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Governor says no state funding for ACORN
National advocacy group is not currently receiving any money from Minnesota.
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Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered state officials Wednesday to stop all funding for ACORN, the national advocacy group that has been a target of political conservatives and the subject of mounting scrutiny from the federal government.
A spokesman for the group, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, said that it was "disappointed" with the governor's action and that Pawlenty acted even though ACORN is not currently receiving any money from the state. The Minnesota Management and Budget Office, which began a review Wednesday of ACORN's state contracts, said that the last state payment to ACORN was in May 2008 and that the group had received a total of $109,000 since 1996.
Pawlenty's action was the latest setback for ACORN nationally, following the release of a video in which employees appeared to advise a couple posing as a prostitute and a pimp to lie about the woman's profession to obtain housing help. On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted to block the federal Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, and the federal Census Bureau earlier severed ties with the group.
ACORN said Wednesday that it was stopping new admissions to its community service programs while it conducts an internal inquiry. The group, which has focused on voter registration, is seen by many as liberal-leaning.
"The recent reports of questionable behavior and potential illegal activity by [ACORN] are of great concern," wrote Pawlenty, who ordered state funding to ACORN stopped unless it was legally obligated.
Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, the former House minority leader running for governor, said he had urged Pawlenty administration officials Wednesday to take action against ACORN and was scheduled to hold a news briefing today to criticize the group. While Seifert acknowledged that Pawlenty -- seen as a possible 2012 presidential candidate -- had in effect upstaged him, Seifert said "I just want the job done" to ensure ACORN does not get future state monies.
Seifert said he told Pawlenty administration officials that "I was going to push the envelope on cutting off ACORN by executive directive." With the group possibly in line to get federal stimulus money, he added, "it nauseates me to think that they'll get a penny of it."
Kevin Whelan, a deputy political director for ACORN based in Minnesota, said that while the group promised to sort through the allegations, attacks by conservatives are unfair. "The crux of it is that they don't like the work that we do standing up for low-income people," he said.
Curt Yoakum, a spokesman for the state's management and budget office, said the office is sorting through past state contracts with ACORN and did not yet know whether the contracts involved simply passing federal money to the group. He said there was no evidence of current state contracts. "We have nothing to indicate that there's anything out to them right now," he said.
Staff writer Bob von Sternberg contributed to this report. Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
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