Here is the email I sent to officials today at the State's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; and it attaches in "meeting agenda" context the two page contract offer from Tinklenberg Group to City of Ramsey, dated "December 2007" with acceptance of the offer voted in a televised general city council meeting, Jan. 8, 2008, after the item was presented the City by Jodi Ruhele of Tinklenberg Group earlier that day at an untelevised work session (and a part of a public data disclosure request I sent last Wednesday to city officials that was appended at the end of the email also is given here):Subject: Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board Complaint of Lobbyist Possible Misregistration and Request for Investigation of Same
Monday, Feb. 25, 2008
To:
Joyce Larson
Compliance Officer
(651) 282-6894
joyce.larson@state.mn.us
Copies:
Gary Goldsmith
Executive Director
(651) 296-1721
gary.goldsmith@state.mn.us
Jeff Sigurdson
Assistant Executive Director
(651) 296-1720
jeff.sigurdson@state.mn.us
Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board
cf.board@state.mn.us
Kurt Ulrich
City of Ramsey
City Administrator
Phone: (763) 433-9845
E-mail: kulrich@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Heidi A. Nelson
City of Ramsey
Assistant City Administrator
Phone: 763-433-9817
E-mail: hnelson@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Diana Lund
City of Ramsey
Finance Officer
Phone: (763) 433-9847
E-Mail: dlund@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Tinklenberg Campaign
Olson Campaign
Jodi Ruhele, Tinklenberg Group
Lora Pabst, Star Tribune
Brady Gervais. Pioneer Press
Tammy Sakry, Anoka County Union
......................................................................
Ms. Larson -
Attached to this email are the 15 pages of th City of Ramsey work session full agenda for 8 Jan. 2008, indicating a contract offer in two pages [p. 6-7] from Tinklenberg Group to City of Ramsey offering, among other things, lobbying services at federal and state levels legislative levels [sic] on behalf of Ramsey. At the general city council meeting, same date, the Council voted to accept the offer, hence forming a lobbying contract.
Text of that 2 page offering item from Tinklenberg as included in the agenda indicates that lobbying of federal and state legislators was anticipated, for a fee.
Elwyn Tinklenberg heads Tinklenberg Group, and is the Secretary of State's designee for incorporating the firm and reserving the trade name [November 2002].
Elwyn Tinklenberg is currently per the Board's Registration Number 3835 NOT registered as a lobbyist representing City of Ramsey before members of the State legislature.
I believe the evidence of entering at the beginning of the year into a lobbying relationship with Ramsey, with ongoing ties referenced and per an express written offer dated Dec.2007, the same month as Tinklenberg's closing down two other lobbying registration status items then existing, was not error but intentional decision to not register on behalf of Ramsey. The timing and the one act of board registration-related contact suggests that.
I am uncertain what accounting for time Elwyn Tinklenberg might/might not make for his nonregistration meeting some loophole exemption criteria, and/or his Group members not registering as paid Ramsey lobbyists. It appears there is prima facie evidence of a lobbying contract without registration; and how it might/might not fit a loophole within Lobbyist reporting/registration requirements per Minn. Stat. §10A and Minn. Rules Chapters 4501 - 4525 would not be for me to speculate not knowing all facts, but for Tinklenberg in responding to investigative inquiry to justify by opening his books and time records to prove an exception might apply to counter the prima facie showing. Without having all the relevant data available to me as the board has by request, subpoena or testimony under oath, I only raise the point that steps are needed while the matter clearly is of sufficient interest as a public integrity matter that I am requesting, by this email that there be an expeditious investigation of the time and earnings records of Tinklenberg Group.
Time is of the essence.
As a candidate seeking my vote to go to Congress, Mr. Tinklenberg's status is of interest to me as a voter having to make a choice, and to others so situated - and delay in investigating and reviewing Tinklenberg Group records would only cloud issues facing voters. I am certain Mr. Tinklenberg can make a prompt response.
If it might be helpful, in identifying City of Ramsey contact persons who could discuss Tinklenberg lobbying and/or other contracting with the Board or its staff, I am including below the dotted line the relevant part of a public data disclosure request I have pending with City of Ramsey. The text of my request speaks for itself.
I am copying this present email to Kurt Ulrich and Diana Lund, City officials, so that they have notice and can send the same data disclosure request responses they give me to the Board and/or its designated staff investigators. I believe the total amount my inquiry will uncover reaches well into six-figures and hence is anything but a de minimus or token amount.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further help to you beyond this opening act of "public participation" as that term is defined in Minn. Stat. Ch. 554. Finally, I am copying this email to a limited number of press people, who might report something of help to voters, and their public participation.
Also, for notice because of the political situation I am copying both DFL campaigns in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. Finally, I am copying this email to Jodi Ruehle of Tinklenberg Group, who I understand to be a major Tinklenberg Group operative regarding Ramsey, and who besides Elwyn Tinklenberg may be lobbying people on behalf of Tinklenberg Group.
I truly hope your immediate attention and investigation can resolve things in a way helpful to me and other voters.
Thank you.
