Hot Dish 4.26.24

By Rochelle Olson

Hey, we did it. It’s Fri-yay! I was talking to someone completely off the record Thursday. (I will not tell you who/what/when/where.) The person’s eyes narrowed and they said to me, “I can see your mind working; you’re trying to figure out how to use this.”

The person issued a warning whilst pointing at me, “If you burn me on this, I will come after you hard.”

I smiled and nodded, delighted because a) I was being trusted with valuable information b) I would never burn someone and c) if you stop and think, you can imagine who I might have been talking to - no one outwardly menacing, no one in the mythical Soprano crew, for example.

The Senate was in session briefly on Thursday when Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, helped the DFL with a good-faith gesture of a motion to move things along. Johnson said it was a sign the GOP wants to cooperate and get stuff done. The GOP did not support another motion involving an absent Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury. The reason: Johnson said the GOP had been provided no information about Mitchell’s whereabouts, her status or DFL plans for the next month.

Mitchell has not been seen at the Capitol since last week. She has provided multiple written statements about her arrest Monday but the DFL hasn’t provided answers about their plans for the rest of the session beyond: We’re figuring it out. To be fair, condolences to Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, who was away Thursday for her father’s funeral.

Senate DFLers were tense, glum and terse.

Former GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt turned public affairs consultant has been sharing copious thoughts on Twitter. Most recently, he wrote: “When your political ideology is more important than your integrity. She has now confessed, then lied and now blamed others. She needed to take responsibility for her actions and apologize to everyone immediately. It is impossible now for her to ever recover from this.”

During his tenure, Daudt faced legal woes over his driving record and delinquent credit card and property tax bills.

We wrap up this week knowing the DFL needs Mitchell’s vote to pass almost everything. Will we see her again? Will she vote remotely? Will she resign eventually? All good questions that we’ve got no answers for right now. What I do know is nobody saw this coming. Man, what will next week bring?

As for me, I wonder what does a person listen to in the car while driving across the state in the middle of the night for an alleged break-in? I shall allow this to purported crime to serve as a reminder to curate my own feel-good playlist capable of wresting me from the depths of fear, self-loathing and malfeasance.

MCCL ADS: Briana Bierschbach reports on a seven-figure ad buy by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL). The group is opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that could enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. The amendment has yet to pass the House or Senate and would need to do so to get on the statewide ballot. But the ad presages a potentially big buck campaign. But there’s no agreement on the basic question of timing. A House version would put it on the ballot in 2026 while a Senate bill would have it there this November.

Chimielewski was caught in what was called the Phonegate scandal for failing to oversee use of his long-distance access code. That’s right, those calls used to cost a chunk of change. As for me, I’ve never forgotten the decor of the Chimielewski homestead: Perhaps two dozen mobiles made of shells hanging in the living and dining room ceilings, as well as a sofa, covered in protective plastic, with a floral motif that was an exact match to the carpet.

SAFEGUARDS LACKING: Reporter Jessie Van Berkel breaks down a legislative audit that found problematic financial controls in the Minnesota Behavioral Health Division. The audit says leaders need to make changes to prevent conflicts of interest, increase transparency in funding decisions and ensure the government isn’t giving taxpayer dollars to financially risky groups, she wrote. Read the whole story here.

STADIUM BOSS: U.S. Bank Stadium has a new executive director with Ed Kroics. The unassuming but ever-helpful Kroics has been there since the beginning. Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chairman Michael Vekich said of Kroics’ knowledge of the building, “He knows where the last screw went in.”

Meanwhile, Vekich also informed me that the fence funding request of the Legislature for the stadium has been pared to $25 million from $62 million for this year. Vekich said he’s optimistic the money will be provided in an appropriations bond that would need only a a simple majority to pass. Stadium officials say the main goal of the upgraded, enhanced perimeter is to meet Department of Homeland Security anti-terrorism standards and protect those attending events inside the stadium without restricting access and movement.

WHERE’S WALZ:

10:00 a.m. Meeting with UnitedHealthcare CEO Krista Nelson.

10:30 a.m. Meeting with Minnesota Vikings leadership.

11:10 a.m. Interviewing a candidate for Commissioner of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

2:00 p.m. Hosting a reception for Minnesota State Mankato Men’s and Women’s National Championship basketball teams.

6:45 p.m. Live interview on Twin Cities Public Television.

This begs the question: Does the governor fly coach? Could he be stuck in a middle seat?

The guv’s headed to DC to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday sans First Lady Gwen Walz. Maybe he’ll network among the glitterati for a Cannabis Commissioner? We can hope.

Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost is the featured speaker, but the one and only thing I care about is the papparazzi shots of odd couples together in a single frame for a brief moment in time. Let’s hope Walz is captured in one of them. Walz and Scarlett Johannson? Da’Vine Joy Randolph? Fran Drescher? Jon Hamm? Oh, the possibilities.

READING LIST

As we started with fear before moving onto loathing, let’s close with the warning by the late Junior Soprano to his nephew Tony, who came at him: “Next time come back heavy, or don’t come back at all.”

Keep us posted at hotdish@startribune.com.