Over the past few weeks, Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Keith Downey has been spending the party's limited financial resources to lecture about fiscal responsibility at the State Capitol, while the party is currently $1.4 million in debt.

Days after it was reported the Republican Party of Minnesota owed vendors over $300,000 from the 2014 elections, Downey announced the party was spending $150,000 on a campaign to encourage Governor Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature to return all of the projected $1.9 billion budget surplus to taxpayers.

The "Give It Back" campaign ended quickly, as both Democrats and Republicans were not very receptive to advice about fiscal management from Downey and the Republican Party of Minnesota.

On April 8, Downey acknowledged in an e-mail to party activists that the party "still carries too much debt." Three days later, Downey requested a 70 percent increase in his salary.

Last Saturday, Downey was re-elected as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota at the party's State Central Committee meeting. Downey currently makes $50,000 per year as chair, but he informed the small committee which interviewed the candidates for chair of his decision to increase his own salary by $35,000.

The membership of a political party of which advocates "exercising spending restraint" in their platform, raised no public objections.

Downey's new salary of $85,000 only needs to be approved by the Republican Party of Minnesota's State Executive Committee, which is chaired by Downey. This week, the party said their lack of money prevented them from purchasing new software to solve campaign finance reporting problems with the Federal Elections Commission.

Downey's request for a salary increases comes during the same week as the party terminated approximately 20 employees. Earlier today, the Republican Party of Minnesota announced it was closing their internal telemarketing and fundraising call center. In a statement, Downey said "while these decisions are always difficult, it is the right thing to do."

After grumbling about how the budget surplus should be spent and castigating Dayton for increasing the salaries of his commissioners, you would think Republicans would question Downey's salary increase.

It will be interesting to learn if Downey's massive salary increase is approved, or if the party purchases the new software to ensure their campaign finance reports are filed correctly as required by law.

Picture source: Republican Party of Minnesota