Top of the morning to you! On St. Patrick's Day, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s 10th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast will feature a who's who of politicos, with one major exception. The mayor himself will be out of town.
Instead of Hizzoner, a new political action committee will kindly accept proceeds on behalf of... (wait for it) .... (drumroll)... (wait for it)... Mayor Patrick Coleman and his wife, Betsy Hodges.
Chris Coleman leaves for a whirlwind tour of Europe this week with a host of city hall staffers and assorted VIPs, such as St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Kramer and representatives of Xcel Energy.
So who will stand in for the mayor on March 17 at Summit Manor? The 7:30 a.m. breakfast is being hosted by David and Amber McLaughlin, with two very special stand-ins. Here's a selection from the email invite:
Please join us for Mayor Coleman’s 10th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Breakfast.*
Starring: Patrick Coleman as Mayor Chris Coleman And Mayor Betsy Hodges as Connie Coleman *Mayor Coleman can not attend this year due to travel, but this Saint Paul tradition must carry on!
Patrick Coleman is a former librarian for the Minnesota Historical Society and president of Coleman Properties. His St. Paddy's Day "wife," who is not his wife at all, is Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who was once mistaken for Chris Coleman's wife in a Star Tribune photo caption. In the right light, there's an uncanny resemblance.
The Cold War between St. Paul and Minneapolis has apparently melted, with outcomes that are just plain weird.
Mayoral breakfasts tend to raise funds for mayoral re-election campaigns, but this one has a different purpose, according to the invite: "Corporate contributions are not accepted -- PAC proceeds to support DFL candidates running for state and local office."
The Scoop reached out to the Capitol Leadership PAC for comment Monday and is waiting to hear more details, but here's what's publicly available.
The Capitol Leadership PAC registered in September 2014, with a key ally of Gov. Mark Dayton -- environmental attorney Charles Nauen -- as chair. According to his online bio:
Mr. Nauen was co-lead counsel for Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton in the 2010 gubernatorial election recount and he represented the “Nauen 61” individual voters in an effort to have their absentee ballots counted in connection with the 2008 senatorial election recount.
Treasurer Rebecca Groen is the owner of Campaign Compliance Solutions, a campaign finance consulting firm, and former finance assistant and compliance director with "Klobuchar for Minnesota 2012." She was previously affiliated with the Southpaw Consulting Group.
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