ST. PAUL, Minn. — The resistance movement has made its way to the governor’s mansion on Summit Avenue.
On Monday afternoon, about 40 people rallied outside of Gov. Mark Dayton’s home in St. Paul asking him to join the resistance by vetoing bills that they claim harm water, energy, and climate.
“We need Governor Dayton to join the resistance. Governor, get your veto pen ready and stand strong with us against this legislative attack on clean energy, climate, and protection of our water,” said Lois Norrgard, a volunteer with MN350. “Policy provisions in the Jobs and Energy Omnibus bill are like a death star aimed at Minnesota’s future health and prosperity.”
Members of the group MN350 and other partners collected 1,000 postcards addressed to Dayton asking him to protect the environment and to say no to Republican leadership.
The group also created a new supervillain named “Darth Garofalo” for a play they enacted outside of Governor’s mansion. In the play, Darth Garofalo, a combination of Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader and Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington), try to get Dayton to compromise with Republican leadership on omnibus bills in the last few weeks of session. Other characters, including Chewbacca, R2D2, and Princess Leia – representing the people of Minnesota – convince Dayton to side with the people and eventually defeat Garofalo.
The play starts around the five minute mark and can be viewed below.
Speakers at the event called on Dayton to veto two specific bills.
Organizers say HF 1265, an environment and natural resources bill, eliminates things like clean energy distribution and made in Minnesota solar energy.
The organizers also call on Dayton to reject the Jobs and Energy Omnibus bill, which they claim would cut the renewable energy fund in rural Minnesota and remove the oversight needed for pipelines.
Kathy Hollander, a MN350 member and the main organizer of the event, told Alpha News that the youngest members within her organization created the character.
“Rep. Garofalo is on the conference committee for the energy omnibus bill,” Hollander said. “That’s why we named him specifically, because he’s the chair of the House Jobs Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance Committee and he brings his policy provisions over to the conference committee.”
Dayton was not home, but the group says they received positive feedback for their signs from motorists driving along Summit Avenue. The organizers promised attendees that they would make sure Dayton received the postcards.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
