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Hello from St. Paul,
One of the more interesting positions I hold at the State Capitol is my membership on the Legislative Audit Commission. Here we discuss a number of independent reviews made by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA).
Recently, it issued a fairly damning review of the way Governor Walz is running his office, finding "widespread financial mismanagement."
The OLA report found a dozen instances of mismanagement in the office of Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. This includes not properly handling receipts, not accurately overseeing employee timesheet completion and approval, and making several late, and sometimes inaccurate, payments to vendors. It also reviewed the Governor’s Office a year ago, and of the 5 major problems it listed, the OLA noted the Governor’s Office failed to address 4 of them.
Can anyone be surprised that billions of dollars have been lost to fraud in Minnesota under Governor Walz’s watch when he doesn’t even take financial accountability in his own office seriously?
It is the ultimate thumbing of the nose at authority. The Governor knows Democrats in this state seldom get called out for anything by the media – remember all the nonsense about Walz we learned about from the national media after he announced he was running for vice president – so he has no reason to shape up. The governor’s mansion is used for campaign purposes. Large expenses are broken down into smaller expenses so reporting requirements can be dodged. It’s totally unethical.
After the news broke, Governor Walz claimed it was no big deal and he would take care of these problems immediately. Gee, I wonder why? His next election is less than a year away!
When you allow the fox to guard the henhouse, you can’t expect the chickens to survive. The OLA is working to right the ship, but the Governor’s Office simply has proven repeatedly it just won’t prioritize financial accountability for itself or the state unless it’s election season. That’s just a fact, and it’s unacceptable.
HAPPY VETERAN’S DAY!
Allow me to be among the first to wish the men and women who served in the armed forces a happy veteran’s day! Our country would literally not exist without your sacrifices. Your efforts have preserved the liberties many of us take for granted every day.
For those of us who did not serve, please join me in thanking all of our veterans for a job well done on Tuesday.
KEEP IN TOUCH!
I value your input and encourage you to reach out any time with your legislative questions and concerns. I can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 651.296.2273. I look forward to hearing from you!
Have a good weekend,
Steve
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