Green Party Candidate
for Mayor of St. Paul
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Green Party Candidate |
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Press Conference Address by Elizabeth Dickinson August 29, 2005 As you all know and most would agree, I'm not one of the Good Old Boys in St. Paul. I always seek to foster good working relationships with elected and appointed officials and civic leaders. But above all, I believe in grassroots democracy, a government by the people and for the people, especially at the local level. However, business as usual in the mayor's office has taken a troubling turn of late, which causes me to ask: What kind of city do we want to live in? One where the corporate entities call the shots? Or one where the long term interests of the city and its citizens are listened to and promoted? The stakes in this election, and recent activity by Randy Kelly, make these questions relevant. And today there is another disturbing issue related to the mayor's actions under the city's administrative code: As many of you know, Xcel Energy's franchise agreement with the city of St Paul is only renegotiated every ten years and is up for renewal right now. The city receives $17 million a year from Xcel, making this contract our third largest source of general fund revenue. I have proposed that the city of St. Paul take a firm stand in these renegotiations bringing in additional revenue each year for core city services like police and fire, libraries, parks and recreation centers. I have brought forward examples of other cities who have used their own franchise renewals to reap considerable benefits for their citizens. I see this renegotiation with Xcel as a once-in-ten-year opportunity to get the best possible deal for the St. Paul taxpayers. In April, the city attorney's office sent Randy Kelly and all city councilmembers a memo reminding these elected officials that since franchise negotiations were underway, the city's ex parte ordinance was now in effect, strictly regulating the interactions between the mayor and city councilmembers, and Xcel Energy and its employees. It has come to my attention that a prominently placed Xcel executive who works as one of Xcel's chief lobbyists, and is someone in a position of authority over these key negotiations, is also a member of Randy Kelly's campaign fundraising committee. On August 17, this Xcel Energy executive cohosted a major fundraiser for Randy Kelly. I bring this to your attention today to raise these vital questions: First, does this violate the ex parte notice of mid-April, which limits interactions between the key members of city government during the Xcel franchise renegotiation? Second, did Randy Kelly violate the law or the spirit of the law when he allowed an Xcel executive to sit on his campaign fundraising committee and fundraise for him? Was this merely an individual lapse of judgment — or is this part of a continuing pattern? Third, by intertwining fundraising efforts with Xcel through its executives, has Randy Kelly violated the public's trust and our faith in straightforward, ethical city governance? Finally, how will these relationships impact St. Paul's effectiveness in renegotiating the Xcel franchise agreement, St. Paul's third largest source of general fund revenue? We need to reframe the relationship between Xcel and the city to maximize taxpayer dollars — how does the city "negotiate tough" across the table from one of its mayor's key fundraisers? There is a reason that I personally do not take PAC or corporate money, and I will not take PAC or corporate money; I want to represent all of the people of St Paul, not the large corporations, or those who pay for access to city government. So I call upon the people and the press to carefully examine the record of the relationships between Randy Kelly and Xcel executives, to determine if there is a legal violation or conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. I call upon the people of St. Paul to carefully examine the relationships between large corporations and this administration. Just this weekend, the MN Campaign Finance Board announced its decision to close a loophole that allowed Randy Kelly to go on a corporate-paid junket without seeking city council approval until weeks after he returned to St. Paul. Finally, can we remain confident that city government is operating on behalf of our hard-earned tax dollars, and working hard to insure that we, ordinary citizens, reap the most financial reward from the city's corporate relationships? And what kind of ethical standards do we set for our mayor — and are those standards being met? I ask that we scrutinize both city and state statutes to determine whether the Kelly campaign has in fact violated ex parte law as set out in Section 11.04 of the city code, and/or may have violated state law. Doesn't the city of St. Paul deserve a mayor who will always put the ethical interests of St. Paul first and foremost? Contact Elizabeth Dickinson, (651) 235-1208 (cell) Mary Petrie, Campaign Manager, (651) 226-3527 (cell) Christopher Childs, Communications Coordinator, (651) 312-1216 Elizabeth Dickinson for Mayor 384 Hall Avenue St. Paul, MN 55107
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Click here to read the pre-event press release. Click here to read the post-event press release. Click here to listen to Elizabeth's speech (RealPlayer) courtesy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press!
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Elizabeth
Dickinson's Speech on Unethical Campaign Finance Practices by Randy Kelly's
Campaign 