-to-court.html
    politicsinminnesota.com/blog/2008/02/morning-report-21208-daily-minnesota-political-stories/
    Regarding your query as to which candidate I am supporting, I am working to decide. I received a letter from the Emmer for Governor campaign yesterday. Your points in his favor were also stated in the correspondence. The letter further states: “I share your conservative values.” Yet in your post you indicated that you and he are “Libertarian/Republican” which I assume that because the Libertarian Party is not holding precinct caucuses you have chosen to caucus with the Republicans. And allow me, as a Reagan Republican to welcome you to the party.

11. Jim Bobier Says:
    January 30th, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    So glad to hear of another Reagan Republican in our midst. Anyone familiar with with our esteemed President will remember his supportive statements on libertarianism:

    “I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism”

    “The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.”

    “I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path.”

    As a long-term student of the Reagan Revolution and voter for both of his presidential elections, I am also proudly endorsing Tom Emmer for Governor.

    It shouldn’t take too much work for a fellow Reagan supporter to determine which candidate they are supporting for the choices in front of us.

12. Bill Jungbauer Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 8:46 am

    For the record, I am a Republican first. I have Libertarian beliefs which coincide with my conservative values.

    Here are the facts as sent to me by the House Controller,

    Per diem taken by both Marty Seifert and Tom Emmer for the last five years and their ranking for the amount taken among the 134 members of the House,

    2009
    Marty Seifert, 28th, $11,473.00
    Tom Emmer, 83rd, $9,240.00

    2008
    Marty Seifert, 24th, $8,767.00
    Tom Emmer, 96th, $6,039.00

    2007
    Marty Seifert, 18th, $12,507.00
    Tom Emmer, 63rd, $10,846.00

    2006
    Marty Seifert, 20th, $6,930.00
    Tom Emmer, 43rd, $6,336.00

    2005
    Marty Seifert, 65th, $9,834.00
    Tom Emmer, 30th, $11,068.00

    As you can see, Tom Emmer is a fast learner. His take of per diem continually drops while Marty’s has always increases. 2008 for example, Tom ranked 96th out of 134 House members and he is a fair distance from home.

13. Tom Rees Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 9:14 am

    Jim Bobier, thank you for your learned contribution to the discussion. I am surprised as a Minnesota taxpayer you did not point out in your endorsement the generous, seven days a week during the legislative session, per diem payments that Representative Tom Emmer demanded in 2009! Yes, $66 a day for “expenses” including Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays! Of course he has said he and the other legislators who claimed per diems have no apologies to make. Why? Well, he said, “You’re talking to a guy who at 44 years old made a significant personal and financial sacrifice to serve my constituents.” (As a Reagan scholar does that sound like Reagan?) Later he said, “”Lots of Minnesota families are hurting. They’re out of work, struggling to pay the mortgage and worrying about buying food and clothes for their kids. From my perspective as a person who was elected to make tough decisions to help lead Minnesota back to prosperity, shouldn’t elected officials be willing to do our part as well?”
    The Reagan quote you provided, “I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism,” notably does not cite the “mind.” I have visiting countries where the people do not have a “government” meddling at all in their lives. You know, the kind that libertarians appear to seek. It isn’t pretty.
    How about a quote from a Democrat: “”Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”—Thomas Jefferson. That is called using your mind.
    Thanks again for your contribution.

14. Tom Rees Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 10:04 am

    However, a founding stalwart like Patrick Henry, the first governor of Virginia, decided he could not afforBill Jungbauer, thanks for a good job of researching how both legislators are apparently using the per diem to pad their own compensation! Let’s see, just yesterday I read that the IRS for 2009 was allowing mileage for charitable endeavors at 14 cents per mile. So if your data is correct, a round trip from Delano to the Capitol is 75 miles. And at 14 cents a mile that reimbursement comes to $10.50. Most days there is legislative activity, I would say you could liberally add $30 for meals allowing just over $40 as possibly justifiable expenses — though in my job (when I wasn’t traveling) I paid for my own meals. Forty of the 133 or so calendar days for 2009 legislative session were weekends and Holidays. Let’s throw in maybe two Saturdays that there were meetings that Representative Tom Emmer was obliged to attend.
    For session only per diem he received $8,778.00. So for 95 days (and there were a number of Fridays early in the session that not many committees were meeting) the calculated daily compensation just from per diem was $92.40. Remember that does not include salary, or other compensation provided to him or he may have requested.
    Mr. Jungbauer, I understand that as a conservative we wish to have people that will not disappoint us when it comes to public service. However, let me suggest that the most important indication of a man’s or woman’s conservative value is the understanding of what is fair to expect for compensation of public service. Even the founders at the Constitutional Convention received some compensation for their attendance. However, a founding stalwart like Patrick Henry, the first governor of Virginia, decided he could not afford to attend after receiving his invitation. I believe that too many elected officials do not measure the financial cost of being a public servant and will be forced to find covert ways of enhancing their compensation - which is obviously what the per diem payments are for. If your measure all the compensation for the four and two-thirds months of session, I believe the total is just under $25,000 Representative Emmer accepted. While perhaps that is not an exceptional private sector compensation number, for a part-time job it probably isn’t too bad. Compare, if you will, a state with no income tax (except on dividends and interest) and the pay legislators receive. Perhaps New Hampshire should be the measure of fair legislative compensation?
    Consequently, if the ranking for a Minnesota legislator isn’t last or tied for last (or at the very least the per diem dollar value equals real expenses assignable for the job) then there is no contest and all (or nearly all in 2009) legislators have failed in my view of understanding what “public service” means.

