The Benton County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday describing the DFL’s boycott of the legislative session as a “dereliction of their duties” and urging them to return to work.
“I am appalled by what is going on with the legislature right now. We don’t support color in our positions because we have to work with both sides in order to get our county program funding and everything like that,” said Commissioner Jared Gapinski during Tuesday’s meeting.
He noted that he would be supportive of the resolution regardless of which party was being singled out.
“It’s that important. We can’t get our work done at the legislature in the timeframe given, let alone when people choose to grandstand and not show up for work because of one seat. At the end of the day, they need to be there,” he said.
“It’s so sickening to see this happening and this could be a very long time of this going on,” Gapinski continued. “There’s a lot of counties that are looking at getting things done and we’re sitting here at a stalemate right now.”
The Minnesota House is currently comprised of 67 Republicans, 66 Democrats, and one vacancy.
Republicans have insisted they need only 67 members on the House floor to meet the requirements for a quorum and elect leadership in the chamber. Democrats say Republicans need 68 members to reach a quorum and thus are boycotting the legislative session to prevent them from doing so. The Minnesota Supreme Court is set to issue a ruling on the matter in the coming days.
During Tuesday’s board meeting, Commissioner Ed Popp said he thinks both parties could have done a better job of working out their differences.
“They had an agreement. They know where this is going,” he said.
“It’s weird that everybody just assumes that seat is going to go Democrat,” Gapinski replied, referring to the House District 40B seat that was left vacant after Democrat Curtis Johnson was ruled ineligible to take the oath of office.
“I don’t want to call out one person for their whole party but I think what the local taxpayers need to understand is there is representation from that party in our area,” he continued, referring to Democrat Rep. Dan Wolgamott.
Commissioner Pam Benoit agreed with Gapinski’s assessment. “I don’t care what side it is. Ultimately, it’s taxpayer dollars that are paying their wages and if they’re not going to show up to work, that’s a disgrace. It’s just wrong,” she said.
The text of the resolution, which was read during the meeting, states that “the absence of any elected representative during the first week of session is a dereliction of their duties that deprives Benton County residents of their voice in critical early legislative deliberations.”
“Be it resolved that the Benton County Board calls upon these representatives to uphold their responsibilities by ensuring they are present and actively engaged in future legislative sessions,” it concludes.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
