(The Minneapolis Star-Tribune posted the following Associated Press article on its website on November 21.)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Supporters of the proposed Northstar rail line between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities see an information effort in their web site and brochures. Rep. Phil Krinkie of Shoreview sees lobbying, and he’s filed a complaint about it.
Krinkie, a Republican and a regular critic of the line, filed the complaint Thursday with the state Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board. His complaint accuses the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and Minneapolis public relations firm Himle Horner of hiding lobbying efforts that Krinkie says the firm performed as part of a $600,000 contract. Krinkie also questioned whether it’s proper for a public entity to spend so much taxpayer money on what amounts to an attempt to secure more tax money for the $310 million project.
“How much are they spending to lobby the Legislature for more money?” Krinkie asked. “They’ve clearly gone beyond the line where they are just trying to inform the public about this project’s benefits.”
Krinkie said the campaign finance board should require Himle Horner to disclose its lobbying.
John Himle said his firm creates brochures and other materials used in Northstar’s lobbying effort, helps Northstar plot its lobbying strategy, and tells residents who live along the rail corridor to ask their lawmakers to support the project. But this does not make them lobbyists, he said.
The Himle Horner campaign features a Web site, letter-writing campaign and online petition drive – all aimed at convincing lawmakers and Gov. Tim Pawlenty to find money to help pay for the project. Pawlenty has said he will not weigh in on the issue until a federal study of the proposal is completed next month.
“We are not over at the Capitol sitting down with legislators urging them to support the project,” Himle said. “We carefully monitor our activity to make sure we’ve not crossed the line.”
Krinkie said the law is not that literal and that overseeing a lobbying campaign is no different from stalking the halls of the Capitol.
Northstar spokesman Paul McCarron – a former state representative – said the authority isn’t trying to hide anything. Northstar gets much of its money from local governments along the corridor and spending some of it on lobbying is an unfortunate part of building a project that size, he said.
“I wish it didn’t have to be that way,” McCarron said. “If government were more approachable, we wouldn’t have to do this.”
Northstar is no stranger to high-powered lobbying campaigns. Since 2002, federal records show the authority spent $180,000 with two firms to influence Congress. And Northstar did report $134,000 in state lobbying costs for 2002. It did not report any Minnesota lobbying expenses for 2001, according to records filed with the state disclosure board. Expenses for 2003 will not be available until next year.
The campaign finance board does not comment on complaints. But the case could be heard as early as the board’s next meeting in December.