Paul Ostrow: Ellison unfit for office

Posted at 5:23 PM on July 8, 2006 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

Minneapolis City Council member Paul Ostrow is the first candidate to openly criticize Keith Ellison's troubled background. In a news release, Ostrow criticized Ellison for not "fulfilling the basic obligations of a citizen" (pay his parking tickets, etc) and that he has demonstrated a clear disregard for the norms and expectations of society.

The news release continues:

"The key question for Rep. Ellison is this: Does he believe in the rule of law, and, if so, why doesn’t he follow the same rules as everyone else?"

Ostrow also calls upon the chair of the Minnesota DFL Party, Brian Melendez, to reinstate the endorsement committee for high office.

As mentioned earlier, Ellison's campaign has been plagued with problems. The Star Tribune reported today that Ellison has had trouble filing with the Campaign Finance Board and failed to pay the fines against him. He also had his driver's license suspended for racking up too many parking tickets...

Ellison has the DFL endorsement in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District but faces a primary challenge from Ostrow and at least five other DFLers. Here's the entire news release:

8 July 2006

Contact: Jason Amundsen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: (612) 379-0687
Cell: (651) 329-2416
E-mail: jason@ostrow2006.com

Statement to Press: Ostrow Questions Ellison’s Fitness for Office

I will do in Washington what Rep. Ellison has failed to do here in Minnesota:
uphold the law. Having spent 14 years as a prosecutor and 9 years as an elected
official in Minnesota’s largest city, I am deeply concerned by Rep. Ellison’s
repeated ethical and legal lapses. Many, many questions remain, and I stand
before you today with one message: Rep. Ellison needs to explain himself.

Ethics and integrity are not partisan issues. Regardless of party, every
candidate and elected official has to be held to the highest possible
standards. As a candidate for the high office of U.S. Congress, I believe there
is an obligation to speak out if you believe, as I do, that a candidate does not
meet these high standards.

I stand here today as a leader of ethical reform in Minneapolis. Both as a
prosecutor and as an elected official, I have held myself to the highest
ethical standards. As your next Congressman, I will take that commitment to
Washington.

Let’s begin with the facts:

Fact #1: According to the Star Tribune, Keith Ellison has received more than 40
parking tickets, resulting in the suspension of his driver’s license. To be
clear, I am not worried about Rep. Ellison’s parking tickets. I am concerned
that Rep. Ellison thinks it is acceptable to repeatedly be issued parking
tickets, not pay the tickets, and ignore recurring notices by authorities
demanding his compliance with the law. I find it disturbing that Rep. Ellison
would be unaware of how many times the State of Minnesota was forced to suspend
his driver’s license.

Fact #2: According to the Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison has received 14-15
certified, confidential letters from the State Campaign Finance Board asking
him to do one thing: fulfill his basic responsibilities as a candidate and
elected official.

According to David Schultz, a Hamline University professor and campaign finance
expert, Schultz knows of no other elected officials in Minnesota with a record
comparable with Ellison’s.

It is almost unimaginable that a candidate and elected official would force the
State of Minnesota to resort to a collection agency for the paltry sum of $134.

Fact #3: According to the Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison has had past problems
paying his taxes. When starting his own legal practice, Rep. Ellison failed to
comply with the law and was charged $25,000 in interest, penalties and taxes.

In 1986, the Minnesota DFL Party eliminated the endorsement committee for high
office. The backgrounds of candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House
no longer had to be vetted. The delegates at the 5th District endorsing
convention and the voters of this district should have been made aware, from
the day he announced his candidacy, of Rep. Ellison’s ongoing legal and ethical
lapses.

Today I call upon the chair of the Minnesota DFL Party, Brian Melendez, to
reinstate the endorsement committee for high office.

Question #1: In this morning’s Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison stated that there were
reasons for his lengthy, ongoing failure to comply with State campaign finance
law. I stand before you today asking for his reasons.

Question #2: Why does Rep. Ellison repeatedly ignore notices from Hennepin
County and the State of Minnesota asking him to fulfill the basic obligations
of a citizen?

Question #3: Rep. Ellison’s actions have demonstrated a clear disregard for the
norms and expectations of society. Rep. Ellison’s behavior suggests that he
believes he is above the law. The key question for Rep. Ellison is this: Does
he believe in the rule of law, and, if so, why doesn’t he follow the same rules
as everyone else?

Question #4: If Rep. Ellison has failed to uphold the law in Minnesota, can we
be confident that he would uphold the law in Washington, D.C.?

Absent a clear answer to these questions, I believe Rep. Ellison is unfit for
the high office of United States Congress.
###
Jason Amundsen
Campaign Manager
651 329 2416
612 379 0687

Paid for by Ostrow for Congress.
Contributions are not tax deductible for Federal Income Tax purposes.
Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address,
occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contribution
aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year. Corporate checks cannot be
accepted. FEC#: C00422329

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Comments (2)

Tom, does MPR do any investigative reporting? I am curious to know if MPR is planning to examine their professional background of that these candidates especially in the 5th district. Specifically, will MPR look into Mr. Ellison's law practice for any possible infractions or any related issues concerning legal or ethical violations that may apply. I would hope so along with the other candidate's professional backgrounds. If not, what is your opinion on the matter?

Posted by Mollie | July 8, 2006 6:02 PM

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Mollie makes an excellent suggestion.

Will MPR and others spend an equal amount of time examining Michele Bachmann's so-called "career" as a tax litigation attorney? A career that by her own admission seems to have lasted about 6 years. What did Bachmann do as a tax litigation attorney that has made her the tax authority she now claims to be? Did she stand up for the downtrodden taxpayer? Or did she bring the iron fist of the IRS down on them? At least one IRS case prosecuted by Bachmnann involved a Native American who made $12,000 a year. What are some others?

Will Bachmann's status as an attorney be examined? According to state records, Bachmann currently is not licensed to practice law in Minnesota. Yet she describes herself as a tax litigation attorney at every opportunity.

How about Bachmann's history of campaign violations? Or FEC complaints pending against her? Or her various attempts at skirting the law to abuse her state senate office?

Posted by Karl | July 9, 2006 9:11 AM

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