15. Bill Jungbauer Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 10:06 am

    From Wikipedia,

    Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)[2] was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States. Jefferson envisioned America as the force behind a great “Empire of Liberty”[3] that would promote republicanism and counter the imperialism of the British Empire.

    Thomas Jefferson was a Republican who along with the other Founding Fathers of this nation gave us a republic.

    Do you have anything else to say? Or are you just a one hit wonder? Enough about the per diem already. There are bigger issues than that.

16. Tom Rees Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 11:51 am

    “In 1796, as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Republicans, he became vice-president after losing to John Adams by three electoral votes.” Bill Jungbauer, the Republican Party was not in existence until the 1850s by which time the Democratic Party of Jefferson had been around since Jefferson helped it first become successful. While every free man in the world owes a debt to Thomas Jefferson, please do not try to adopt him into the Republican Party. There are enough people trying to rewrite history.
    As to the per diem issue not being a big enough issue, allow me to submit that if you cannot trust how a politician values himself and his public service — and more importantly if he, particularly as an attorney, learned in the law, after being a party to a lawsuit wherein the Court ruled that per diem is not compensation but expense reimbursement still believes he can without impunity take moneys for expense reimbursement on Sundays, Saturdays and Holidays how can you trust him to make just decisions for the rest of us?

17. Bill Jungbauer Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Thomas Jefferson, along with the other Founding Fathers created a republic. Period. Not a democracy. The word democracy cannot be found in our Constitution, nor that of the fifty state constitutions. The United States is a Republic.

    Whatever the name of the party he ran under in 1796, his principles are republican principles. I call myself a classic liberal. Does that mean I am a liberal by today’s standards? Hardly. Much has change in over 200 years.

    Maybe you should run again as you are incredibly concerned, maybe even obsessed about the issue of per diem. You were once a legislator. Did you ever work on a Sunday or Holiday? I have not seen your per diem records. It would be interesting to know what you took while you were in office. Could this be a case of the pot calling the kettle black? I am fully aware of the fact that you have an axe to grind with Mark Buesgens, who I highly respect as a man of integrity.

    As for me, I cannot wait on the second coming of Christ so that I may cast my vote for him. I have to vote for a human being. Someone who is not perfect, but may have faults just like I do. As far as the candidates go, It is Tom Emmer I trust the most. I believe in Tom. I trust his word to be good.

18. Joe voter Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    Good debate. Although I do not care how much our reps. make, if it is not enough they are free to find employment elsewhere. A good honest man is not enough, and I do not mean any disrespect to any of the candidates, but we R.R. republicans want our leaders to stand up against the odds when needed and say it like it is, go against the Dems and the media when they need to, not to go green and force us all to have fluorescant bulbs, etc. That is a whole new can of worms we do not want to open right not. I have yet to decide which candidate I will be backing but will no longer vote for the better of the two candidates. The Minnesota Republican party should learn from the last Presidential race. People want a leader to stand up for what he believes, and not back down. Do that and you will get the Republicans. Libertarians, and all of the Independants to go along with you. Just as Ronald Reagan did.

19. Tom Rees Says:
    February 2nd, 2010 at 10:26 am

    Bill Jungbauer, you would be hard pressed to find any per diem payments that I accepted. I, as recently recommended by the leader of the Taxpayers League, requested expense reimbursement in my second and third terms because I accepted additional responsibility (I was the only minority Legislative Committee Chairman in 1981) and in the majority for the last term I served. In my first term I neither asked for nor received any per diem payments. I spent my own money to submit an amicus brief for a court case one of the municipalities I represented had begun and ultimately prevailed during my service.
    As far as “an axe to grind with Mark Buesgens” if you knew what you were talking about, the issue I have is that he sits on the Executive Committee of the local Republican Party and has been effective in eliminating the possibility that any citizen in the district securing the endorsement of the party. There has been no search effort for at least eight years unless you call a Search Committee meeting in 2008 an hour or so before the endorsing convention a search effort. Representative Mark Buesgens - who happens to be Representative Tom Emmer’s Campaign Chairman - is delinquent on the property taxes he owes for an investment property in St. Paul. I would suggest this inability to meet obligations that the state expects us all to adhere is not in keeping with either a libertarian nor conservative view of governance. I believe that public officials should be held to a higher standard. I agree with Joe the Voter, “People want a leader to stand up for what he believes, and not back down.” However, inherent with that statement, I would submit, is the responsibility to meet his or her civic obligations. Also, when Representative Buesgens Campaign Committee has over the last few years been penalized by the Campaign Finance Board over a thousand dollars (arguably public dollars because his committee has paid the penalties out of campaign funds that accepted public financing) this means to me that he has a level of arrogance in meeting his civic responsibilities. There are other civic responsibilities that Representative Buesgens has failed in meeting that I will not detail at this time but much has been recorded elsewhere. So, if you, Bill Jungbauer, feel it is okay to consistently not pay legitimate property taxes on time — and maybe that is what you do I have not tried to look at your records because I don’t want to see any black kettle — plus other integrity issues not outlined here, then please continue to live in your universe of believe what they say, ignore what they do!
    And as an aside, according to Marty Seifert’s committee, Representative Tom Emmer voted “against taxpayer protection referendum” to raise money for the new stadium in April of 2006. Is that libertarian or conservative? Thanks for your honest effort to make our state better.