Commentary; Posted: 5/8/02

Mansion debacle shows dysfunction

Don Heinzman

The closing of the Governorís Residence on Summit Avenue is another example of Minnesota government in disarray.

It is a symbol of the failure of a tri-partisan government to solve what should be a simple question of keeping the Governorís Residence open.

Minnesotans should be outraged over what Attorney General Mike Hatch says is a dispute that has gotten out of hand.

Hatch is correct when he says the residence has become a symbol of a dysfunctional government where civility has evaporated and the governor and legislators appear more interested in ìgotcha politicsî than arriving at thoughtful resolution of a problem.

The Legislature is as much at fault as the governor. As Hatch notes the Legislature should simply grant the additional money needed to keep the residence open and if the governor feels he needs more security the legislature should find it, he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Legislators say the Governor had enough money in its budget for this year to keep the office open, countering that Ventura had a budget for 2002-03 of $9.3 million. He had offered to cut his budget by $931,000 for the two years.

The Legislature, in overriding the governorís budget, cut $231,000 used to fund a state office in Washington D.C, $175,000 in staff reduction and another $175,000 in his security budget. Still the residence had $1.03 million in his budget for 2002-03. Ventura says he had to close the residence to help pay for his and his familyís security.

Ventura said he wants $375,000 restored before heíll reopen the residence.

If there were not so much animosity between the governor and legislators and a lack of respect among all parties, the Legislature and the Governor could have arrived at a peaceful settlement and kept the residence open.

Closing the Governorís Residence is not what the people want. They want an official residence for their chief executive where heads of state can be hosted with dignity.

They want an open residence the people can tour, and they want an official residence close to the Capitol not on a farm in Maple Grove.

The people would have preferred a quiet settlement of all parties compromising to make government work. The ruling by Attorney General Hatch will insure the Residence is maintained for state visits.

It is, however, this politics as usual attitude, that unsettled the public and caused it to elect Jesse Ventura Governor in the first place.

To its dismay, the public finds itself with a Governor who plays the same political game and helps cause gridlock in state government that voters intended to unlock when they elected Ventura its governor.

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