Senator Osmek Calls for accountability from Gov. Mark Dayton

(St. Paul, MN…) Senator David Osmek (R-Mound) sent a letter to Governor Mark Dayton today demanding an explanation as to why he did not reveal to the public payments made to lawyer David Lillehaug during the 2011 state government shutdown. Osmek also questioned why Dayton officials tried to cover up the fact that a campaign staff person was given a ride on the state plane in violation of the law.

Dayton originally announced in a June 2011 press release that a contract with Lillehaug was to be pro bono, but later switched the contract to billable services without notifying anyone. In fact, the $77,000 payment to Lillehaug was omitted from a detailed report released by the Dayton administration regarding expenses incurred during the 2011 shutdown.

“Without the Legislative Auditor’s recent report, we would never know that Gov Dayton changed a pro bono contract with David Lillehaug to a payment of $77,000,” said Osmek. “When was the Governor going to tell us about this? Why did he keep it out of the detailed expense report? Once again, there are serious questions raised about whether we can trust this governor and his administration.”

Osmek’s letter also asked Dayton to explain why his staff redacted the passenger information from a Data Practices Act request by the Minnesota Jobs Coalition regarding a trip on the state airplane. The Legislative Auditor reported last week the Dayton administration violated state law by giving a campaign staffer a ride on the state plane. Osmek accused Dayton of trying to cover up that fact by not revealing the passenger list.

“In both of these cases, I am more concerned with the Dayton administration’s efforts to conceal the truth than I am with the original issue,” added Osmek. “Someone needs to be held accountable for these actions.”