Senate DFLers are seeking an ethics investigation on Republican Sen. Scott Newman of Hutchinson whose legislative assistant sent an email to the Minnesota Nurses Association stating that he would not meet with groups who backed his opponent, Hal Kimball. The DFLers claim that Newman violated Senate Rule 56.3, which prohibits senators from limiting access only to those who have made political contributions.

“Requesting an ethics hearing is a very serious matter, and we spent considerable time reviewing the facts and public comments made by Sen. Newman,” said Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. “We still have many questions regarding this incident, and we hope that a complete and full investigation by the Senate ethics subcommittee will provide Minnesotans with some much-needed answers.”

One such question, posed by Bluestem Prairie, the blog that broke the story earlier this week: How did Newman’s legislative aide know that the Minnesota Nurses Association backed Newman’s opponent?

It’s one that was echoed by the West Central Tribune on Thursday. “The remaining issue is where Newman’s staffer got the idea to write this e-mail in the first place and what discipline the staffer received,” the paper’s editorial board wrote.

Pappas and the DFL sent a letter to Senate President Michelle Fischbach on Thursday requesting an investigation.

“Should the citizens of our state see their elected officials segregating their interests due to their political affiliation, the integrity of both individual members and the reputation of the Senate is damaged,” the letter stated.

Here’s the letter:

ethics_subctee_letter

Republican Sen. Scott Newman of Hutchinson told the Minnesota Nurses Association late last week that they would not get a meeting with him because they endorsed his DFL opponent Hal Kimball, according to DFL-leaning blog, Bluestem Prairie. In fact, Newman’s office said that no groups who supported his opponent will get a meeting and, according to the Associated Press, Newman said he will not speak to the media regarding his office policy. Update: The Star Tribune spoke with Newman who said the policy was a mistake.

In an email to Minnesota Nurses Association’s Eileen Gavin, Newman’s legislative assistant said the group would not get a meeting:

Hi Eileen-

Unfortunately, Senator Newman will not see any organizations that donated to/supported his opponent Hal Kimball. After some careful checking, I discovered that the MNA had donated to Kimball’s campaign. Your association will be unable to schedule an appointment with Senator Newman.

Kim Kelley

Legislative Assistant

The Associated Press attempted to follow up on Bluestem Prairie’s reporting, but was told that Newman would not speak with the press over the issue. “[Kim] Kelley says Tuesday she can’t comment on her e-mail and says Newman won’t be interviewed about it,” the AP reported.

But, according to the Star Tribune, Newman said it was his new legislative aid who made a mistake.

“It’s clearly my responsibility,” he added. “But this is a brand new [legislative assistant]. . .what she put out is not – it is not my policy.”

“If this nursing organization wants to see me, they will see me,” said Newman. He said he was unsure whether similar emails were going to other groups. “I certainly hope not, but I don’t know,” he said.

Photo: Minnesota Nurses Association, Facebook

Around 12,000 Minnesota nurses walked off the job Thursday for a one-day strike that organizers have touted as the largest U.S. nursing strike in history. The dispute revolves primarily around pay cuts and staffing issues, with hospitals seeking to renegotiate nurses-to-patient ratios.

To no surprise, all three DFL Party candidates support the nurses union in the dispute. Each candidate is making stops at various picket lines throughout the day, though the campaigns appear to have staked out different parts of the Twin Cities. Matt Entenza appeared at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul; Margaret Anderson Kelliher heads out to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids later in the day and Mark Dayton is due to stop by three hospitals in the afternoon: United in St. Paul (hours after Enzenta was at the neighboring Children’s), Abbott Northwestern and Children’s in Minneapolis. They each are joining picket lines and talking to nurses. Dayton even went to a pre-strike nurses meeting where he helped make signs, with his reading “Doctors are important. Nurses are essential.”

