Is it more remarkable that the Twin Cities mainstream media is finally acknowledging that Chris Coleman has an opponent in the Saint Paul mayor race – Eva Ng? The Cities’ media has been famously reticent to criticize the incumbent mayor – perhaps because he’s the little brother of one of their own, former Strib and PiPress columnist and ex-KSTP and Air America host Nick Coleman. As we noted during the 2006 Senate campaign, being related to a former Twin Cities media eminemento (Senator Klobuchar is the daughter of former longtime Strib columnist and Studs-Terkel-wannabee Jim Klobuchar) guarantees almost as much selective amnesia as, well, being a DFLer does.
Or is it that they’re reporting that Ng is onto something?
MPR’s Tom Scheck, writing at Polinaut:
Coleman’s mayoral opponent, Eva Ng, is calling on Coleman to explain why his campaign committee is spending money on airline tickets, restaurants and hotels outside the city of St. Paul.
Bear in mind that Coleman is putatively running for Mayor of Saint Paul. I don’t know what the laws are re spending money for one campaign on another race, but…
Here’s the list compiled from Ng’s campaign:
Travel & Hotels
- 3/12/09 Midwest Airlines for $619.39
- 3/13/09 Orbitz.com for $107.88
- 7/23/09 Alexandria, MN Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center Deposit for $200.00
- 7/30/09 Rochester, MN Kahler Grand Hotel for $452.98
- 7/30/09 Northwest Airlines for $249.19
- 8/17/09 Alexandria, MN Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center Lodging Payment for $107.80
Meals & Restaurants
- 6/18/09 CD7 Dinner for $60.00
- 7/29/09 Rochester, MN Gilligan’s Cove restaurant for $13.00
- 7/30/09 Rochester, MN Kahler Grand Grill for $86.89
- 8/3/09 Granite City Brewery for $35.82 (There are no Granite City Brewery locations in St. Paul: http://www.gcfb.net/locations.cfm) [Although to be fair there is one at Rosedale, maybe a mile north of Saint Paul; not sure if “fairness” covers observing that Coleman should know the difference, whether it’s close enough for county work or not. Rochester, naturally, is right out – Ed. ]
Donations to Political Units Outside St. Paul
- 2/7/09 Senate District 32 DFL (includes Maple Grove, Osseo, Rogers) received $50.00
- 6/11/09 Rice County DFL received $200.00
I’m waiting for a response from the Coleman campaign and will post it when they comment.
Let’s try to be fair; maybe the Rice County DFL is going to send busloads of canvassers and door-knockers.
I’ll watch for the comment…
One has to wonder if deep seated sexism is involved in the Coleman campaign. I mean, right now, Chris is standing in the door of City Hall, blocking a female Asian-American from entering. You didn’t see him spending money at Gilligan’s cove when he was running against a white guy. (for those not too smart, I am mocking Obama supporters)
Rochester is Olmsted County. 🙂
Not quite, Andy, no matter what Chuck Hazama might have told you.
[Inside joke for Southeast Minnesotans – Rochester has a history of annexing territory far outside its borders, much to the resentment of residents of surrounding townships, pushed hard by former mayor Hazama. Got the idea from Duluth, I think, which annexed about half of St. Louis County in order to increase its population over 100,000, the magic number provided by statute to be a City of the First Class which gives them special priviliges and extra tax money. Rochester doesn’t quite own the entire county, Andy, not quite, though looking over the miles of cornfields nominally inside the “city limits” might make you think so.]
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