Readers Write: Ryan Londregan case, presidential election, teacher pensions, Amtrak, Minnesota

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I was perplexed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s decision to hire outside counsel from a Washington, D.C., law firm to prosecute the Ryan Londregan case (”D.C. law firm to prosecute state trooper,” May 4). It is hard to believe that the largest prosecutor’s office in the state could not prioritize their workload to handle this case in-house. If not, shouldn’t the first course of action, out of respect for the taxpayers, be to request mutual aid from another Minnesota public law firm?

In my career, I worked with many skilled and ethical public lawyers at the Office of the Minneapolis City Attorney, the Office of the Hennepin County Attorney and the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota. Many of these attorneys have gone on to become state and federal judges, including chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

I can see the conflict for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the case. However, there are several Minnesota counties with cities of the first class, with experienced prosecutors, that could provide mutual aid, including Ramsey, St. Louis and Olmsted.

This appears to me not unlike the relationship former President Donald Trump sought with the United States attorney general. He wanted the AG to be “his” lawyer, not a public lawyer. Clearly, many if not most of the veteran assistant Hennepin County attorneys do not believe the Londregan case rises to the level of probable cause, much less proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And so, the professional ethics of experienced Hennepin County prosecutors precludes them from participating. Regardless, our county attorney wants “her” lawyers to proceed, so she will hire them.

Gregory Hestness, Minneapolis

About the letter “I’ve had it with Dems. RFK it is” (Readers Write, April 27), I ask: How would punishing Joe Biden at the ballot box this November (in an almost certainly close election) actually be a vote for peace and for improving our country? A vote for RFK Jr. in 2024 supports victory for Donald Trump, the only candidate who has said publicly that he may choose not to defend NATO countries and who has repeatedly praised warmonger Vladimir Putin.

Anne Ritterspach, Bloomington

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Media outlets are in a contest for which can devote the most time to covering Trump’s hush money trial. The real story, that he is likely to retake the White House no matter the outcome of the current spectacle, is getting lost in the process.

Trump attempted to overturn an election. He has a political philosophy built on conspiracy theories. His speeches are rambling, grievance-filled tirades. Yet he is beating Biden in almost every poll.

If he wins, he could unleash chaos by attempting to invoke the Insurrection Act against protesters or using the military to round up millions of undocumented immigrants who live and work in our communities. If he loses, he will attempt to mobilize his supporters with conspiracy theories about another “stolen election,” with the support of a number of GOP officials.

For Trump’s supporters it’s a positive that he “does what he says.” So, we should believe what he’s saying. And the media needs to make sure that every American hears it. That’s the only story that matters now.

Ted Sherman, St. Paul

I was happy to see an article addressing Minnesota teacher pensions (“Teachers seek probe of pension fund,” April 28). Yes, Minnesota educators raised $78,000 in less than three weeks to hire Edward Seidle. Seidle is the nation’s leading expert in forensic investigations of money managers and pensions, focusing on excessive and hidden investment fees and risks, conflict of interest and wrongdoing.

The amount of money raised in a short period of time is an indicator of the level of mistrust and frustration Minnesota educators feel with the Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) and the two-tiered pension system. Tier I refers to educators hired prior to July 1, 1989, and Tier II refers to educators hired after July 1, 1989. These tiers have very different pension benefits, with Tier II benefits being significantly inferior.

As reported in the article, the president of Rhode Island AFSCME council said he was thrilled with Seidle’s work and stated, “It’s probably the best thing the union ever did.” In Minnesota, the funds to hire Seidle were raised solely by individual contributions.

An insecure pension system will only exacerbate the growing teacher crisis. Minnesota’s retirement plan needs to be competitive and the pension system needs to be solvent in order to recruit and retain educators.

Vickie Penick, Otsego

The writer is a teacher.

Have I died and gone to heaven? A second daily Amtrak train between St. Paul and Chicago! (”Amtrak unveils Borealis route from St. Paul,” May 2.) Most important, this train runs between these two cities, unlike the existing Empire Builder to Chicago that originates on the West Coast. That adds almost 1,500 more miles for delays to occur before the train gets to St. Paul: Is it any wonder it’s often seriously late?

I’m also pleased to see that the Minnesota Department of Transportation is studying current rail service to St. Cloud. The original Northstar proposal was for trains to go from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud. This was supported by then-Gov. Jesse Ventura. However, under Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the project was cut in half and the line ended at Big Lake. Riders to St. Cloud had to switch to buses after Big Lake. My guess is that stopping short of the original destination undermined ridership to the point where Republicans can say that passenger rail isn’t cost effective.

William Steinbicker, Minnetonka

My wife and I, vacationing with another couple, arrived in Dublin early Sunday morning. Our taxi driver asked where we were from, and when we replied “Minnesota,” he enthusiastically shouted “Prince! Bob Dylan!” and began singing “Purple Rain” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” An hour later at breakfast, when our server learned we were from Minnesota, he excitedly told us, “Your team, the Wolves, won last night. They beat Denver. And it was amazing.”

Coastal elites in the U.S. might ignore us. But across the Atlantic, Minnesota has a mighty fine reputation.