Dan Wolgamott is playing hooky

Earlier this week, DFL Minority Leader Melissa Hortman instructed DFL House-Elect members to stop doing the people's work. Like a dutiful minion, Rep.-Elect Wolgamott has obeyed Ms. Hortman. Instead of showing up for work and getting sworn in, Rep.-Elect Wolgamott has sent out a daily update explaining how he's earning his salary and per diem.

On Tuesday. Wolgamott posted this update. In his update, Wolgamott told his constituents "I want to send you a quick note to let you know that our House DFL and GOP leadership teams met past midnight last night, and are currently meeting, to negotiate a bipartisan power sharing agreement that reflects and protects the will of the voters."

That's an outright lie. Over the weekend, Melissa Hortman announced that the DFL planned to not attend without a power-sharing agreeement in place. Speaker Demuth said that the GOP majority would be in session. There was a 67-67 tie in the House until the judge ruled that the DFL candidate in HD-40B didn't live in the district. The judge then ruled that the candidate wwas ineligible, creating a 67-66 GOP majority. Majorities don't sign power-sharing agreements with the minority party. As Barack Obama once famously said "Elections have consequences." The DFL candidate cheated. The judge threw him out. That's a harsh but correct consequence.

This is an ever-evolving situation, but until such an agreement is reached, I have decided that it is in the best interest of our district to use the legislative tactic of denying a quorum. If I am not in the House Chamber today, I will be spending that time working with community leaders in St. Cloud. I am hopeful we will resolve this, and will continue to keep you updated.

On Wednesday, Wolgamott issued this update:

You’ve elected me four times to be your Representative because you trust me to do everything I possibly can to stand up for our district.

That’s why I’m working hard to reach a bipartisan power sharing agreement that reflects and protects the will of the voters.

Our efforts to reach such an agreement broke down yesterday morning because Republicans refuse to agree to seat Rep. Brad Tabke for the 25-26 biennium, even though a judge confirmed he won the election.

To prevent Republicans from ousting Brad, me, or any other duly elected Representative, my DFL colleagues and I used the legislative tactic of denying a quorum, and I went to work in St. Cloud.

I had productive meetings with CSB/SJU President Brian Bruess, St. Cloud City Councilwoman Karen Larson, and SCTCC President Lori Kloos and her cabinet.

Again, it's insulting to listen to this trash. At this moment, the DFL is the minority party in the Minnesota House. In turn, the DFL is pretending that it's a 67-67 tie when that situation doesn't exist. Further, even though a judge ruled dfor Tabke, that issue isn't settled because the GOP is appealing that ruling. Until their appeals are exhausted, the HD-54A race remains disputed. Wolgamott's statement that the GOP won't guarantee seating "a duly-elected" Democrat is pure projection.

Having lunch with city council members or tech college presidents isn't what we're paying him for. We're paying him to put a budget together and fix our broken tax system and broken election system. Thus far, the DFL, including Mr. Wolgamott have failed to show up for work.

That's why the DFL shouldn't get paid their salary or their per diem until they start doing the people's work. Havbing lunch with cronies miles away from the Capitol isn't working. It's pretending to work. The DFL won't admit that they're the minority party for the moment. if the Minnesota Supreme Court rules that Rep. Taubke must be seated, he'll be seated. Until that dispute's settled and until the special election has filled the HD-40B seat, the DFL is the minority party. No amount of whining will change that.