by Paul Demko
Published: August 12, 2011
Tags: Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Linda Runbeck, Mark Dayton, Paul Marquart
In 2002, Minneapolis received $112 million in local government aid from the state. The following year the state’s largest city was slated to receive $118 million but ultimately saw that sum cut to $92 million.
by Frank Jossi
Published: July 20, 2011
Tags: Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Lyndon Carlson, Mark Dayton, Richard Cohen, Roger Moe, Steve Sviggum, Tom Hanson
Now that the state shutdown appears to be over, it seemed a good time to wonder what goes on in those conference rooms for hours on end. Are there treats? Is the coffee any good? Do the two sides break bread or pizza together? Do they sit Republican next to Democrat or face off from [...]
by Chuck Slocum
Published: July 15, 2011
Tags: Arne Carlson, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Income tax, Income taxes, Mark Dayton, Property tax, Tim Pawlenty
Baseball Hall-of-Famer George Brett once said that “if a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out.”
by Paul Demko
Published: June 22, 2011
Tags: David Schultz, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Gregg Peppin, Jim Abeler, Mark Dayton, Rod Hamilton
Gov. Mark Dayton has held the political upper hand throughout the first six months of his tenure. Polling has consistently shown him with approval ratings above 50 percent and widespread public support for his plan to eliminate the state’s $5 billion budget deficit through a mix of spending cuts and tax increases on the state’s wealthiest residents.
by Briana Bierschbach
Published: June 17, 2011
Tags: David Schultz, Erick Kaardal, Erik Paulsen, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Lori Swanson, Mark Buesgens, Matt Dean, Paul Kohls, Phil Krinkie, Roger Chamberlain, Ryan Winkler, Scott Newman, Sean Nienow, Speaker Kurt Zellers, Steve Sviggum, Warren Limmer
On Monday, yet another legal petition regarding the terms of a state government shutdown is expected to be filed in Ramsey County District Court, and this one makes a very simple case: In the event of a shutdown, priority funding should go to — no one. Nothing gets funded. Any such arrangement is illegal on its face according to the Minnesota Constitution.
by Briana Bierschbach
Published: June 15, 2011
Tags: Arne Carlson, Fritz Knaak, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Gregg Peppin, Jesse Ventura, Mark Dayton, Rudy Perpich, Ryan Winkler, Senate recount
Of the five judges selected by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea to oversee the state’s redistricting process, one is considered a “rising star” in the judicial world, another has ruled on a case that started a courtroom brawl, and yet another parlayed a tour guide job into a more than 20-year career as a corporate attorney. Together, the judges are widely considered a fair, well-equipped group to handle the contentious process of drawing the state’s political maps.
by Paul Demko and Jake Grovum
Published: June 15, 2011
Tags: David Lillehaug, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, James Gilbert, Katharine Tinucci, Lori Swanson, Mark Dayton, Mike Hatch, Minnesota Supreme Court, Sean Nienow
With two weeks left until the end of the biennial budget cycle, the largest question facing the state is increasingly not whether the government will be forced to shut down July 1, but just how much will be shuttered when it does.
by Briana Bierschbach
Published: June 10, 2011
Tags: Bob Gunther, Darin Broton, David Hann, Dean Urdahl, Denny McNamara, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, John Kriesel, King Banaian, Kurt Bills, Larry Howes, Mary Liz Holberg, Michael Brodkorb, Morrie Lanning, Pat Anderson, Pat Garofalo, Pat Pariseau, Rich Murray, Rod Hamilton, Steve Smith, Tom Emmer
Moderate legislators are hard to come by these days. By most accounts, last fall’s election saw voters oust most of the middle-of-the-road DFLers in the Minnesota House and replace them with a spate of freshman Republicans elected on a strong right-wing wave that swept the nation.
by Charley Shaw
Published: June 8, 2011
Tags: Bill Schreiber, Bob Johnson, Bob Vanasek, Debra Hilstrom, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Jimmy Carter, League of Women Voters, Linda Scheid, Roger Moe
In 11 nonconsecutive terms as a DFL legislator going back to 1977, Sen. Linda Scheid has made a name for herself as a highly knowledgeable and instinctually bipartisan legislator with an independent streak. Long before legislators were chanting “jobs, jobs, jobs” in unison, Scheid cast moderate, pro-business votes that sometimes raised eyebrows among fellow DFLers.
by Charley Shaw
Published: June 3, 2011
Tags: Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Gregg Johnson, Mark Dayton, Minnesota Management and Budget, Paul Kohls, Phil Krinkie, Ryan Winkler, Scott Newman, Taxpayers League
As acrimony and posturing continue to dominate relations between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders, the countdown to a July 1 state government shutdown proceeds. Yet even as the zero hour draws closer, many basic questions — such as the scope of services to be shuttered and the likely public impact — remain mysteries that would ultimately be settled in a courtroom.
