DFL official admits using city computer, briefly

08/17/2005

Conrad Defiebre,
Star Tribune
August 17, 2005

The chairwoman of the Minneapolis DFL Party acknowledged Tuesday that she briefly worked on an invitation for a party fundraiser on a city computer at her job as an assistant Minneapolis city attorney.

Lois Regnier Conroy said she opened a disc containing an old fundraising letter one evening at her office before e-mailing it to her home computer, which she used to edit and send out the new letter.

It is illegal to use public resources for political communications. Conroy said she has reported the apparent infraction to the ethics officer in the city attorney’s office, who could refer the matter to the city’s citizen Ethical Practices Board.

But Conroy also said she will not cancel the fundraiser, a demand lodged on an anonymous Web log called Minnesota Democrats Exposed, which uncovered computer evidence that the invitation had been processed on a Microsoft Word program licensed to the city.

The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at the Minneapolis home of state DFL chairman Brian Melendez, who preceded Conroy as city DFL chairman. Melendez was out of town Tuesday and could not be reached for comment, but state DFL spokesman Bill Amberg said Melendez’s only involvement in the fundraiser is the loan of his Kenwood home while he is away.

Deputy City Attorney Peter Ginder said his office will take no action for now besides the ethics officer’s investigation, although he added: “Arguably, a criminal statute could apply.”

Conroy said she worked on the letter at her office for no more than 30 minutes before computer problems interrupted the effort. She vowed not to use city computers again in her role as city DFL chairwoman, a post she has held for two months.

“Never again,” she said. “It detracts from all the good work our campaigns do.”