Capitol View: November 12, 2010 Archive

Vekich to lead Emmer transition

Posted at 6:41 AM on November 12, 2010 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, Recount 2010

Republican Tom Emmer announced today that Mike Veckich will lead his transition team. Emmer and Democrat Mark Dayton are both working on possible transitions into the office of governor since a recount will likely delay a winner for at least several more weeks. Dayton currently leads Emmer by nearly 8,800 votes.

Vekich is the former director of the Minnesota Lottery and chaired Gov. Pawlenty's 21st Century Tax Reform Commission.

Here's the release from the Emmer campaign:

Tom Emmer today announced that Mike Vekich will serve as Director of the Emmer Transition. Vekich is the CEO of Vekich Associates, past Chair of Governor Pawlenty's 21st Century Tax Reform Commission and Interim Director of Minnesota State Lottery among his many business and public service accomplishments. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

"As the canvassing and likely recount process continues, per State Law, preparing to govern is of great importance. I am proud to announce that Mike Vekich has agreed to serve as the Director of our transition," said Representative Tom Emmer. "Mike is a distinguished businessman of the first rate who has continually stepped forward to serve the State of Minnesota in many capacities. His deep connection to our community and his unmatched understanding of Minnesota government makes him the ideal person to lead these efforts."

As Director of the Emmer Transition, Vekich will lead the efforts to form a transition team and will work closely with Lieutenant Governor Candidate Annette Meeks to expand on the Emmer budget, beginning the process of reforming and redesigning Minnesota State Government.

"I look forward to working with Representative Emmer and Annette Meeks to create the kind of administration that will get Minnesota's economy growing and put more Minnesotans to work," said Vekich. "Beginning the transition process is the responsible thing to do."

Recently, Vekich served as Chair of Minnesota's 21st Century Tax Reform Commission. The group was asked to evaluate Minnesota's tax system and recommend reforms that will promote economic growth and job creation in Minnesota. From 1996 to 2002, Vekich served as Chair for the Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) and was reappointed to the board in 2010. In 2004, Governor Tim Pawlenty asked Vekich to take over as Interim Director of the troubled Minnesota State Lottery, where he restored the public's trust in the agency. His public service record parallels a successful business career. Vekich is CEO of Vekich Associates, a management advisory firm specializing in strategically refocusing organizations, creating capital for companies, and mergers and acquisitions.

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Dayton team skeptical about overtime for Pawlenty

Posted at 1:24 PM on November 12, 2010 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, Recount 2010

Attorneys for Democrat Mark Dayton are skeptical that Governor Pawlenty can stay in office after his term ends on January third. They say they're looking at possible legal avenues to get Dayton seated after the state canvassing board certifies an expected recount on December 14th. Dayton attorney Charlie Nauen says the state constitution says a governor's term runs "four years and until a successor is chosen and qualified" which he thinks will occur if Dayton wins the recount.

"The constitution says that the new governor, if you will, goes into office if that person has been "chosen and qualified," Nauen said. "On December 14th, we'll see what the numbers are, but if the numbers show that Mark Dayton has more votes, he's been chosen, certainly by the people, and he's qualified."

Pawlenty has said he will stay on as governor if a governor isn't prepared to take office. Both Emmer and the Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota says they have no intention of filing a legal challenge just to delay the matter. They say they want their concerns over possible voting irregularities cleared up. Democrats worry Emmer may drag the race into court to keep Dayton from taking office.

Meanwhile the MNGOP has filed lawsuits against elections officials in St. Louis and Pine Counties for failing to produce their data practices requests in a timely manner. You can those suits here and here.