Fundraising is tough this year for Congressional Districts and BPOUs. Bad economy, new standards from what donors have been acustomed to, and a far more diversified range of options. Thanks to the web, you can send cabbage through PayPal to your hometown mayoral candidate 2,000 miles away in a heartbeat. Yet it's easy to forget about your CD because you've moved beyond snail mail, and those pesky phone mail requests.
The reality is we all have to come up with new ideas to make a dollar holler—speakers and events, recurring revenue plans, auctions, and incentive items. But they better be good, because competition is tougher than ever too. Sheila Khine and I put this one together for the upcoming CD3 convention next weekend. A simple bumper sticker that carries our message of turning the district from Blue to Red—a carry over concept form this map I put together earlier in the year.
If you are in CD3, I want to see one of these on your bumper this election season. It's yours for 10 clams. And if you are in another CD, go for it, make something better.
Eden Prairie, MN – Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03) raised $379,862 during the second quarter of 2010 to give his re-election campaign a total of $1,347,000 cash on hand.
"It is clear my message of fiscal discipline and job growth is certainly resonating with people in the 3rd District," said Paulsen. "I will continue to work hard every day to put a lid on excessive government spending and push for greater economic prosperity for all Minnesotans. I also want to thank my campaign volunteers, who are working very hard to promote our grassroots effort. Now, with this level of financial support, we can make sure our message is heard."
To date, Paulsen has raised $1.9 million during the 2010 election cycle.
When finally given the opportunity to speak, Representative Zellers calls out House Democrats for silencing debate on the $1 billion borrowing bill February 15.
The Honorable Erik Paulsen, Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District &Tom Emmer, Candidate for Governor, Minnesota Chris Baker, KTLK-FM Radio Personality Extraordinaire as Master of Ceremonies
August 24th, 2010 Rush Creek Golf Course • 7801 Troy Ln. • Maple Grove, Minnesota
2 Tiered Event MacMillan Ballroom Reception * Doors & Cash Bar open at 5:00 P.M Program Begins at 5:45 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Suggested Donation: $20.00/person Photos: $20.00
Private Reception & Dinner Please join us for a fantastic evening of great food, wine and photos in a Private Dinner & Reception with Congressman Paulsen and Tom Emmer.
Dinner is in the Sky Room with a panoramic view Of the rolling hills of Rush Creek Golf Course
Is Hennepin County so broke it needs a new tax to fund basic road maintenance?
Last year, the Hennepin County Board (minus the votes of Commissioner Randy Johnson and me) voted to increase the general property tax levy by 4.95%. At the same time, the board (minus only my vote) also increased the county regional railroad authority levy by 114% and the county housing authority levy by 176%.
It’s only fair to note that county spending actually decreased between 2009 and 2010, but not enough to avoid tax increases.
As we begin our discussions about the county’s 2011 budget, the safe bet would be that all three levies will increase again. But despite these increases, we are also considering a new source of revenue for the county (on top of the three major levies, the ballpark tax, the transit tax, the tax on garbage collection, etc.) known as a “wheelage tax.”
State law allows counties to levy a wheelage tax upon its citizens of up to $5 per vehicle annually. According to county estimates, a wheelage tax in Hennepin County would raise approximately $4 million per year. Pursuant to state law, that $4 million could only be spent on roads and bridges.
