Saying Republican legislators were engaged in distractions and political stunts, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton said he wanted to bring an impartial, third-party mediator to their budget negotiations to clear the air.

Dayton said Thursday that he asked his finance and tax commissioners to stay away from a Thursday afternoon hearing where Republican lawmakers could simply "berate" them over the same issues that have bedeviled the Capitol for weeks.

"I won't negotiate against myself," Dayton said. "They might not like the answer, but that's the answer."

The governor said he didn't know if any political officials had called in a mediator to solve budget crises but he said that didn't matter.

"The people of Minnesota deserve us to make every possible effort," the governor said.

But Dayton didn't appear optimistic a deal will soon be reached. He has a private meeting set with legislative leaders Friday morning -- their first since the end of the legislative session last week. Asked Thursday if he thought that meeting would be fruitful, he said simply: "No."

Minnesota's budget problems are bringing the state ever closer to shutdown as Republican lawmakers and the DFL governor wrangle over state spending for the next two years. If they don't get an agreement by June 30, state government will shut down, leaving only essential services running.

As part of the showdown, Republicans had set up an afternoon hearing of the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy. They had requested the attendance of Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans and Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter.

But Dayton said he was given no advance warning of the request and refused to allow his commissioners to attend.

When Democrats were in charge of the Legislature, they used the Legislative Commission to brawl with Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's commissioners. While Pawlenty himself refused to attend, his agency heads did. The experience was not pleasant. Pawlenty staffers used to joke that it was the "waterboarding" committee.