Lifting The Rug In St. Paul

One of the few recent bright spots for local Republicans was the election of a number of Republican candidates to the Highland District Council in St. Paul. These district councils are sort of sub-city councils and have served as a springboard for ideas and individuals to influence and guide the city's decision-making at the highest levels.

It's the type of "whoever shows up" politics that Republicans typically have not been good at in the past. The Democrats have long realized that these entry level political positions--school boards, planning councils, charter commissions--are a great place to start your climb up the rungs of political power, while the GOP has usually focussed their attention higher up the ladder.

So seeing some local Republicans decide to get in the single A game and start building up their farm team was a welcome development.

It also demonstrates the inherent dangers of letting one party exercise absolute control of any level of government for a significant period of time. Council finds its finances in chaos:

Newly elected officers at the Highland District Council in St. Paul say the neighborhood group owes thousands of dollars in back taxes and penalties and that its finances are in serious disarray.

President Bill Poulos sent a letter to the group's board members Thursday saying the Minnesota Department of Revenue recently seized $1,568 in unpaid payroll taxes and that a conversation with IRS officials this week revealed the group owes more than $33,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties dating back to 1998.

"We have serious financial difficulties," Poulos said. "This is what we know we owe. We don't know what we don't know. We suspect it's considerably more than this."

Poulos was elected board president two weeks ago in a Republican takeover of the council that highlighted increasing partisanship in neighborhood groups. Gayle Summers, the council's lone full-time staffer and one of the city's longest-serving community organizers, resigned last week.

As one of the city's 19 district councils, the group is funded in part by taxpayer dollars.

In addition to the taxes and penalties, Poulos said IRS officials have no record of tax returns for the nonprofit organization from 2001 to 2005.

Summers could not be reached for comment. Her husband, Thomas Summers, said she was not home and could not be reached Thursday night.

I would have to imagine that this isn't the only district council in St. Paul that's been playing a little fast and loose with its finances. Future Republican candidates in other district council races may want to borrow this gem for their stump speeches:

"I'm afraid I'm gonna lift up the rug and I'm goin' to see so much stuff uh-nder thar. . . . You know, what is it about us always havin' to clean up after people? . . . But this is not just going to be pickin' up socks off the floor. This is going to be cleanin' up the government."