The executive assistants to City Council members have been busy lately -- and the Scoop has neglected to catch up.
On Nov. 8, Joan Reidell, Ward 1 executive assistant, gave birth to Jack William Petranek. Reidell recently showed off the little guy, who was mum on whether he wanted a [...]
City Hall labor/political junkie Kris Fredson sent word today he's leaving the administration of Mayor Chris Coleman.
Fredson, at left, whose formal title is Deputy Chief of Staff but who functioned more like a political director, will serve as political director for the Minnesota [...]
St. Paul Assistant Police Chief Matt Brostrom's formal kick-off in his run to unseat Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher will be 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Landmark Center.
Click here for the invitation.
Bostrom, as everyone knows, has been emphatic that he's running for sheriff, not against Fletcher.
Yeah yeah. The [...]
from the Political Animal:
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, through the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, called this morning for a special session to deal with the state's budget deficit.
"Minnesota cities are so close to the financial edge that any reduction in the December" [...]
The Scoop's NO-PARKING-signs-as-free-firewood tale continues. (This is the tale of some 13 boxes of city no parking signs left in a Frogtown alley after, apparently, being given to a city employee for use as firewood.)
First, to clarify. Fresher facts emerged today from St. Paul Public Works. The signs [...]
Boxes upon boxes of temporary city "No Parking" signs are apparently available this evening as free firewood, the Scoop has discovered.
This afternoon, the Scoop came across about 13 boxes of signs in a residential alley not far from University Avenue and Dale Street.
Each reads:
NO [...]
from the Political Animal:
Former St. Paul School Board member Tom Conlon just announced he will seek the office of state auditor. Conlon had been known for being one of the only Republican elected officials in Ramsey County.
Conlon resigned his [...]
The three-judge panel's ruling is out on vote-yes campaign lit in advance of the successful instant-runoff voting ballot question: The Better Ballot Campaign broke the law by claiming endorsements of the city and state DFL, the St. Paul and Minnesota Leagues of Women Voters, and the likes of President' [...]
Of course, this all comes down after the election...
The Scoop remembers sniffing something way back in September, when St. Paul mayoral candidate Eva Ng's campaign manager, Lisa Belak, stepped away from the Eva for Mayor campaign. After all, when someone leaves a campaign suddenly, there's always something.
All involved [...]
This just in, appropriately, on Veterans Day, from the St. Paul institution known as Serving Our Troops.
Volunteers prepare to send and serve 10,000 sizzling signs of support to Minnesota National Guard members in Iraq and Kuwait
At the same time, Serving Our Troops will host military family members for [...]
Unofficial results from Minneapolis ward races are in, and it looks like IRV will come into play in just two of the 13 contests (and certainly not in the mayor's race, where R.T. Rybak won a third term by lapping the field many times over. We expected better of' [...]
This is interesting. Compare the election results from Coleman's first win in 2005:
Coleman 40,601 68.6%
Kelly 18,203 30.8%
To his second in 2009:
Coleman 23,380 68.7%
Ng 10,496 30.8%
The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?
[...]104 of 104 precincts in, and the final tally pushed it outside the margin for a recount.
TOM GOLDSTEIN 13512 18.18%
JOHN BRODRICK 13906 18.71%
ELONA STREET-STEWART 16279 21.91%
JEAN O'CONNELL 13988 18.83%
Still extremely close, though close to the finish line with 102 of 104 precincts in. Goldstein still the odd man out, still within the margin for a recount.
TOM GOLDSTEIN 13304 18.31%
JOHN BRODRICK 13545 18.64%
ELONA STREET-STEWART 15980 22.00%
JEAN O'CONNELL 13641 18.78%
Here are the results with 88.5 percent of the precincts in:
TOM GOLDSTEIN 12302 18.44%
JOHN BRODRICK 12463 18.68%
ELONA STREET-STEWART 14788 22.17%
JEAN O'CONNELL 12539 18.79%
Right now, Goldstein is the odd man out. He is only two-tenths of a percentage point back, though, putting him' [...]
With close to half the city's 104 precincts in, Mayor Chris Coleman is cruising toward reelection with 70 percent of the vote. Political first-timer Eva Ng has 30 percent.
As a barometer of Coleman's first term, it's tough to argue that the voters are anything but satisfied with the [...]
It just gets more and more unclear:
The Better Ballot Campaign and Fair Vote Minnesota just released this:
Halloween Scare Tactics: Ballot question opponents file false election law complaint misstating LWV position
The St. Paul Better Ballot Campaign on Friday affirmed that it has properly received the St. Paul and Minnesota League [...]
