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Kahn apologizes for 'mistake' while campaigning for DFL
BY JIM RAGSDALE
Pioneer Press
A veteran Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislator apologized on Thursday for taking Republican literature while campaigning this week in New Hope, an action that resulted in a complaint to local police.
"I apologize for my recent actions while door knocking for our candidate in District 45A,'' said the legislator, Rep. Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis, who has been in the Minnesota House for more than three decades. "I made a mistake in picking up a few pieces of Lynne Osterman's campaign material, which was done without direction from anyone.''
"This is the problem — that people will do anything,'' said Osterman. "Sometime they will do dumb things.''
Osterman is a first-term Republican who is seeking re-election to the House in November. Kahn, who is seeking re-election in her own district in Minneapolis, was campaigning for the DFL challenger in New Hope, Sandra Peterson, when the incident occurred Monday evening.
Police were called to the 8200 block of 28th Avenue North at about 5:30 p.m. to look into a complaint that Kahn took Osterman's campaign literature out of several doors and replaced it with Peterson's, according to a statement from the New Hope Police Department.
Officers initially issued a citation to Kahn for violating a city ordinance, but later determined that "the charges were inappropriate for the alleged actions'' and dismissed the citation, according to the statement. The case was referred to the Hennepin County attorney's office to review for possible charges. Hennepin County, which has worked with Kahn on legislation in the past, referred the case to the Anoka County attorney because of a possible conflict of interest.
Kahn could not be reached for further comment beyond her statement. Peterson, the candidate for whom Kahn was campaigning, said she and Kahn were walking and knocking on doors, working different sides of the streets, on a sweltering afternoon.
She said Kahn had advanced a few blocks ahead of her, and when Peterson caught up, she saw police cars on the block. "When I got there, they said she had taken five pieces of material out of the doors and replaced it with my material,'' Peterson said.
Peterson said she did not approve of or authorize Kahn's actions, and she immediately apologized to Osterman. She said Kahn "felt very bad'' about the incident. "I also made at least my own vow … although we can't control volunteers, we would be very diligent in our future work,'' Peterson said.
Peterson did not immediately tell Osterman who took the materials, and Osterman said she found out only Thursday that it was Kahn, a colleague in the House.
"I think it's beneath Phyllis Kahn,'' Osterman said, adding that she hoped to hold a joint appearance with her opponent to repudiate such tactics. "We're going to say, to both sides, both caucuses, volunteers who want to come in, this is the kind of help we don't need,'' Osterman said.
"And it's what's wrong with politics.''
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Jim Ragsdale covers state government and politics and can be reached at jragsdale@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5529.
BY JIM RAGSDALE
Pioneer Press
A veteran Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislator apologized on Thursday for taking Republican literature while campaigning this week in New Hope, an action that resulted in a complaint to local police.
"I apologize for my recent actions while door knocking for our candidate in District 45A,'' said the legislator, Rep. Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis, who has been in the Minnesota House for more than three decades. "I made a mistake in picking up a few pieces of Lynne Osterman's campaign material, which was done without direction from anyone.''
"This is the problem — that people will do anything,'' said Osterman. "Sometime they will do dumb things.''
Osterman is a first-term Republican who is seeking re-election to the House in November. Kahn, who is seeking re-election in her own district in Minneapolis, was campaigning for the DFL challenger in New Hope, Sandra Peterson, when the incident occurred Monday evening.
Police were called to the 8200 block of 28th Avenue North at about 5:30 p.m. to look into a complaint that Kahn took Osterman's campaign literature out of several doors and replaced it with Peterson's, according to a statement from the New Hope Police Department.
Officers initially issued a citation to Kahn for violating a city ordinance, but later determined that "the charges were inappropriate for the alleged actions'' and dismissed the citation, according to the statement. The case was referred to the Hennepin County attorney's office to review for possible charges. Hennepin County, which has worked with Kahn on legislation in the past, referred the case to the Anoka County attorney because of a possible conflict of interest.
Kahn could not be reached for further comment beyond her statement. Peterson, the candidate for whom Kahn was campaigning, said she and Kahn were walking and knocking on doors, working different sides of the streets, on a sweltering afternoon.
She said Kahn had advanced a few blocks ahead of her, and when Peterson caught up, she saw police cars on the block. "When I got there, they said she had taken five pieces of material out of the doors and replaced it with my material,'' Peterson said.
Peterson said she did not approve of or authorize Kahn's actions, and she immediately apologized to Osterman. She said Kahn "felt very bad'' about the incident. "I also made at least my own vow … although we can't control volunteers, we would be very diligent in our future work,'' Peterson said.
Peterson did not immediately tell Osterman who took the materials, and Osterman said she found out only Thursday that it was Kahn, a colleague in the House.
"I think it's beneath Phyllis Kahn,'' Osterman said, adding that she hoped to hold a joint appearance with her opponent to repudiate such tactics. "We're going to say, to both sides, both caucuses, volunteers who want to come in, this is the kind of help we don't need,'' Osterman said.
"And it's what's wrong with politics.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Ragsdale covers state government and politics and can be reached at jragsdale@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5529.