Eric Zaetsch
******TextFromEarlierEmailToOfficials-CityOfRamsey******
Wed., Feb. 20, 2008
To:
Heidi A. Nelson
City of Ramsey
Assistant City Administrator
Phone: 763-433-9817
E-mail: hnelson@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Brian Olson
City of Ramsey
Director of Public Works
Phone: 763-433-9825
E-mail: bolson@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Diana Lund
City of Ramsey
Finance Officer
Phone: (763) 433-9847
E-Mail: dlund@ci.ramsey.mn.us
CC:
Kurt Ulrich
City of Ramsey
City Administrator
Phone: (763) 433-9845
E-mail: kulrich@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Jo Thieling
City of Ramsey
City Clerk
Phone: 763-433-9840
E-mail: jthieling@ci.ramsey.mn.us
Amy Dietl
City of Ramsey
Records Management Clerk
Phone: 763-433-9830
E-mail: adietl@ci.ramsey.mn.usLora Pabst
Star Tribune
Brady Gervais
Pioneer Press
Lora Pabst
Star Tribune
Tammy Sakry
Anoka County Union
Olson Campaign
Jodie Ruehle
Tinklenberg Group
RE: Public Data Disclosure Request Directed to City of Ramsey
[1] This first request probably is best answered by Ms. Lund. I request the City or Ramsey to expeditiously send me a summary accounting, in as much detail as Ms. Lund has reasonable time for preparing, (it probably being merely a matter of generating a computerized database output record), of money disbursed by City of Ramsey to Tinklenberg Group for the range of time from October 2002 to the present. Itemization by each disbursement date and amount should not be burdensome; and at least month-by-month summaries are anticipated as minimal good faith compliance with the request. I anticipate this data could be provided within a week to ten days. If on any payments the city has acted as intemediary for actual disbursements by another entity [e.g., Met Council] please identify sufficient detail to understand such dealings, if there were any. Money to be paid over by Tinklenberg Group to third parties in the routine course of its business on behalf of the City, such as in relation to Highway 10 land purchases, rail authorities, etc., should also be segregated to make the accounting transparent and not misleading. Money routed through Tinklenberg Group for third party subcontractors [such as engineering firms on the Highway 10 AUAR effort] likewise should be suitably identified. Absent such precautionary steps, it might appear that Ramsey has paid more to Tinklenberg Group, itself, for its internal distribution to its employees, than was actually done, and public misconceptions that way are best guarded against and discouraged.
[2] This request probably is best answered by Mr. Brian Olson. [and is unrelated to the lobbying and lobbyist registration issue]. [...]
[3] Ms. Nelson, in the past you were designated as the lead person in handling public data requests, prior to the change in City Administrator, and I have seen no indication that anything that way has changed under Mr. Ulrich. In administering or coordinating the response to this public data disclosure request, please do not withhold a response to items [1] or [2] when available, if the other item response is still being determined. And, as always, a reasonable level or effort in response is all that is requested. It has never been my intent in any public data request activity to be burdensome, or to suggest untoward amounts of "research" be done by staff.
And thanks to each of you, in responding.
DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION.
This email is directed to the person who I believe is still the designated city official to coordinate public data disclosure requests, Ms. Nelson. The inquiries are probably most easily answered by the Public Works Director, and the leading financial official of City of Ramsey, Mr. Brian Olson, and Ms. Lund, respectively.
Notice of the inquiry, which has some current political sensitivity, as a courtesy is sent to the City Administrator, and the City Clerk and a Records Official, for notice in the event action at that administrative level is required. Past email replies have worked nicely, either from Ms. Deitl via routing from others, or directly from others. I do not see any need to require my visiting City Hall to gain answers.
Additional copies are to a limited number of press members, should they be intersted, and to one DFL MN 6 campaign office. that of Bob Olson, per the email address given on his campaign website.
Each email recipient should expect I would forward materials in response to others. My belief is it would be most expeditious if Ms. Nelson simply did a blanket reply to all non-city recipients.
[...]
Any recipient of this email is authorized by me to forward this public data document disclosure request to any person or organization, without any prior notice to me. This includes any notice staff might wish in communications with City Attorney Bill Goodrich, and it includes any forwarded notice to other media outlets than those I have chosen. The responses, as answering a public data request, are public data, and freely distributable as such.
Thank you.
Eric Zaetsch
Resident and Voter
Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District
Ramsey, MN 55303
The Ramsey head of engineering and public works already replied on the taconite question. It is not speced nor barred for use in road work in Ramsey. He knows nothing of whether it ever was used here as paving aggregate or stored in the open exposed to winds, nor whether special asbestos-related precautions would be needed. It has been a non-issue in Ramsey and if pavers are using it in road work it is low-key and under the radar. The man is direct and prompt.
I await the financial information. It really was worded in a way that a single simple database or spreadsheet query could get me a prompt answer, with some detail. But I deliberately did not ask for anything too elaborate.
Given that the Board may now be interested, I hope the reply on the cost to taxpayers in Ramsey of its supporting Elwyn Tinklenberg in the lifestyle he likes can be reported.
Ben Dover, the Ramsey taxpayer, deserves to know, although he probably will never change his perpetual smile to a frown, over something as inconsequential as Elwyn Tinklenberg.
Don't ask me.
Go ask Ben. Sometime he, with that yellow-face smile, is more communicative than the city's on-staff public servants. But the open meeting law and public data disclosure law each was passed for a reason, so you might expect staff contact to sometimes require patience and persistence. I shall report results. If any._______UPDATE__________
It is noteworthy, that the City of Ramsey understood the proposal as one for lobbying services. Assistant City Administrator Nelson, in terminology approved by the City Administrator, presented the matter in writing in the worksession full agenda provided in advance to the seven city coulcilmembers, this way [empahsis added]:
Staff has met with The Tinklenberg Group and requested aproposal for work to be performed in support of lobbying and planning for a Ramsey Station on the Northstar Commuter Rail. The proposal from The Tinklenberg Group is attached for Council consideration Elwyn Tinklenberg will be present for the worksession discussion regarding Northstar and the plan to request and lobby for a Ramsey Station.