Minneapolis City Hall. Photo: Hennepin Co. Library

They are called “pre-general” campaign-finance reports, but with the general election in Minneapolis only a day away, many candidates’ reports have yet to be filed, according to a website maintained by Hennepin County. In select races that could be close and have reports posted, the money race gives an indication of how much the candidates have had to work with in the closing days of their campaigns.

For instance, in the mayoral race, incumbent R.T. Rybak has filed his latest finance report but Papa John Kolstad, a leader among 10 challengers, has not — rendering what would certainly be a David-and-Goliath comparison impossible to make before the election.

In Ward One, where the new occupant for one of three open council seats in Minneapolis will be decided Tuesday, DFL endorsee Kevin Reich had raised nearly 20 times as much money ($23,048) as Susan Howitz Hanna ($1,221), a rival DFLer who picked up the Star Tribune’s endorsement a week after the close of the filing period.

Larry Ranallo, a third DFLer with signs throughout the ward (and even as far as nine blocks outside the ward), hasn’t filed either a pre-primary or pre-general campaign finance report, according to the Hennepin County website.

Such filings are required once a campaign spends or receives $100. The pre-general reports were supposed to be filed Oct. 27.

In a South Minneapolis park board rematch between incumbent Carol Kummer and repeat challenger Jason Stone, Kummer raised more than $7,000 during the Sept. 2–Oct. 20 reporting period — almost twice the sum Stone took in.

Kummer was beneficiary of a maximum $300 gift from park board attorney Brian Rice and more from police union groups his firm represents — a donor constellation that also bankrolled campaigns for and against ballot referendums concerning the park board earlier in the year.

Another park candidate on Rice’s gift list is Bob Fine, who currently represents the city’s southwest corner. Fine is one of five current or former at-large park commissioners vying for the three citywide seats up for election. He had $6,000 in cash on hand on Oct. 20, more than incumbents Mary Merrill Anderson ($2,300) and Annie Young ($1,100).

Pre-general reports for former commissioner John Erwin and current park board president Tom Nordyke were not posted at the Hennepin County site as of noon Monday.

Nordyke was also among tardy filers for the pre-primary report deadline in September.

“When you win an election by 312 votes, there’s not a lot of effort that goes to waste,” Al Franken told Minneapolis Democrats Saturday. “We ran a very efficient campaign.” Franken nominated R.T. Rybak for endorsement for a third term as mayor at the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s city convention.

Outside of his own race for U.S. Senate, Franken has the magic touch, apparently: Rybak’s endorsement by the party, though a foregone conclusion this time around, is actually his first. Here is a minute-long video clip (via wr3n) of Franken’s remarks:

A lot of people here have been asking me, “What do I call you?” And the answer to that is: Al. There is only one person in the state who will have to call me senator and that, of course, is [his wife] Franni. I want to thank you all. You know, when you win an election by 312 votes, there’s not a lot of effort that goes to waste. We ran a very efficient campaign. And I want to thank each and every one of you who made our victory possible, and just let you know that I can’t wait to get to Washington and start working on behalf of all of [you? unintelligible].

Franken spoke as a delegate from Ward 7, Precint 9, and received a standing ovation more rousing than the crowd’s response to Rybak. That’s according to Aaron Landry, who also reported via Twitter:

Mayor: Rybak received 75 percent of delegates’ votes on the first ballot.

Park Board at-large (three seats): Mary Merrill Anderson, Tom Nordyke and John Erwin won endorsements by acclamation. (Anderson and Nordyke are one-term incumbents; Erwin previously served as a single term as at-large commissioner from 2002–06.)

Park Board, District Five: No endorsement for Jason Stone, Martin Demgen or Steve Barland to replace incumbent Carol Kummer — amid “chaos.”

Board of Estimate and Taxation: Carol Becker, an incumbent, got the only endorsement for two seats that voters will fill in the fall.

More results:

Park Board, District Two: No endorsement in contest between incumbent Jon Olson and Natalie Collins. (At lloydletta, you can see videos of candidate statements, questions-and-answers and balloting; Eva Young’s commentary here.)

Park Board, District Four: Newcomer Anita Tabb, the only candidate, won endorsement to replace Tracy Nordstrom, who is retiring as commissioner after one term.

Park Board, District Six: Challenger Brad Bourn beat out incumbent Bob Fine. (Via tweets by Downtown Journal’s Cristof Traudes)

Park Board, District One: Liz Wielinski won endorsement with 72 percent of the vote over Michael Rainville, for a seat being vacated by longtime city official Walt Dziedzic.

