| Election bill is the county's problem |
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By Luther Dorr Mille Lacs County must pay a bill of $8,208 from the state for a May 26 hearing on a violation of election statutes in Princeton Township during the March 10 election for township supervisor. Mark Riverblood defeated Eric Minks, 77-75, for the supervisor position. A complaint was filed against Riverblood, charging that he had campaigned within 100 feet of the township hall during polling hours. A three-judge panel from the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings rendered a verdict on June 5 that Riverblood was guilty of campaigning within 100 feet of the polling place and fined him $100. The panel also ruled that Riverblood was not guilty of placing campaign literature within 100 feet of the polling place. Commissioner Dave Tellinghuisen questioned the bill at the June 23 meeting of the Mille Lacs County Board. Auditor-Treasurer Phil Thompson responded by saying that similar cases had been an issue in the past, although not in Mille Lacs County. Thompson said Ramsey County had to pay about $575,000 for similar hearings. “We need to talk to our legislators,” Tellinghuisen said. “I don’t think the county had any responsibility.” Thompson said in an interview Monday there was a bill passed in the Minnesota Legislature this session that would help pay such bills in the future but that it wouldn’t help Mille Lacs County this time. Comments (0)
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