WoMN Focus

Sen. Clark: Unallotment job losses will be felt around the state and across private and public sector

Property taxes and college tuition will rise, hospitals and nursing homes will see deeper cuts, and school districts may be forced to borrow to make ends meet under Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s unallotment proposal, according to State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud. Pawlenty announced his intentions to drastically reduce funding for aid to cities and counties, eliminate an increase to nursing homes, and to shift $1.8 billion in school funding at a press conference on Tuesday. Sen. Clark said she is very concerned that the reductions in funding will mean both private and public sector job losses throughout the state.
Unallotment is a little-used power that was put into law in 1939 that allows the governor to cut funding for state expenditures. It was originally designed to aid in fixing small, unanticipated budget deficits. The power has been used only six times in 70 years, with Pawlenty utilizing it three times. The governor’s proposed $2.7 billion unallotment is larger than all five of the previous unallotments combined, and nearly 10 times more than the largest.
“The governor is cutting jobs and increasing taxes for renters and property tax payers,” said Sen. Clark. “For the first time this year, Minnesotans are paying more in property taxes than income taxes, and it is going to get worse. We offered a fair and balanced solution and the governor decided he didn’t want to do his job and negotiate a common-sense budget, so now he’s continuing his attack on the things that make our state great.”
The governor’s proposed unallotments include:
· $300 million in Local Government Aid and County Program Aid, primarily used for local public safety and essential services.

· $1.77 billion K-12 education funding shift that may cause some schools to have to borrow to bridge funding.

· $51 million decrease to the renters’ refund program resulting in a tax increase for renters.

· $236 million reduction of health care, including eliminating the General Assistance Medical Care program, which provides health care for the sickest and poorest Minnesotans, one-and-a-half months sooner than would have happened as a result of Pawlenty’s line-item veto.

· $100 million cut to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and the University of Minnesota.

· $33 million in cuts to most state agency operating budgets.

“The governor made a decision to raise property taxes, cut local public safety, and put our schools at risk because he wasn’t willing to do his job,” said Clark. “Instead of working with the Legislature, he and his Republican legislator enablers have chosen to put more Minnesotans out of work. The governor has continued to attack the things that make our state great and put his own political ambitions ahead of the needs of Minnesotans.”

Statement of Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner

DFL candidate for governor calls on Pawlenty to engage in a meaningful and sincere debate

(St. Paul,MN) Today’s action by Governor Pawlenty, laying the ground work to unilaterally unallot billions of dollars previously dedicated to address the human, social and environmental needs of Minnesotans, is clearly a seminal moment in our state’s history.

Indeed, it is a sad day when Minnesota’s representative government cannot work together to solve one of the most pressing economic and fiscal disasters our state has ever faced.

For anyone to call the governor’s action “strong leadership” would belie the essential meaning of good government and principled service to its constituents.

Clearly, these are difficult times that require difficult decisions, but those decisions are best made after a meaningful debate and within a spirit of compromise. The process we have witnessed was neither.

Today, I call on Governor Pawlenty to remain open to a truly democratic process and call for a special session. That session must be a respectful process that includes the possibility of multiple options and have the intention of putting our state back on track and easing the considerable pain that the unallotment process will surely bring.

###

Via Minnpost:

Gaertner spoke of “stewardship” of the land and enforcing environmental laws. Kelley showed off his technical knowledge, what with his position as the director of the Humphrey Institute’s Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy.

Anderson Kelliher reminded folks of her agri-roots and her deer-hunting capabilities. Marty detailed his long environmental record, blasted big-energy lobbyists and called for 25-cent mass transit tickets.
….
And then there’s that other unannounced candidate, Madam Speaker A-K. She began the night saying, with a smile, that she is “exploring the possibility of running for governor,” and then proceeded to speak with energy about storing wind and solar energy, said she was prepared to “stick with the tough conversations” about economic development and touted her holistic message that education drives her entire vision, mentioning the power of two-year colleges in the state and declaring, “Science should lead us.”

