Brown County Republicans are working overtime to save their Aberdeen TenHaken clone from his conflict-of-interest scandal. Republicans crowded last night’s Aberdeen City Council meeting and sent Senator Al Novstrup to the podium to declare Mayor Travis Schaunaman absolutely innocent of any legal infraction:
“There is no violation of bid laws. Also, no violation of conflict-of-interest laws, no violation of state laws period,” Novstrup said during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting [Shannon Marvel, “Lawmaker Asserts That No Conflict of Interest Laws Were Broken by Mayor {paywall},” Aberdeen American News, 2019.09.04].
… to declare Councilman Rob Ronayne a low-down dirty scoundrel for targeting the sterling Mayor Schaunaman with such scurrilous accusations and (perish the thought!) tougher local conflict-of-interest rules:
“If you craft a bill for one special situation, that’s wrong. If you craft a bill for one special person, that’s wrong. At a previous meeting, it was said that the mayor had participated in a criminal act,” Novstrup said. “There’s a place and time for that accusation. It’s not at a City Council meeting. It’s with the state’s attorney. You do not do that. If I did that in state legislature, I’d be gaveled down and reprimanded,” he said [Marvel, 2019.09.04].
…and to declare uncivic-minded and nitpicky anyone else who questions the ethics of a sitting mayor publicly advocating for his private company’s bid for a taxpayer-funded city marketing contract:
“If the mayor has participated in a criminal act, as alleged, let the law work its way through. We don’t need a new ordinance if there’s already a violation. If you pass something that ties the hands of the CVB and chamber of commerce, what you’re saying to the leaders of those organizations is you don’t trust them that you choose to micromanage those decisions,” Novstrup said before taking a seat amongst a packed meeting room.
Those in attendance applauded Novstrup’s comments [Marvel, 2019.09.04].
Curiously absent from Novstrup’s quoted remarks is any effort to address the conflict of interest itself, in which the mayor uses the privileges of his office to promote his personal profit. Given the Novstrup family’s own history of willful obliviousness to conflicts of interest and willingness to use public office for private advantage, we should not be surprised.
Novstrup could have gotten to the point much sooner if he had just said, “We’re Republicans. We can do what we want.”
They haven’t addressed it b/c there isn’t one.
https://hbr.org/2017/02/the-growing-conflict-of-interest-problem-in-the-u-s-congress
Aberdeenites love Mr. Novstrup, the elder. They will probably listen to his respectful, common-sense message.
Really, DR?
Let’s try an analogy.
Let’s suppose I win the next race for mayor. In my mayor’s column, I tell everyone they should read Dakota Free Press and ring the tip jar to support my liberal blogging. Would that be a conflict of interest?
“Novstrup could have gotten to the point much sooner if he had just said, ‘We’re Republicans. We can do what we want.’”
Cory, that would be too direct and honest for the SDGOP and especially for Nostrap.
IOKIYAR – It’s OK If You Are Repuklian.
Nope. As long as you said go look at DWC and too. As Mayor Schaunaman did in his column w MCG.
If Mr. H was His Honor, the Mayor of Aberdeen, and he told everybody to hit up all the bloggings and tip us all, it might be a public service. He could even say “Do not read or buy that Aberdeen paper media that is handed out at Culvers. Instead, read my bloggings where I share all my views.”
That would be OK.
grudznick has ruled.
What the Aberdeen Mayor did in broad daylight speaks for itself. He used his office to promote a business he owns. The scandal is that Repubs have come to expect that in SD that is how business is done. For generations there have been no consequences for far more egregious transgressions. Once again, I am surprised only that people – some, anyway – are surprised when it happens.
Our state raises lots of chickens to be harvested by the foxes who run the operation.
No, DR. Schaunaman did not extol the virtues of McQuillen’s design concept. We have no idea from Schauanaman’s column what McQuillen has in mind. Schaunaman spoke exclusively of his vision for a new city logo and slogan.
So, if I become mayor and shout from the dais or any other platform I occupy solely by dint of my election, “Send money to my blog!” that’s a conflict of interest, right? And that’s a conflict of interest even if I tell people to send money to DWC as well, right? It doesn’t really matter how many other people I help make money; if I make a direct pitch for people to send my private business money, or buy an ad from my private business, I’m promoting my personal interest from my political position, and that’s wrong… right?
Grudz, the question is money, personal profit.
Mr. H, I watched the movie, and it seemed Mr. Novstrup, the elder, calmly allayed most doubts and redirected the focus of the mob to where it should be, which is not being a mob. It is always good to talk a mob down, and Mr. Novstrup has talked down many a mob. If he was not on that wall for you Aberdeenites there would be more mobs roaming the streets than the Democrats or Republicans could muster by themselves.