The Capitol Note: Dayton says Super Bowl demand list “doesn’t look good”

1) Gov. Mark Dayton has said on Tuesday the requirements from the NFL for Minnesota’s 2018 Super Bowl are unseemly after the Star Tribune revealed documents with the asks this week.

“It doesn’t look good,” Dayton said, according to WCCO. In addition to free access to bowling alleys, the league wanted snow plow priority and free golf course access, among other amenities.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) responded to criticism about its dealings with the NFL, explaining that the event and its surrounding features would be funded wholly with private dollars.

2.) State Auditor Rebecca Otto dismissed criticisms on Tuesday from her last-minute primary opponent, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, that she has allegedly misstated her support for voter ID legislation when she served in the Legislature a decade ago.

Entenza campaign manager Dave Colling filed a complaint with the Office of Administrative Hearings for a Facebook post where Otto says she hasn’t supported voter ID bills. In fact, Otto said she campaigned vigorously against the voter ID constitutional amendment in 2012.

But Otto appears to have voted for a version of a bill in 2003 that would have required picture identification for Election Day registration and would have mandated the same for casting a ballot unless voters signed an affidavit saying they didn’t possess such identification. The final version of the bill ultimately didn’t contain that language.

“We’ve been trying to talk about issues and values since the beginning of this campaign,” Colling said in a statement. “Rebecca Otto voted twice in support of Voter ID legislation and she needs to take responsibility for those votes instead of pretending they didn’t happen.”

In an interview Tuesday evening, Otto rejected Entenza’s attacks on her for voting for a bill that wasn’t in her wheelhouse when she was a freshman lawmaker focusing on other issues.

“I think it’s a pure distraction,” Otto said. “It’s the only way he can get attention because he’s running for governor.”

3) The Independence Party of Minnesota is tethering its political future to legalizing marijuana, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

Candidates across the board have honed in on the issue — especially after lawmakers bumbled through passing the most restrictive medical marijuana law in the nation here this session — as one that could net them votes in the fall. From attorney general hopefuls to congressional candidates, Independence Party politicos see marijuana has a winning policy measure.

“I think it’s going to be an issue that probably on the whole is going to be a plus for the Independence Party,” former Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner said. “But looking long term, I don’t think the Independence Party is going to be successful if it is defined too narrowly around any single issue, even one that is as emotional and as volatile as marijuana.”

COMINGS & GOINGS

• DFL legislative candidate Mohamud Noor will be the featured guest at the “Drinking Liberally” event at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, at the regular location of the 331 Club in Minneapolis. Noor, a Minneapolis School Board member, is running in a primary election against Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis; Kahn is scheduled to be the event’s guest the following Thursday.
• The Citizens League will hold a member happy hour at Sweeney’s Saloon on June 24, featuring the organization’s new policy director, Pahoua Yang Hoffman. The event is free of charge, but registration ahead of time is appreciated. More information here.
• The Minnesota Clean Energy and Jobs Campaign is hiring for a campaign manager position. The coalition of energy, labor, faith and other organizations is looking for someone with experience in statewide electoral or legislative campaigns, including management of a campaign budget. Qualified applicants should send resume, cover letter and three references to [email protected].
• The Minnesota Grain and Feed Association (MGFA) has terminated its registration for a political action committee. The agriculture organization had previously listed lobbyist Robert Zelenka as chairman of its political fund.