By BRIAN BAKST , Associated Press
Last update: April 11, 2008 - 10:21 PM
House Majority Leader Tony Sertich said Friday he was threatened with retribution for questioning in March whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty was adequately involved in legislative issues, a score he claims the governor settled by canceling building projects in his district.
Pawlenty's office confirmed a phone conversation took place between Sertich and Chief of Staff Matt Kramer, but denied that the Republican governor's top adviser foreshadowed vetoes imposed on Monday.
Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the call came March 14, hours after his critical comments aired in a Minnesota Public Radio news story about the governor's heavy travel schedule.
"He had a message from the governor to me," Sertich said. "And the direct words were: It's a hockey analogy, 'Cheap shots are cheap, but they're not free,' That the governor was looking forward to seeing my area's bonding recommendations when they come across his desk."
Three projects from Sertich's northeastern Minnesota district, totaling $1.5 million, were among the $208 million the governor struck from a construction-projects bill with his line-item veto. The money was for public improvements in Chisholm, Floodwood and Hibbing.
Sertich said the alleged threat "was unbecoming of the governor."
When he told reporters of the conversation, Sertich repeatedly refused to name the Pawlenty staff member. Brian McClung, the governor's spokesman, confirmed to The Associated Press that Kramer spoke with Sertich.
"Even if others do not, we respect the spirit of confidentiality that is generally part of private conversations, so I won't go into great detail regarding who said what," McClung wrote in a statement to reporters. He added, "When speaking with Rep. Sertich, no one on our staff linked projects in the bonding bill to any comments made regarding the relative value of cheap shots."
Reached on his cell phone Friday night, Kramer declined to comment.
Sertich said he went public with his account of the conversation because he is worried that Pawlenty will go after a study of Iron Range cancer next.
The bonding projects, he said, will "come back. They'll get funded another year. But this mesothelioma bill needs to get done this year."
Pawlenty has said he supports research on the rare lung cancer, with is usually caused by asbestos and has turned up among dozens of taconite miners, but opposes a Sertich-backed bill for the $5 million study because of where the money is drawn from.
Last update: April 11, 2008 - 10:21 PM
House Majority Leader Tony Sertich said Friday he was threatened with retribution for questioning in March whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty was adequately involved in legislative issues, a score he claims the governor settled by canceling building projects in his district.
Pawlenty's office confirmed a phone conversation took place between Sertich and Chief of Staff Matt Kramer, but denied that the Republican governor's top adviser foreshadowed vetoes imposed on Monday.
Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the call came March 14, hours after his critical comments aired in a Minnesota Public Radio news story about the governor's heavy travel schedule.
"He had a message from the governor to me," Sertich said. "And the direct words were: It's a hockey analogy, 'Cheap shots are cheap, but they're not free,' That the governor was looking forward to seeing my area's bonding recommendations when they come across his desk."
Three projects from Sertich's northeastern Minnesota district, totaling $1.5 million, were among the $208 million the governor struck from a construction-projects bill with his line-item veto. The money was for public improvements in Chisholm, Floodwood and Hibbing.
Sertich said the alleged threat "was unbecoming of the governor."
When he told reporters of the conversation, Sertich repeatedly refused to name the Pawlenty staff member. Brian McClung, the governor's spokesman, confirmed to The Associated Press that Kramer spoke with Sertich.
"Even if others do not, we respect the spirit of confidentiality that is generally part of private conversations, so I won't go into great detail regarding who said what," McClung wrote in a statement to reporters. He added, "When speaking with Rep. Sertich, no one on our staff linked projects in the bonding bill to any comments made regarding the relative value of cheap shots."
Reached on his cell phone Friday night, Kramer declined to comment.
Sertich said he went public with his account of the conversation because he is worried that Pawlenty will go after a study of Iron Range cancer next.
The bonding projects, he said, will "come back. They'll get funded another year. But this mesothelioma bill needs to get done this year."
Pawlenty has said he supports research on the rare lung cancer, with is usually caused by asbestos and has turned up among dozens of taconite miners, but opposes a Sertich-backed bill for the $5 million study because of where the money is drawn from.
