A member of the state's fledgling commission that oversees boxing and related sports has resigned, citing disagreements with the group's executive director.
Boxing panel member resigns over dispute
Chad Ridler, owner of a martial arts academy in Willmar, said he quit this week because "of the inaction of the commission in providing oversight of Scott LeDoux," the executive director, who is a former boxer and a current Anoka County commissioner. "He's unaccountable."
Not so, said Robert Dolan, a Minneapolis attorney who chairs the Combative Sports Commission. "I think we've paid attention to what's going on with Scott, and we're regulating him as much as he needs to be regulated."
The commission, which has operated for just over a year, was criticized by the state's legislative auditor last month for violating the state's conflict-of-interest rules and poorly overseeing its finances.
Specifically, the audit found that some commissioners and LeDoux accepted 18 free tickets to a fight event, including $600 ringside seats, from a promoter in violation of state conflict-of-interest rules. Auditors also reported such poor oversight over money that there was no way to tell if any was missing.
Dolan and LeDoux acknowledged the criticisms and said the problems have been rectified.
BOB VON STERNBERG
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