Special-session talks are as messy as flood

09/09/2007

Star Tribune | September 9, 2007


Many residents in flood-damaged Goodview in southeastern Minnesota were taking a well-deserved breather on Saturday from "slinking mud and slogging bleach," as one resident put it.

The city's volunteer fire department, whose members helped fellow citizens even as their own homes were in peril, was one of the groups being recognized in the Heroes Among Us celebration over at Lake Park in nearby Winona.

Politicians talking about how to get financial help for flood victims have been less cooperative.

Negotiations over a special legislative session to deal with repairing $67 million in flood damage and replacing the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River two weeks earlier have bogged down in frosty exchanges and public finger-pointing.

Goodview Mayor Jack Weimerskirch, who gave state officials high marks for their initial response to the floods, said the next step will be to see how the state's elected leaders step up.

"This partisan politics, most people in this area would say, is just plain BS," he said. "If they can't come to an agreement on when and what is going to be resolved, then it's time to throw them all out."

The window of cooperation that appeared to open after the dual tragedies of a major bridge collapse and devastating floods is slowly shutting. The trust level at the State Capitol is so low that one sticking point to an agreement is whether any understanding needs to be put in writing and signed.

After weeks of wary circling, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and top DFL legislative leaders remain unable or unwilling to extend the trust and concessions needed for a special session that would deal with both issues. Now, even a proposal to limit the agenda to some cash relief for displaced southeastern Minnesotans is in doubt.

Agreement - for a while

In the first flush of grief, state leaders had talked openly of a special session that could raise the gasoline tax to gain revenue for immediate road and bridge repairs across the state; send money to washed-out southeastern Minnesotans and even provide limited property tax relief for cities whose hopes for help were dashed when Pawlenty vetoed last session's tax bill.

But by Friday -- more than five weeks after the I-35W bridge dropped into the river -- Pawlenty and legislative leaders were leaving it up to staffers to work out the details. They are expected back at the negotiating table on Monday morning.

Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, reacting to Pawlenty's latest missive on Friday, objected to the idea of borrowing money rather than using existing cash. But, in a reaction that is telling about how acrimonious their relationship remains, Pogemiller also sniffed at a request by Pawlenty that Pogemiller and other legislative leaders confirm in writing that any special session would last only one day.

"I think its childish to keep asking for these signed things," Pogemiller said.

Pawlenty's public statements and letters to legislative leaders are another reflection of the devolution of the discussion. After the bridge collapse, Pawlenty, for instance, initially stood ready to reverse a long-standing opposition to a gas-tax increase. It was a move that flew in the face of his base and put him at risk of considerable political fallout.

Norquist steps in

Eight days after the bridge collapse, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and the guru of the national no-new tax pledge, wrote to a number of elected officials, including many in Minnesota. In his letter, he urged the officials to sign the pledge. As part of his correspondence he included a question about whether there could be any exceptions to the pledge. In short, his answer was no.

"Tax-and-spend politicians often use 'emergencies' to justify tax increases," Norquist warned in his letter. "In the unfortunate event of a real crisis or natural disaster, legislators should cut spending in other areas instead of aggravating the situation."

It's not clear whether Pawlenty received the letter or was even aware of it, but one day later, Pawlenty, who signed the pledge before being elected in 2002 but refused to re-up during his last campaign, wrote a letter to legislative leaders. For the first time he indicated that his preference was that any gas-tax increase be only temporary and offset by a rate reduction on low income tax brackets. Later in the month, he told a television audience that he would like to see more borrowing for transportation and less spending on social services, which he said was "going up like a rocket."

While it may appear to have little importance beyond the marble halls of the Capitol, the dispute about borrowing vs. paying cash for disaster relief could also have long-term implications, reflecting the potential for partisan politics. Pawlenty could need cash to balance the budget if the state's economy turns sour, and DFLers are balking at allowing him to avoid taking money from the state treasury for flood relief.

"You would write a check to those communities that day. Why would you go through the process of bonding?" Pogemiller said Friday.

Special session worked in '02

In 2002, Gov. Jesse Ventura and legislative leaders (including then House Majority Leader Pawlenty) agreed to limit a special session to three pre-determined items.

John Woodele, Ventura's communication director and a former mayor of a small town in southeastern Minnesota, said he has been increasingly outraged by the failures of state elected officials to take a stand that might hurt them politically, particularly on an issue as important as the two disasters.

"It's all 'Who can take a vote here and who can take a vote there?' I wish someone could stand up and say, 'I think I'm in danger. I could possibly lose my election, but I'm going to do it anyway.' I yearn for that leadership," Woodele said.

Within the past week, the flood-damaged area saw visits from Pawlenty and legislators, all pledging a quick state response to the region's needs.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, who was one of those who toured the flood-damaged region, said average Minnesotans are beginning to make their frustrations heard, albeit in a way that might seem mild to the outsider.

"These folks have been victims of disasters and we don't need to make them victims again by not acting," she said.

In Rushford, 53 businesses were damaged or destroyed and the people at Montini Hall at St. Joseph's Catholic Church continue to serve 2,000 meals a day to anyone who agrees to wash their hands first. On Saturday, the Turkey River All-Stars, a musical group from Rochester, played in town as residents continued to pile up the debris of their lives on a disposal site that has become known as Mess Mountain.

"People are very upbeat as far as I can tell," said Rushford City Council Member Herb Highum. "But we're going to need help and we're going to need it now."