Sometimes it sounded as if she were running against Pawlenty, who, I believe, isn’t running for re-election. More than a couple times she was critical of what “we haven’t had in Minnesota recently.”

No, she told MinnPost after the panel discussion, she wasn’t running against the ghost of the governor. She was running against an era of “self-interested politics” and what she views as “a slide towards mediocrity.” She’s seeking a “return to prosperity.”

Meanwhile, like Marco Polo, Ponce de Leon and Ann Bancroft, Anderson Kelliher is just “exploring” these days. Right.

Read the full post here.

When asked if she would need to step down from her leadership position to run for governor, like former Minority Leader Marty Seifert did last week, she responded that as a mother, she has the ability to multitask.

(I appear to be having problems with the audio embed, but you can listen here.)

We can only assume that the governor’s race will come up.

Listen here at 11 am.

Via Polinaut:

“I continue to have experiences like last night where my daughter and I were out for her birthday, and a random person comes up to me and says I hope you run for governor,” Kelliher said. “So, I am weighing those inquires that are daily very seriously.”

Kelliher says she thinks candidates will have to be in the race by this fall.

Looks like in my last post my idea of timing is all wrong. And here I thought everyone would want to be declared before the 4th so they can march in parades and then shake hands at the Fair.

And all signs point to his future plans being an exploratory committee for Pawlenty 2012, rather than seeking a third term as governor.

What does this change for Minnesota? We now have a completely open governor’s race in 2010. There will be no GOP incumbent in a state that has been trending less and less Republican-friendly over the last few election cycles. Obvious front runners for the GOP nomination are Minority Leader Marty Seifert, former Senator Norm Coleman (who may be too much damaged goods at this point in the never-ending contest saga), GOP activist Brian Sullivan, who lost to Pawlenty in 2000.

But it’s the not so obvious that could be interesting. Is Rep. Michele Bachmann interested in Governor, or has her national media campaign showed her hand in possibly running for senate against Sen. Amy Klobuchar? Is Minnesota Majority just an action group, or a way to get Mary Kiffmeyer back in the spotlight after losing Secretary of State to Mark Ritchie. And what ever happened to the Lieutenant Governor Molnau? Is she even around anymore?

This announcement will also lead to an onslaught of new DFL candidates. No one will want to let an open election go by without taking a swing. If Speaker Kelliher is interested, expect to hear from her in the next two weeks. She’ll want to be up and running before the 4th of July.

Via Minnpost:

“We were dealing with a governor who decided to throw in the towel and walk away from the type of democracy we have,” she said, unlike in the previous two sessions when the governor and lawmakers reached negotiated settlements.

“The governor was much more engaged in those solutions,” she said. “He had a very different level of engagement this time.”

Kelliher talked about her possible run for governor in 2010, saying: “My motivation, personally, is to make this the very best state we can have,” she said. “I think we have to get back to our fiscally responsible roots in this state.”

View full post here.

From the Star Tribune:

“You made the decision to veto the Legislature’s final balanced budget proposal and now you are left with few choices,” wrote House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller in a joint letter released Friday. “You will be held responsible for the repercussions of those actions.”

Minnpost speculates that Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher may be close to announcing a run for governor in 2010:

It sounds as if there soon will be another bandwagon in the ever-growing DFL gubernatorial candidate parade. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher all but said she will soon be announcing her plans to run for the big office in 2010.

“I don’t have a plan, but I’m thinking about it,” Kelliher told me Thursday.

In political-speak, that means she’s simply trying to pick the best day to announce.

Minnesota has never had a female governor, and is more than ready for one. Having Speaker Kelliher join the race with Susan Gaertner greatly increases this possibility. And with Tim Pawlenty looking less and less enthusiastic about seeking a 3rd term, the DFL has an excellent shot against a line-up of lesser known and regarded GOP candidates like Minority Leader Marty Seifert.