Congressman's cities left out

By Mark Fischenich

LE SUEUR — If Le Sueur had been founded a mile or so to the southwest or to the northwest, the city would probably have been in the game.

The earmark competition that will be unfolding in Congress in coming months would likely have included $3 million or $4 million for an interchange on Highway 169 to serve Le Sueur’s new industrial park.

A bit farther southwest and Le Sueur would have been in Nicollet County — which is served by Congressman Tim Walz, who has requested more than $105 million in funding for projects across the 1st District. A short distance to the northwest and the city would have been in Sibley County, represented by Congressman Collin Peterson, who’s seeking more than $40 million for the 7th District.

Instead, Le Sueur is where it is — Le Sueur County in the 2nd District, with Congressman John Kline.

“And he’s kind of “The Earmark Hawk,” said Le Sueur Mayor Bob Oberle.

Kline has requested $0 in earmarks, the third straight year he’s boycotted the congressional race for earmarks. The reason: he thinks the game is fixed.

“The fatal flaw in the earmarking process is that projects are still being prioritized by a member’s seniority and party affiliation rather than allowing them to compete on their own merit,” said Kline spokesman Troy Young. “Minnesota families would never prioritize their spending this way, Washington shouldn’t either.”

Walz, a Mankato Democrat, defends the process, saying it’s the duty of Congress under the Constitution to appropriate federal funding. Eliminating earmarks doesn’t mean the money won’t be spent, only that federal agencies will decide which projects win, according to Walz.

“Local leaders who are closest to understanding our deeply unmet needs in southern Minnesota brought these projects to our attention,” Walz said in a statement released with his list of earmarks.

That list of all earmark requests is something Walz has been putting out since he joined Congress in 2007, arguing that transparency is the best way to fight abuse of the system. Since 2008, he’s been including the total dollar amounts of all his requests as well.

Walz also praises reforms to the process since Democrats took control of Congress. This year, all lawmakers are required to post on their Web sites all of the requests they’re making — attempting to end a process that once included projects being anonymously added to spending bills, sometimes at the 11th hour of the lawmaking process.

Kline maintains that transparency won’t eliminate the huge disparity in the amount of funding going to senior lawmakers’ districts compared to those of less high-ranking members.

Oberle agrees with Kline when it comes to the worst kinds of earmarks, saying he, too, hates to hear of tax dollars going for silly pet projects pushed by powerful lawmakers. But the Le Sueur project is all about a traditional governmental role — providing transportation infrastructure that directly leads to economic opportunity, he said.

Oberle didn’t answer directly when asked if he would like Kline to change his tactics. He talked of finding the right balance between ideology and practicality.

“I hope he’s not just tilting against the wind,” the mayor said, drawing an analogy to the debate Minnesota has been having for years about subsidizing stadiums for rich professional sports owners.

It would be great if Minnesota took a stand and that put an end to team owners blackmailing taxpayers with threats of moving teams elsewhere. But Oberle doubts it would really accomplish anything other than making Minnesota a state without professional sports.

“You’ll be sitting there with your empty pot and your moral high-ground,” he said.