DOJ Decision Can’t Obscure Rybak’s Woeful Record Cutting Cops, Wasting Money

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton issued the following statement today regarding the decision by the United States Department of Justice to grant approval to the city of Minneapolis’ application for a grant to hire 13 police officers fired by R.T. Rybak.

“R.T. Rybak is the king of wasteful spending. As mayor, he’s wasted millions in taxpayer dollars on artistic water fountains, the promotion of tap water and vegetative roofs. Today’s decision by the Department of Justice allowing the city of Minneapolis to rehire 13 police officers who never should have been fired in the first place can’t obscure the fact Rybak has recklessly cut cops and squandered millions on frivolous and ridiculous spending sprees.”

Rybak’s Ridiculous & Wasteful Spending: A Primer

Rybak Spent $500,000 On 10 Water Fountains. “During the Aquatennial festival that begins Friday, the city plans to unveil concepts for 10 artist-designed drinking fountains that Rybak championed at $50,000 each. Typical park fountains cost as little as $6,000.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

• “Rybak said he wants bubbling, gurgling fountains reminiscent of the kind he drank from as a kid growing up in the city. ‘I want that romance of water in a city of waters to be something that's just core to living in our city,’ he said.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

Rybak Spent $180,000 To Promote City Tap Water. “The city of Minneapolis is spending nearly $200,000 to sell something that would seem to sell itself: tap water. … Tap Minneapolis is the city's new web site, and PR campaign to promote the city's tap water. But unlike tap water, it's not cheap. The web site costs $75,000. The total cost paid to the PR firm was $180,000.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

• “The water campaign was Mayor R.T. Rybak’s idea. He also brought us those decorative water fountains a year ago.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

Rybak Brought In $175 An Hour Facilitator To Help City Council Members Trust One Another. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the new City Council sat down for more than three hours Thursday morning in an attempt to ease the lingering bitterness from the previous day's leadership votes. The meeting focused on trust and on when a person's word can be relied upon. Rybak brought in facilitator Linda Houden - at $175 an hour - to help council members find ways to work together effectively.” (Rochelle Olson, “Sore feelings on the City Council,” Star Tribune, January 4, 2002)

• Rybak Later Returned Campaign Cash From Facilitator. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will return contributions made to his campaign last year by the $175-an-hour facilitator hired by the city to help him and City Council members develop good working relationships. … [Linda] Houden, of the Minneapolis firm DOR & Associates, donated $650 to Rybak's campaign through Oct. 22, according to Rybak's most recent disclosure form. Individuals are limited to $500 in contributions to mayoral campaigns in election years, and Sether said it was likely the campaign previously refunded the extra $150.” (Rochelle Olson, “Rybak says he'll return donation from facilitator,” Star Tribune, January 5, 2002)

Minneapolis Taxpayers Responsible For Shelling Out $5.3 Million For Target Center’s Vegetative Roof. “The Minneapolis City Council marked its last meeting of the year Friday with a flurry of actions that imposed a hiring freeze, regulated news boxes, approved a green roof for the Target Center and created a zone aimed at a cleaner, safer downtown. … A $5.3 million reroofing of the Target Center that includes a vegetative main roof was approved as part of the city's environmental sustainability agenda.” (Steve Brandt, “Minneapolis freezes hiring, fearing aid cuts,” Star Tribune, December 13, 2008)

Rybak Reimbursed Taxpayers $10,000 Over Newsletter He Used For Self Promotion. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak decided Tuesday to reimburse taxpayers $10,000 for the glossy newsletter he sent at a cost of $42,556 to all city residents at the start of an election year. … ‘I will hold myself to a higher standard by reimbursing the City $10,000, which is half of the production cost of the newsletter,’ the mayor said in a written statement. The payment comes three months after state Auditor Pat Anderson called on Rybak to reimburse the city because she said parts of the newsletter violated the law against using taxpayer funds for self-promotion.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)

• “Rybak's eight-page newsletter included five pictures of Rybak and the headline, ‘Minneapolis news from Mayor R.T. Rybak.’ State law allows politicians to inform the general public of activities. It also says the ‘report or publication must not include pictures of elected officials nor any other pictorial or graphic device that would tend to attribute the publication to an individual or group of individuals instead of the political subdivision. Portions of Rybak's newsletter crossed that line, Anderson said.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)