Handoff on Iron Range is rocky

WASHINGTON - There's no love lost on the Iron Range as the Eighth District congressional seat changes hands for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Outgoing Democrat Jim Oberstar and Republican Rep.-elect Chip Cravaack have not spoken since Cravaack upset the dean of the Minnesota delegation on Nov. 2. They dispute whose fault it is that the men have yet to talk.

The rift has spilled over to one of the key functions of a congressional office: helping constituents who have problems with federal agencies.

Cravaack is unhappy with how Oberstar's office is handling its unfinished constituent cases. The office plans to shred nearly all of its files that remain unresolved at the end of the year. The office is sending letters to constituents telling them they can resubmit their cases with Minnesota's senators or Cravaack.

"It does a disservice to the constituents in my opinion, because now people are going to have to start at square one," Cravaack said. "Unless they copied correspondence, I don't have anything to go by."

Oberstar spokesman John Schadl said Cravaack's concerns were overblown. "He needs to focus on preparing to be a congressman rather than worrying about whether we're too protective of the privacy of our constituents," Schadl said.

Oberstar's approach contrasts with some previous -- and friendlier -- congressional transitions, such as Rep. Erik Paulsen and retiring fellow Republican Jim Ramstad in 2008, when the cases were simply handed from Ramstad's office to Paulsen's office if constituents gave the OK.

Bradford Fitch, president of the Congressional Management Foundation, which specializes in congressional office management, said the most common practice is for outgoing members to transfer files when constituents give permission.

The tensions surrounding the casework show just one of the challenges of a whirlwind, two-month transition where one congressional office disappears and another is created. It's often an overwhelming experience for the new member of Congress and a bumpy road to the finish for the outgoing representative -- particularly after an election loss.

"When you're defeated, you get hit with a baseball bat, you're disoriented to a certain degree," said former Rep. Gil Gutknecht, a Republican upset by DFLer Tim Walz in 2006. Gutknecht said his unresolved cases went mostly to then-Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, leaving "the bin pretty empty" for Walz.

A political issue

There are political reasons for why a defeated incumbent may not be anxious to turn over his constituent case files to a successor -- especially one from another party.

But he added that there are serious political sensitivities behind the dispute. "Case files are considered private materials, and the privacy of our constituents comes before transferring files for possible political use," he said.

Ramstad said that Oberstar is right to tread carefully. "Much of the material, if it got into the wrong hands, would be embarrassing to some and tragic to others."

The Congressional Research Service, which provides legal analysis for Congress, accepts that casework can be political. Members "may pass on open cases to their successor, assuming the successor is willing and the constituent has granted approval," the service has written. "Sometimes, however, this is not politically desirable."

Schadl said that his office is shredding cases it does not close to err on the side of protecting individuals' privacy. The files can sometimes deal with such sensitive areas as Social Security and veterans' health issues.

"We're going to be better off destroying that information than having it being passed along against somebody's will or wishes, or having it wind up where it shouldn't be, endangering privacy," Schadl said.

No conversations

Both Oberstar and Cravaack were in Washington this week, one for the lame-duck session of Congress, the other for freshman orientation.

But even if the two men were in the same city, they have yet to speak since the election.

Cravaack said that he has called Oberstar's office to schedule a conversation but that he has not received a response.

Schadl disputed that account, saying that Cravaack has not tried reaching out to Oberstar for any advice. "He [Cravaack] made it abundantly clear during the campaign he does not agree with the congressman's approach to project work, economic development and job creation," Schadl said.

Cravaack said that he's ready to hit the ground running when he's sworn in Jan. 5 and plans to open his first district office in North Branch.

He's excited to get started, he said -- even if it has been a bit rocky thus far. "I've spoken to other freshmen," Cravaack said, "where the transition's going much smoother."