Sigrid Johnson of the League of Women Voters may have told the Scoop that she was being "low-key" about accusing instant-runoff voting advocates of taking the League's name in vein.
But Chuck Repke ain't low-key.
Repke, the leader of the anti-IRV No Bad Ballots crew, today filed a formal complaint with' [...]
The co-presidents of the St. Paul League of Women Voters are asking instant-runoff voting supporters to "correct" an "error in their literature."
That lit would be mailers the Better Ballot Campaign has sent out that list the League under "endorsed by..." implying the League urges a vote of "yes" on [...]
The weekly "Central Corridor Construction Update" from the Met Council generally features a dull picture of the backside of an ideled backhoe or something.
So it caught the Scoop's eye when Construction update2 20091023 w map.pdf came out today.
It still features the backside of a backhoe, but in the [...]
NOTE: The Scoop found this gem of a Tad Vezner tale in some dusty corner of the PiPress office and Usual Suspects files and brings it you here.
There's a lot of letters in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
And all of them fit on Michael [...]
Deciphered: The Asian Economic Development Association has posted the Concerned Asian Business Owners' environmental justice complaint to the Federal Transit Administration over the Central Corridor Light Rail Line.
Check it out here.
Met Council Chair Peter Bell has denied the project violates environmental justice standards, and officials note' [...]
GOP-endorsed St. Paul School Board candidate Pat Igo is getting some O'Gara's corned beef and cabbage tonight at a $25-a-head fundraiser hosted by former U.S. Sen. and former Mayor Norm Coleman.
Coleman gets some historical praise out of it, too.
Here's the invite posted on Facebook (emphasis added by' [...]
The entire "3M Main Plant historic district," as well as four buildings individually, might be eligible for listing in the National Register of historic important things.
And yes, that water tower should be saved.
The Scoop recently got its paws on a draft -- yes, just a draft -- [...]
After months of speculation, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said today he will not seek the DFL nomination for governor.
The news comes as a shocker, as Coleman has spent much time of late pressing the flesh in outer parts of the state. He even recently signed up political [...]
Candidate debates always have the unknown factor to them.
And the final days before an election always witness mucho mud being thrown.
So the Scoop was slightly surprised to learn that St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and first-time candidate Eva Ng have agreed to a debate the day before [...]
The Ramsey County Charter Commission -- that restless wild card of an entity -- has turned its focus away from Bob Fletcher and toward county commissioners.
Their paychecks to be specific.
Important to remember: Last year, three county commissioners faced election challenges from opponents who made prior raises a [...]
The Scoop thinks protesters won't like this one, many Sheriff Bob Fletcher-haters will, but what about those on the far left with sympathies to each aforementioned camp?
St. Paul Assistant Police Chief Matt Bostrom this week was given the 2009 Preparedness Award by the Association of Minnesota Emergency Responders' [...]
Put this all in the category of the silliness before the silliness...
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman will attend a TakeAction Minnesota forum for 2010 gubernatorial candidates not as a candidate, but as a potential candidate, his campaign manager told the Scoop.
At last, it's as clear as the' [...]
Forget TakeAction calling St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman a gubernatorial candidate in 2010. Now the state DFL has -- almost. (Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, too.)
This just in from state DFL:
DFL Candidates to Join Governor Schweitzer at Annual Founders Day Dinner and Candidate Fair
This Saturday, September 26 [...]
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman may not be ready to call himself a candidate for the 2010 governor's race yet -- but increasingly those on the left aren't holding back.
Today, TakeAction Minnesota announced candidate Coleman -- that's 2010 gubernatorial candidate Coleman -- would attend this Saturday's launch of' [...]
(UPDATE at bottom)
Leave it to St. Paul City Council Member Lee Helgen to cast aside tradition in picking a new aide.
Helgen has selected Ann Olson to replace veteran city haller Jennifer Dunn who said good-bye today to the Ward 5 office to spend more time with her [...]
September 23, 2009
Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board
Attention: Gary Goldsmith, Executive Director
190 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1603
Dear Mr. Goldsmith:
We are writing to request an advisory opinion regarding the campaign expenditures of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.
State statute 10A states: "'Candidate' means" [...]
UPDATE: Note correction at bottom
In the latest suggestion that the St. Paul mayoral race is becoming a bit of a proxy battle for the 2010 governor's race, the Republican Party of Minnesota is going after St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman again today, alleging he's spending money on a [...]
