Like R.T. should be making any comments. He still owes the city $28,000 for
his "news from the mayor" literature fiasco from a few months ago.
Mike Thompson
Windom
----- Original Message -----
From: "List manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 3:43 PM
Subject: [Mpls] Rybak campaign: McLaughlin sold vote
The fur is now officially flying in the Mpls Mayor's race. This came from
R.T. Rybak's campaign this afternoon. Hard-hitting or overly harsh?
Comments to the list.
— David Brauer, list manager
Contact: John Blackshaw
Phone: 612-871-3044
Mobile: 612-816-0990
August 3, 2005
Peter McLaughlin Flip-Flops on Smoking Ban and Sells Vote for Campaign
Dollars
Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin once again has demonstrated
his old guard style of politics by selling his vote to a special interest
group. According to a Minneapolis Star Tribune article dated August 3,
2005, last week, in a matter of hours, Mr. McLaughlin withdrew his
support for the Hennepin County smoking ban and then attended a
fundraiser as the guest of honor hosted by the very group that would
directly benefit from his flip flop.
“This is the worst kind of politics,” said John Blackshaw Mayor Rybak’s
campaign manager. “Changing a vote in order to gain the financial support
of a special interest group is the very thing that voters dislike about
politicians. He calls it a ‘coincidence’. I call it a sellout.”
The smoking ban opponents have no doubt that Mr. McLaughlin has joined
their ranks. Just a few hours after they testified at the county board
meeting against the ban they lined up to write checks for Mr. McLaughlin
at the fundraiser. Moreover, they bragged about it as well. Sue Jeffers,
a smoking ban opponent gloated by stating, "I had so much fun," she said.
"A lot of the talk was about the smoking ban," Jeffers added. " (Star
Tribune, August 3, 2005) .
In addition, on August 2, 2005, in a county board meeting dominated by
opponents of the smoking ban, Mr. McLaughlin left no doubt about his flip
flop by joining in the attack of Dr. Michael Belzer, the medical director
for the Hennepin County Medical Center, who pleaded with Commissioners
not to change their positions on the smoking ban.
Further, the opponents of the smoking ban, specifically the Minneapolis
Hospitality Association - a group organized specifically to overturn the
bans – openly acknowledges the political nature of Mr. McLaughlin’s flip
flop. The group’s president stated that by using its political clout his
group “could get Peter McLaughlin elected”. (Star Tribune, August 3,
2005)
“What is almost as bad as trading a vote for cash”, continued Blackshaw,
“is that Mr. McLaughlin seems to be saying to the public, ‘your health is
for sale so that I can get elected’. He is using a public health issue
strictly for his own personal political gain”.
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E-Democracy
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REMINDERS:
1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If
you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL
PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn
E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[email protected]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
