Mike Parry Stands Up to Mark Dayton's Union Friends--With His Hand Out?
Channel: Bluestemprairie
Date: 2012-04-20

Though Mike Parry, the Emo Senator, may be in a pout after conservative darling Michele Bachmann announced that Allen Quist is her endorsed BFF, he still can take consolation in the receipt of state political action committee (PAC) money from several Dayton-endorsing and funding unions just prior to the start of the legislative session on January 24, 2012.

According to Line 11C (PAC donations) on Parry's Q1 2012 report, the Belle of Waseca County received $300 from the Committee of Nine PAC (which also gave to Dayton in 2011) on January 10, 2012; the Committee of Nine  "is an affiliated organization that lobbies on behalf of St. Paul educators on pension matters," according to a newsletter published by the St. Paul Teachers' Retirement Fund Association in 2007.

Parry received contributions from unions' state PACs in Q1 2012: $100 from the MN Professional Fire Fighters PAC on January 12, 2012; $100 from the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association on January 11, 2012; and a total of $350.00 from the Police Officers Assocation of Minneapolis in two checks. The first, for $100, was received on January 9, 2012; the second, for $250.00, on January 12, 2012.

The dollar amounts seem small for PAC contributions to a federal campaign, but then, they have to be. None of the political action committees is registered as a federal-level PAC with the Federal Election Commission, and thus can only give federal candidates $999 or less (aggregate) for the cycle.  

None of the PACs have given contributions in this cycle to MNGOP rival Allen Quist or DFL Congressman Tim Walz.

So what's the issue?

There are two. Since the loopholes in the contributions are legal on the federal level--and there's a loophole in state regulations that allows such donations--as well as contributions from lobbyists who might, like the organizations behind the PACs, it's possible that these groups might have anticipated having business taken up by the committee Mike Parry chairs, State Government Innovation and Veterans.