Legislators: Ritchie campaign literature sent to state e-mail accounts 'inappropriate'

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's campaign sent political materials to several state e-mail accounts, in what their recipients consider an inappropriate mingling of political and official business.

Two legislators, both members of Ritchie's DFL Party, reported receiving Ritchie campaign materials in their state e-mail accounts, correspondences they described as both "irritating" and "inappropriate."

A member of Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's staff also received an e-mail newsletter from Ritchie's campaign that asked for a campaign contribution.

There is no evidence that the campaign materials were generated from the secretary of state's office or with state equipment, but the recipients said they consider it improper to be sent such messages on their state e-mail accounts.

Ritchie, the state's chief election official, declined to comment until the completion of a legislative auditor's investigation into a separate allegation related to campaign e-mails.

"I am working with the Legislative Auditor and being respectful of his process," Ritchie said in an e-mail response. "When [Legislative Auditor Jim] Nobles' work is complete, I will be happy to comment on this matter, the Legislative Auditor's report or any other aspect of this situation. Until then, however, I think it is inappropriate to comment."

The auditor is investigating questions about whether Ritchie misused a state mailing list for his campaign. Two longtime Republican activists have complained that they received campaign solicitations after signing up for a secretary of state civics engagement program.

Need for 'firewall' cited

The latest issue shows that Ritchie put the state-employed recipients in an awkward position: receiving unsolicited political material at their workplace. State policy instructs employees who receive "inappropriate, unsolicited e-mail messages," to not forward or reply to the messages until consulting with a manager. Fundraising pitches (unless already approved) and "promotion of political ... activities" are listed as examples of inappropriate e-mails.

Alex Carey, a member of Pawlenty's communications staff, received a newsletter in October from the Ritchie campaign on his state e-mail account, including a request for donations. Carey asked to be removed from Ritchie's campaign list. He also suggested that Ritchie remove e-mail addresses which end in "state.mn.us" in future uses.

The Ritchie e-mail and Carey's response were obtained by the Star Tribune through a request under the state's data practices statute.

Brian McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, said state e-mail accounts should be used exclusively for state business.

In another case, Rep. Nora Slawik, DFL-Maplewood, said she received the same Ritchie campaign solicitation on her House of Representatives e-mail in October. She thought it was inappropriate to have received it.

"I think there has to be a firewall between the work we do as elected officials and our political campaigns. The public expects that," Slawik said.

Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, said he received a Ritchie campaign e-mail in the spring. While he did not recall it seeking a campaign donation, Betzold said he found the campaign newsletter "a little irritating," partly because it came to him on his Senate e-mail address.

First Amendment rights

How the state e-mail addresses ended up receiving a Ritchie campaign newsletter is unclear, illustrating the often-blurry line that separates the political from the nonpartisan in today's digital age. At least one expert in the field sees no problem with the distribution of the campaign materials to state e-mail accounts.

David Schultz, a Hamline University professor and former head of Minnesota Common Cause, said there appears to be nothing illegal with sending campaign materials to taxpayer funded e-mail accounts. But he said the action is "ethically sloppy."

Betzold said he expects to receive DFL-related materials, including solicitations, but not on his Senate e-mail address.

McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, said he believes Carey's e-mail may have been harvested from a mailing list sent to representatives of offices and agencies planning for the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission.

But a Star Tribune inquiry to others on the commission's mailing list found no one else reporting being solicited from the Ritchie campaign.