Park Board, District Three: One-term incumbent Scott Vreeland gained  endorsement again. (Via Steve Brandt, Star Tribune.)

After confessing to having had nightmares about advertising banners hanging from trees in parks, Commissioner Tracy Nordstrom said she was relieved that’s not how the Lowe’s banners will be displayed. The banner ads (pictured, click for larger view) at Loring Park and Parade Ice Garden will be reduced from an original size of 8-by-2 feet to 6-by-2 feet, staff said, and would hang from buildings in positions judged to be least conspicuous: over the main entrance to the ice rink and on a side of a new Lowe’s-supplied shed at Loring facing away from neighbors and park users.

Continued: Click “Read more”

Commissioner Jon Olson had earlier expressed regret that Lowe’s (via its marketing consultant, GMR) had targeted donations for parks only in particular ZIP codes, with nothing going to parks in the north, northeast or southeast sections of the city. But on Wednesday, Olson said he was satisfied that Lowe’s would target other ZIP codes next year. Olson also emphasized that the ads will be on view for a “short amount of time.”

The indoor signs will hang in kitchen areas near donated appliances for one year and will not include proposed language directing park visitors to look for similar merchandise at the Lowe’s Web site. The outdoor banners will go up as early as July and remain through December, unless they become damaged, in which case they won’t be replaced.

But the original wording on the banner ads — “This area brought to you in part by Lowe’s” — may not change, despite drawing sharp criticism from commissioners at their May 21 meeting.  Vice President (and former superintendent) Mary Merrill Anderson asked staff to repeat what she thought she’d heard: that the banner slogan “would remain the same or” would change. Still, Merrill Anderson voted in favor of the ad plan, despite her stated fear that accepting ads in parks “can be a slippery slope until we set some guidelines.” Commissioner Annie Young, saying “It’s still a big banner,” cast the only vote against.

The park commissioners don’t have a policy on ads in parks but say they plan to craft one. Besides taxpayer support, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has long received donations of goods and services from corporations and individuals without swapping for ad space or similar sponsorship benefits. A recent deal with Toyota (which came via St. Paul’s parks department) broke with that tradition, and another deal with Traveler’s could happen by year’s end.

Bus windows and skyways get covered in ads; are public parks next? Minneapolis taxpayers could soon be greeted at their city parks by banners advertising a national home improvement chain that has no stores in the city proper. Lowe’s says it’s willing to donate $90,000 in goods and services to six parks. The string attached: Lowe’s wants to hang 8-foot by 2-foot banners proclaiming “This area brought to you in part by Lowe’s” in outdoor locations such as Loring Park as well as smaller signs near donated equipment reading: “These products and more are available at Lowe’s.” (You can see a larger rendition of the 8-x-2 banner by clicking on the image at top.)

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s Administration and Finance Committee voted last week to send the proposal to the full board next week, although Commissioner Mary Merrill Anderson, a former Minneapolis park superintendent, acknowledged, “We’re holding our nose.” Commissioner Annie Young abstained, saying she’d read about Lowe’s troubles and thus recognized the company’s need for a marketing boost, but “I really don’t want an 8 ft by 2 ft banner outdoors.” Commissioner Scott Vreeland questioned the Lowe’s approach of targeting parks in certain zip codes. “I don’t know if anyone actually goes to Lowe’s in Minneapolis. It’s kind of a funny demographic. I’ve never been to a Lowe’s,” Vreeland said. “If I walk into Matthews Park, and it says, ‘This area brought to you by Lowe’s,’ that bugs me. Because this area is brought to us by taxpayers.”

Several commissioners said sponsorships were the wave of the future and Minneapolis simply needs a policy for cutting deals. No policy is in place yet; Lowe’s would be an exception, or perhaps the first drip in a coming flood. “Home Depot and other stores that haven’t requested this are going to go ‘Hey, me too!’” warned Commissioner Carol Kummer. “Thinking about how beautiful the parks look, we sure don’t need them cluttered up with corporate signage. If they get really jerky about it, tell them to take their 90 thou and go to …” She trailed off but another commissioner filled in the sentence with the name of another park district: “Three Rivers.” General Manager Don Siggelkow, who is asking the board whether staff should continue negotiations with Lowe’s corporate marketing department, said Lowe’s was already seeking similar arrangements around the area.