Kelliher has been endorsed by The Minnesota Nurses Association for the primary, though the union will likely support whichever DFL candidate makes it to the general election. As Minnesota House speaker, Kelliher helped shape the budget deal that gives Minnesota’s next governor the power to decide whether to expand Medicaid to gain access to $1.4 billion in federal money. Her spokesperson told The American Independent Thursday that one of her first actions as governor would be to opt into the program in hope that the extra money for hospitals would alleviate some of the strain on hospitals behind the dispute.

While the DFLers have all staked out the same position, the Independence Party has seen a split on the issue between their candidates. Endorsed IP candidate Tom Horner holds complicated ties to the strike; his public relations firm, Himle-Horner, Inc., was hired last year to provide guidance for the hospitals in the dispute. Not surprisingly, when asked about the strike he leans toward supporting the hospitals in the negotiations. This is the second time in as many days that Horner’s business ties have raised concerns over his campaign.

Horner’s non-endorsed primary opponent Rob Hahn tried to thrust himself into the dispute recently by offering to mediate between the nurses and hospitals, though neither side appears to take the suggestion too seriously.

On the GOP side, Tom Emmer has not directly engaged the issue with the same enthusiasm as the DFL. But in a statement to The Star Tribune, Emmer appeared to side with the hospitals in the dispute:

I respect the right of an employee to organize and negotiate fair value for the service he or she provides. By the same token, I respect the right of employers to run their business as they deem best to provide the best quality and value for their customers. In this case, their patients.

I appreciate the compassion and concern that our nurses have for their patients and their profession. However, I believe hospital management is in the best position to make final decisions regarding staffing ratios. That being said, I understand that our nurses already do have input in this decision making process and our hospitals should be commended for considering their concerns.

An official with Allina Hospitals & Clinics told The Star Tribune that the hospitals affected by the strike are running without issue, though all are operating well below capacity.

The negotiations in Minnesota are part of the National Nurses United union push to raise awareness about pension cuts and stressful staffing levels, among other issues. An attempt in California to follow suit with nursing strikes there were blocked by a judge’s order.

Mark Dayton

AFSCME Council 5, the state’s largest union for public employees, has endorsed former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for governor.

“Mark Dayton has won statewide elections — twice,” said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, in a press release announcing the endorsement. “Minnesotans know and like Mark. That’s because he listens more than any other candidate. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s obvious that he cares about people.”

Dayton was elected to the Senate in 2000, but did not seek a second term. He also won a single term as state auditor in 1990. In addition, Dayton ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1982 and was defeated in a gubernatorial primary in 1998. He has stated that he will run in a primary election even if he does not receive the DFL endorsement.

According to the AFSCME Council 5, it spent nearly $1 million on the 2006 gubernatorial contest. In addition, the union mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers and 70 percent of its 43,000 members voted for the AFSCME-backed candidate. Nearly half of the union’s members are state employees.

The endorsement is another sign that organized labor will be divided about who to back in the crowded DFL field. The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters kicked off the endorsement sweepstakes in May by backing state Sen. Tom Bakk. Teamsters Local 120 then announced in September that it’s backing Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak — even though he’s not officially a candidate for the post. Earlier this month state Rep. Paul Thissen earned the support of the Minnesota Nurses Association.

A crowd of nurses who visited the governor’s office yesterday could have helped him craft his blog post.

But not with the politics part: Pawlenty knows his way around the the subtle exploitation of the italics function on his computer keyboard. He used it to great effect, and only once, in his post, giving emphasis to another jab at his leading rival for the GOP presidential nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and that state’s health plan. It was in the lead-in to the excerpt quoted above:

Otherwise costs will continue to grow in an unsustainable way, and, as we’ve seen in other states, government mandates will only shift the burden of exploding costs onto the shoulders of taxpayers and ordinary Americans unable to cover them.

No, instead the nurses gathered in his anteroom could have reminded Pawlenty that local hospitals and taxpayers will be left to pick up higher emergency-room tabs for health care to the indigent after his cuts to the regular care provided under GAMC take effect.

