Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, was recently fined by the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board for violating state law, the latest in a string of financial blemishes on the first-term lawmaker’s record.
Just last year, the Shakopee Valley News reported that Tabke narrowly avoided a foreclosure on his home after falling behind on his mortgage payments, according to Scott County court records.
In 2018, the Valley News revealed that Tabke had three financial judgments on his record, including an unpaid personal credit card debt of $20,888 that was settled for $15,596 in December 2016.
The 2018 report said another judgment was filed against the lawmaker and his former landscaping company because of a business account with an unpaid balance of $18,602.
In a third case, another one of Tabke’s companies, Grepoli LLC, was “court-ordered in August [2018] to garnish Tabke for the remaining $6,256 of his defaulted student loan,” the Valley News reported.
Tabke claimed the debts were caused by the 2008 recession and “not getting paid by a client.”
“It’s a classic case of young people not reading through the entire document and learning a lesson,” he said of the student loan debt.
Most recently, Alpha News was alerted to the fact that Tabke was fined by the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) after accepting a $500 contribution from an association that wasn’t registered with the Board.
Minnesota statutes prohibit campaigns from accepting a contribution in excess of $200 from an organization that does not have a political committee or fund registered with the CFB, unless the contribution is accompanied by a written disclosure statement satisfying the legal requirement.
“The parties agree that the Tabke committee accepted a contribution in excess of $200 without the required disclosure statement in violation of Minnesota Statutes section 10A.27, subdivision 13,” states a conciliation agreement signed by Tabke in July.
Tabke’s campaign has agreed to use the CFB’s Campaign Finance Reporter software within 60 days of receiving a contribution to ensure the funds may be accepted.
Tabke’s campaign has also said “that it will not accept a contribution in excess of $200 from an association without also obtaining the association’s Board registration number, a disclosure statement in the form required by statute if the association is not registered with the Board, or advice from Board staff.”
Tabke is currently running for reelection for House District 55A in a rematch with Republican candidate Erik Mortensen.