Recall the costumed George Bush that the DFL assigned to dog Republican former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman when he was running for re-election?
The GOP striketh back -- but at St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.
Meet "Chicken Chris," as dubbed by the state Republican party in a photograph provided [...]
Presumed most-fashion-conscious-mayoral-appointee arts guru Joe Spencer, watch out. Another Chris Coleman sub-lieutenant is on the strut.
Caleb Jonas, the formerly-drably-dressed member of Coleman's education team, made a stunning wardrobe turnaround on Twin Cities Live in an installment of "Makeover My Man" Friday.
Watch it here.
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It was Jonas' girlfriend,' [...]
Of course not. There are no running mates for mayor. (It is mayor he's running for, right?)
The Scoop thought this photo, provided to the Scoop by paparazzi, captured the essence of ... something.
The individual with Mayor Chris Coleman is, obviously, Kris Johnson, president of [...]
St. Paul DFLers are crowing down at Mancini's tonight after a romp in the municipal primaries for mayor and school board.
Mayor Chris Coleman cruised past the cut with roughly 68 percent of the vote, and the DFL-backed school board incumbents finished in lockstep order of the primary and [...]
UPDATE: Earliest returns indicate: Nix this whole idea. Ng is cruising.
(original post)
The Scoop doesn't think it to be going out on a limb to predict that St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, a.k.a. endorsement ball hog, has a pretty good chance of advancing in today's primary.
The Scoop' [...]
St. Paul City Attorney John Choi is expected to announce his candidacy for Ramsey County Attorney tomorrow at Skyline Towers.
That's the announcement sent out this evening by Cory Tennison, an expected candidate to replace Susan Gaertner who stepped aside and threw his support behind Choi. Tennison will serve [...]
First of all, happy birthday to Mayor Coleman, who turns 48 today. Now onto business.
And by business, we mean elections.
The Coleman campaign sent out a letter yesterday from First Lady Connie Coleman asking for donations in advance of Coleman's birthday. Very cute indeed, but Coleman's birthday happens [...]
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced some high-powered campaign help yesterday, including Mandy Grunwald, who helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992 and became closely allied with now-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Ostensibly -- but only ostensibly -- the team of Grunwald, pollster Dianne Feldman and new-media consultant [...]
The Scoop's friends at the Usual Suspects -- a new PiPress blog on crime and courts -- scooped this tidbit, sure to have City Hallers wondering: Is there something else here someone knows but no one's saying that we don't know?
GOP-endorsed St. Paul mayoral candidate Eva Ng has scored a headliner for a private fundraiser in St. Paul tonight: Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
A short while ago, Ng's campaign confirmed that invitations obtained by the Scoop are legit: T-Paw will be the "featured speaker" at the Mac-Groveland home of Martin [...]
Former Republican National Convention spokesman and current Lowertown resident Matt Burns is setting up his own consulting firm. He and his girlfriend have stayed in town long after John McCain and Sarah Palin hit the bricks, and Burns recently set up Compelem Strategies. Here's the release:
NATIONAL POLITICAL CONVENTION'S DIRECTOR' [...]The Scoop isn't sure if Trader Joe's didn't get the memo or if City Hall wasn't clear in explaining it to them, but the Scoop can clear it up:
Don't dis the elected guy who represents the ward where your new store is.
Harris took a fair amount of heat from [...]
It was an outblast of bodies as the staff of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman scrambled outside his third floor offices of City Hall Wednesday afternoon.
Sweaty-palmed hands slapped marble for leverage and heels clacked and screeched as Coleman's entourage laid in a desperate pursuit of actor/Saints co-owner Bill Murray, [...]
The mightily impressive flow coming from Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt's head (we're talking hair) is about to be no more.
(The picture was taken during a "short" period.)
At 9 a.m. tomorrow, just before the County Board meeting, Reinhardt's hair will be done in two' [...]
Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint is playing Lowertown tonight. In other news, St. Paul is getting a new name.
For tonight's Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Mayor Chris Coleman has decided to switch things up a bit. He's renaming the the Capital City "Allen TousSaint Paul." And no, it's' [...]
St. Paul City Council Members Dave Thune and Lee Helgen are proposing a way for unmarried couples -- same sex or not -- to make somewhat official their partnership.
The proposal to create a "domestic partner registry" follows similar plans in Minneapolis and Duluth and has broad support among [...]
