http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2005/09/hennepin-county-commissioner-mark.html
Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein's conflict of interest on the
Stadium
It's ironic that MPR's midday at the Fair on Friday had the ethically
challenged Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein to push the Stadium
boondoggle. Unfortunately no caller called Mark Stenglein on his conflict
of interest.
From the Strib a few months ago:
May 29, 2005, Sunday, Metro Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 1133 words
Stadium vote puts friendship in focus;
A political pal of Mark Stenglein is involved in ownership of the site
BYLINE: Mike Kaszuba; Staff Writer
BODY:
With the fate of the proposed Minnesota Twins stadium hanging in the
balance three weeks ago, Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein cast a
key vote for a plan to use a new countywide sales tax to fund the $478
million project.
Stenglein told an overflow crowd that he was "proud to support" the
proposal, and that "big thinkers did big projects." What he did not tell
them, although he had discussed it privately with his County Board
colleagues before the 4-3 vote, was that he has a close personal and
political connection to Bruce Lambrecht, a central figure in the limited
partnership that owns the proposed stadium property.
This shows a serious lack in Mark Stenglein's ethical compass. He should
recuse himself from future votes on this issue.
When Stenglein ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Minneapolis in 2001,
Lambrecht was an influential member of his campaign - holding a fundraiser
for Stenglein at Lambrecht's home and leasing office space to the Stenglein
campaign. Lambrecht, according to Hennepin County Commissioner Penny
Steele, an opponent of the stadium plan, helped recruit Stenglein to run
for mayor and was "probably one of his best friends." Stenglein's campaign
manager during that race, Brian McClung, later worked as a lobbyist for
Twinsville Inc., a company used by Lambrecht to help promote the stadium
and a redevelopment plan for the surrounding area. McClung now serves as
Gov. Tim Pawlenty's spokesman.
I told Stenglein his biggest mistake was to hire McClung as his campaign
manager. McClung doesn't understand Minneapolis. I wasn't aware of
McClung's connections to Twinsville Inc.
And last year, a Stenglein aide took a leave of absence from his county job
to work as a lobbyist for Lambrecht and Twinsville Inc. The aide, Mike
Sable, said he was approached by Lambrecht and others for the job, and said
he cleared the three-month leave with Stenglein.
In recent interviews, Stenglein downplayed his relationship with Lambrecht
and said that because they have no private financial dealings, there is no
conflict of interest. Stenglein said he does not plan to abstain on any
future votes on the project at the county, where his vote is seen as
critical. The withdrawal of his support could scuttle the stadium proposal,
which is currently waiting legislative action.
Stenglein's constituents should write him to ask him to recuse himself from
this vote.
"I don't have any financial relationship with him," Stenglein said. He said
Lambrecht is "not a dear confidante, by no means. It'd be more political;
[I] met him through political circles."
"I've never gotten any money from him in terms of lieu of services - I've
never worked for him," Stenglein said. He added, however, that with the
stadium proposal now in the public eye, he has attempted to keep an
arm's-length relationship with Lambrecht. "I've been kinda doing that ever
since this baseball thing really kinda came to reality," he said.
Lambrecht said Friday that while he and his family "are friends with Mark
and his family," he did not lobby Stenglein before the County Board's May 3
vote to pursue the stadium proposal. He also said he served only as an
unpaid volunteer during Stenglein's mayoral race, and minimized his role in
the campaign.
"I never urged Stenglein to run for mayor or any other office," Lambrecht
said in a written statement.
Yeah, right. How much has Lambrecht raised for Stenglein's campaigns?
Though the county has not entered into negotiations to buy the stadium site
- the proposal actually would leave that job for a new, independent
ballpark authority - both the county and the Twins see the so-called Rapid
Park property in the downtown Minneapolis Warehouse District as the
preferred stadium location. Lambrecht and Rich Pogin are shareholders in
Investment Management Inc., the managing entity for a series of limited
partnerships that own the property. At a news conference announcing the
agreement between the county and the Twins, Lambrecht joined Twins owner
Carl Pohlad and others in speaking about the plan.
