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Governor hearing criticism from members of his own party
by Laura McCallum, Minnesota Public Radio
August 10, 2004

Rep. Liz Holberg, left, and Rep. Phil Krinkie, right, are two of the Legislature's biggest opponents of the Northstar line. (MPR Photo/Laura McCallum)

Some Republican lawmakers had harsh criticism Tuesday for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan to jump-start the Northstar commuter rail line. The governor announced last week he was moving forward with the first phase of the Minneapolis-to-Big Lake line, using money from the Met Council, the federal government and counties. Northstar has not received legislative approval, and some lawmakers are calling the governor's plan "unethical" and "a sham."

St. Paul, Minn. — Several Republican lawmakers who normally agree with Gov. Pawlenty didn't mince words when describing his Northstar plan. At a legislative hearing on the plan, Rep. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, says the governor's plan may be legal, but it's not ethical. He says it ignores the Legislature's wishes.

"Apparently, it doesn't matter what we do. If the governor wants something, he's going to do it. And I don't know if the next thing is to have the National Guard out there ripping up track or what, but it certainly doesn't appear that the Legislature is a part of this decision," Vandeveer said.

	Northstar supporter

Vandeveer said later he regrets using the word "unethical" at the hearing, and says he considers the governor's plan extremely financially risky without legislative support.

Pawlenty has said the Legislature didn't reject Northstar, it failed to act on the line's funding, just as it failed to act on much of anything last session. He says that forced him to come with funding to ensure Minnesota captures $10 million in federal funding that would be lost if not matched by the end of September.

Some lawmakers dispute Pawlenty's description of legislative inaction. Rep. Bill Kuisle, R-Rochester, who chairs the House Transportation Finance Committee, questioned MnDOT's Bob McFarlin about what happened last session.

"You said there was broad legislative support, and it was the failure of the Legislature to act on the bonding bill. Was that project in the House bonding bill when it passed? Was there a vote on it?" Kuisle asked.

"The project was not in the House bonding bill, it was mentioned in the Senate bill, but there was clearly broad bipartisan support throughout the Legislature for the project," McFarlin said.

The Senate has supported Northstar funding in previous years, but the project has been extremely divisive in the House. Many Republicans say it will be another heavily subsidized transit project like the Hiawatha light-rail line, and the state can't afford it.

Friends can disagree, and obviously when people are vehemently opposed to a project that we strongly support, there are strong words... - Dan Wolter, spokesman for Gov. Pawlenty

But several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle defended the project at the legislative hearing. Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, praised the governor for moving Northstar forward.

"We're choking to death in the northwest quadrant. We cannot get anywhere. Try to drive through our area, we are choking. Please get us some way to get around. This is the best thing we got going," Abeler said.

Abeler says the state will save money on inflation costs by starting to acquire land now instead of waiting a year. That's assuming the Legislature votes to approve Northstar money next session.

Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville, a Northstar critic, says the project will be just as divisive next year.

"People have dug in and, in fact, people that were kind of on the fence and have seen this action of the administration are really frustrated by it. It is not working with the Legislature, it's working around the Legislature and if the governor thinks that that's going to gain votes for his key projects, I think he's mistaken," Holberg said.

Holberg says the issue has created a huge rift between Pawlenty and Northstar opponents in the Legislature. The governor's communications director, Dan Wolter, says the rift is because some legislators are opposed to all rail projects.

"Friends can disagree, and obviously when people are vehemently opposed to a project that we strongly support, there are strong words and so forth, but the governor's confident that this is a project that has broad base support, and that will ultimately be adopted," according to Wolter.

Wolter says the governor's actions were legal and appropriate. He says Lt. Gov. and Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau is a team player and will support Northstar politically as it moves forward. Both Pawlenty and Molnau opposed Northstar funding as legislators, and Molnau has said she still personally opposes the project, but won't stand in its way. Molnau was not involved in discussions over the governor's plan.

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