Disclosure, Part 3

In hindsight, the passage of same-sex marriage legislation by the 2013 Minnesota state legislature seems as if it was always a foregone conclusion.  Following the money from that time period, however, would lead one to a different conclusion.  In this Part 3, we examine the lobbying operation of Minnesotans United. (See also Part 1 and Part 2)

Minnesotans United—the $12 million powerhouse behind the 2012 defeat of the marriage amendment ballot initiative—set its sights on a legislative victory in 2013.  According to records on file at the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Minnesota United formed a lobbying entity on January 24, 2013, and shut down operations after the legislature adjourned in May.

In five short months, under the leadership of Richard Carlbom, the group spent over $1.6 million in persuading legislators to vote in their favor, employing the services of 14 registered lobbyists.  Not only did their spending dwarf the $211,000 raised by their opponents on the marriage issue, it ranked as the largest amount spent by any single organization lobbying in 2013.
 
We know that Minnesotans United spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising, and similar amounts on public relations and salaries.  We know these amounts down to the penny.  But we may never answer the question of who gave these amounts.

When the chamber of commerce or a labor union spends money on lobbying, we know the money came from their members and we will have a pretty good idea of who those members are.  When a corporation hires a lobbyist, we can look up its board of directors and find a list of its largest shareholders.

But a coalition like Minnesotans United does not exist in any real sense, physical or corporate.  How it was funded will remain a mystery to everyone except those writing and depositing the checks.  Unlike a political committee, lobbying groups are not required to disclose their donors.

The Bloomberg Factor
As we discussed in Part 2, the next task for United’s leader, Richard Carlbom, is to get those vulnerable legislators who voted for his bill reelected this November.

Oddly enough, his other lobbying client may make that task much more difficult.  On December 9^th of last year, Carlbom signed on to lobby for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the anti-second amendment pressure group.  ‘Mayors’ was founded by the now former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

As a long-time suburbanite, I don’t have a natural feel for the politics of districts in Greater Minnesota that would elect Democrats to represent them in St. Paul.  But seeing a lobbyist for a gun-grabbing New York mayor as the one pulling the strings can’t leave those voters feeling more comfortable.