Under the proposed agreement, the Twins would contribute $125 million to
the construction of the stadium and the county, by increasing a countywide
sales tax, would pay $235 million toward the stadium. The county would also
be responsible for related infrastructure costs. The additional sales tax
could last for as long as 30 years and collect as much as $1.1 billion.
The plan's most controversial feature calls for the Legislature to exempt
the county from having to hold a referendum on the sales tax increase.
Governor Tim Pawlenty reiterated his preference for a referendum at the
State Fair today. He should be called to urge him to veto any legislation
that exempts Hennepin County from requiring a referendum to increase sales
taxes to subsidize a twins stadium.
Possible conflict
Stenglein said he talked with other commissioners about Lambrecht, and the
issue was raised by Steele. He said she told him, "You're friends with
Lambrecht. You better not have any financial dealings with him."
Asked about the Stenglein-Lambrecht connection, Steele said, "I would
personally opt out of the vote." Lambrecht, she said, was "terribly
involved" in Stenglein's mayoral race.
Steele should know. Thank you Penny Steele for speaking out.
Board Chair Randy Johnson, a stadium supporter, said Stenglein approached
him about Lambrecht. "I said, 'Do you have any business, financial, joint
interests [with him] at all?" said Johnson. "He said, 'Absolutely not.'"
"I don't see the conflict in it," said Johnson, who added however that he
had received e-mails regarding Stenglein's relationship with Lambrecht. "I
don't see this as even coming close."
Similarly, Commissioner Mike Opat, the county's chief negotiator on the
proposed stadium, said he asked Stenglein about his ties with Lambrecht. "I
think I did ask Mark, was there a business relationship?" said Opat. "I'm
certain the answer was no." Opat said he brought up the topic with
Stenglein "as we got closer to having an agreement" with the Twins over the
past two months.
Opat said he did not see a conflict for Stenglein. "I was never led to
believe there was anything that was untoward," he said.
It's not surprising Opat would say this. Opat recently had a hissy fit in a
Strib oped that suggested the world would end if the legislature exempted
Hennepin County from the Referendum requirements for this sales tax increase.
Stenglein said he actually first became acquainted with Lambrecht's wife,
Jeanne Braun, when Braun owned a company that competed with Les Work Inc.,
a company Stenglein owned that would sublet executive office space in the
Twin Cities. Stenglein started his company before he became a county
commissioner in 1996, and said he has since sold it.
Lisa McDonald, a former Minneapolis City Council member who also ran
unsuccessfully for mayor in 2001, said she remembered Lambrecht playing a
key role in Stenglein's campaign. "He certainly seemed like the brains in
the campaign," she said. At most of the campaign's public events, she
added, Lambrecht was there with Stenglein. "He was always down in the back
of the room," she said.
McDonald said she too wondered about Stenglein's relationship with
Lambrecht as the stadium deal unfolded. "[I thought], 'My, my, isn't this a
fine kettle of fish," she said.
McDonald would be aware of this.
Vickie Heller, a prominent Minneapolis property owner who is active in
conservative politics, said she held a fundraiser for Stenglein in 2001.
Though she said she does not recall Lambrecht's title, Heller said
Lambrecht appeared to be running the campaign. "He was always around at
every fundraiser that I had anything to do with for Stenglein," she said.
Mike Kaszuba is at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Vickie Heller would know on this issue. Commissioners Opat and Johnson
should be ashamed of themselves. It goes without saying that Commissioner
Mark Stenglein is an embarrassment to his district and should recuse
himself from future votes on the stadium issue. Kudos to Commissioner Penny
Steele for raising this issue. It's rather odd that Minneapolis Mayoral
candidate Peter McLaughlin wasn't asked to comment.
posted by lloydletta
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lloydletta's Nooz
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
Dump Michele Bachmann
http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com
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