But, as is so often the case these days, the governor wasn’t in.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news today …

WILLMAR: Community banks need special handling by feds. That’s what Klobuchar told women in Willmar. [West Central Tribune]

ST. PAUL: Nice stamp, if you like swans. The same two senators helped unveil a new postage stamp honoring Minnesota — and it’s a real ugly duckling. [Polinaut]

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: If it walks like a duck … One innovative way the U of M keeps tuition down is by assessing every student a $1,200 annual fee without calling it what it is: tuition. [Minnesota Daily]

ST. PAUL: Nurses back Thissen. The gubernatorial aspirations of state Rep. Paul Thissen, a Minneapolis DFLer, got special care from the Minnesota Nurses Association. [Workday Minnesota]

BRECKENRIDGE: If we’d known you were coming … A school district wants three hours’ notice from any news media planning to cover its meetings. [St. Cloud Times]

MINNEAPOLIS: If it walks like a zombie … The flesh was weak but the turnout was strong for the annual Zombie Pub Crawl, during which some sang “zombieokie.” [Minnesota Daily]

“Tarryl has been a long time champion of nursing and working families,” said Linda Slattengren, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, in a statement announcing the endorsement. “She has been an advocate for universal health care both in the legislature and in the community. We look forward to working with her in Congress.”

Clark is seeking the DFL nomination. Her only announced opponent is Maureen Reed.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum:

The Minnesota Supreme Court has left no doubt that Al Franken won the 2008 race for the U.S. Senate and should immediately be sworn-in as Minnesota’s newest Senator. I am very pleased to welcome Senator-elect Franken to the Minnesota congressional delegation and I look forward to working with him on important issues, like health care reform and creating new jobs to get our economy back on track.

Tony Sutton, Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota:

Todays ruling wrongly disenfranchised thousands of Minnesotans who deserve to have their votes counted. Alongside Senator Coleman, the Republican Party of Minnesota has fought to make sure every vote counts and all voters are treated fairly and uniformly. As we move forward, our deeply flawed election system must be dramatically improved to ensure our state’s elections are fair, accurate and reliable.

Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota:

Today’s ruling restores full and fair representation to the citizens of the state of Minnesota. Health care reform, probably the most important legislation of our generation, is being debated in Congress and Minnesotans deserve to have two United States Senators representing their interests in Washington.

Linda Slattengren, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association:

Minnesota’s highest court has affirmed the peoples voice, the election judges, and a lower court in Al Frankens right to be seated as our state’s second U.S. Senator. Let’s get him to work on the people’s business of fixing our broken health care system through federal reform and RN staffing legislation, and protecting workers’ rights through the Employee Free Choice and RESPECT Acts.

Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President:

Senator-elect Franken has been a long time supporter and strong advocate for fairness and equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. His leadership in the United States Senate will help to ensure that all people in Minnesota, and throughout the country, are treated equally. We were honored to endorse Senator-elect Franken’s
candidacy last March and we look forward to working with him in the U.S. Senate to promote the basic tenant of our democracy that all Americans have full equality under the law.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar:

I congratulate Al Franken on a hard-earned and long-awaited election victory. I welcome him as my new Senate colleague from Minnesota.

I respect Norm Coleman for what I’m sure was a very difficult decision. He had the right to pursue a legal appeal, but he chose to do the right thing for Minnesota. Norm was my Senate colleague for two years. Although on opposite sides of the aisle, we often worked together on issues affecting Minnesota, in particular securing quick federal support for rebuilding the 35W Bridge. Norm is a dedicated public servant. As a Senator, he took to heart his duty to represent and serve the people of Minnesota.

Ray Waldron, President of the Minnesota AFL-CIO:

After a number of people asked Senator Franken to concede in November, he stood his ground and said, “I don’t think so.” This is what we expect for a senator in the State of Minnesota who, in the Paul Wellstone mode, went against the tide and declared it was not over. We are thankful for his strong and steady convictions, and we look forward to working with our new United States Senator.