(NOTE: THIS SITE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 2005 AND 2006.*)

BK for SOS News

Elect Me, Then Abolish Me

We don't need a Secretary of State

MCCL Not Fair To Minnesotans

Pro Lifers, Please Read This!

KIFFMEYER NOT ON THE LEVEL-AGAIN

Mary Kiffmeyer signs a contract that prohibits her from telling the truth, then refuses to admit her mistake.


GOODBYE MONEY!

HAVA--The Feds giveth and the Feds taketh away. (Voting equipment, today and tomorrow)


KIFFMEYER'S STRANGE PARTNERSHIP WITH A SHADY ORGANIZATION

Phony invoice sent by "non-profit" notary operation doesn't reflect well on our state government.

KIFFMEYER'S ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE SAME CHAIN

Four of the six newspapers she quotes on her website are editorially controlled by a man in Fargo, North Dakota


HELP ME!

Helping my campaign is easy, fun, surprising, and rewarding. See how by clicking here.


TAKE THE VOTER'S PLEDGE

Reduce the power of money in politics with an oath of good citizenship.


WHY REPUBLICANS SHOULD SUPPORT ME

A list of reasons

KIFFMEYER CELEBRATES WHILE TAXPAYERS SUFFER

The Help America Vote Act wastes millions of Minnesota dollars

KIFFMEYER SHOULD TELL MCCL...

...she's not in the legislature

KIFFMEYER SINKS TO NEW LOW

Exploits 77 year old man

KIFFMEYER'S ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE SAME CHAIN

Four of the six newspapers she quotes on her website are editorially controlled by a man in Fargo, North Dakota

KIFFMEYER NEVER STOPS TALKING

What I Should Have Said on "Almanac"

 

Campaign Videos

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WHY REPUBLICANS SHOULD SUPPORT ME

I was raised as a Republican. I am now an independent, but I still believe in many Republican virtues: fiscal responsibility, skepticism of government solutions, and respect for institutions. That means the federal government doing federal things, state government doing state things, and local government doing local things. It means using technology to enhance productivity. It means support for entrepreneurs and small business.

Mary Kiffmeyer has failed to support Republican fiscal virtues. For example, according to a Republican blog (scroll to July 27, 2005), she was a strong supporter of the Help America Vote Act and its federal grants to the states for voting equipment and expenses. She set up numerous photo-ops where she held up giant replicas of the federal money received. Most Republicans realize that federal grants are not prizes from the Publishers Clearinghouse. Minnesota taxpayers have paid or will pay more than $56 million in federal taxes for the $44 million we will receive for HAVA.

[* HAVA funds processed as of 12-05 $2.969 billion. According to the Tax Foundation, Minnesotans pay 1.89% of federal revenues, even though our population is 1.73% (296.4 million for USA, 5.13 million for MN). And $300 million of HAVA went only to states with punch card and lever machines. So we pay $56 million. We got $44.5 million. ]

Kiffmeyer poses with $727,117 checkMore federal money

I pledge to support the reduction of business fees (taxes) paid to the Secretary of State office. I pledge to be a consensus builder, not an autocrat. I will hire an elections deputy with election experience who will establish a positive rapport with the election officials in the counties and cities. I will develop proposed legislation relating to elections in conjunction with the election officials who will actually carry out the mandates of the legislation. I will cooperate with the legislature if it chooses to reassign election responsibilities to a neutral appointee.

WHY REPUBLICANS SHOULD NOT SUPPORT KIFFMEYER

1. She’s going to lose.
2. She’s ineffective at promoting Republican issues.
3. The SOS office should be abolished or made nonpartisan. She will not likely cooperate with that.
4. She’s a better Republican activist than she is a Secretary of State.
5. She’s not a fiscal conservative.
6. She’s a poor administrator.

1. She’s going to lose.

In 2002, as an incumbent, Mary Kiffmeyer barely won against a weak DFL opponent in a Republican year. Since then her popularity has decreased. She has alienated most of the election officials in the state, even Republicans, with her top down, authoritarian style. She fired her deputy, Republican Scott Simmons. She has a reputation for partisanship that is not appreciated by independents.

Unless an independent candidate rises, the winner will be a DFL activist whose main issue will be “barriers” to voting. It is unlikely that Republican initiatives will get much support from the office.

A centrist candidate can win. A centrist Secretary, while not always philosophically in line with many activist Republicans, will nevertheless give consideration to Republican proposals without being dismissive. For example, regarding ID at the polling places, I have developed some compromises that might be acceptable to Republicans--certainly better than the nothing that will be achieved if there is DFL influence in the SOS office. Photo ID essay

2. She’s ineffective at promoting Republican issues.

I have attended most of the election committee hearings at the legislature for the last six years. I can tell you flat out that every idea promoted by Kiffmeyer in the Senate is DOA. She is so distrusted by the DFL that even the most innocuous initiative is treated with great suspicion. An SOS needs a modicum of credibility to get votes from both parties. Even Republicans in the House shake their heads over some of the ill-prepared bills that come from the SOS office. She is apparently incapable of developing ideas in a collaborative process with real election officials–the ones in the trenches who know how things work. Consequently, they rebel at everything she proposes. When Republican legislators have an idea on an election issue, it is to their benefit to enroll the support of the SOS to get their bill credibility. Not with this SOS. The Republicans would be better off if she was gone–even with a centrist, their ideas would be treated respectfully and worked out if viable.

3. The SOS office should be abolished or made nonpartisan. She will not likely cooperate with that.

The SOS should not be an elective office. Most of the duties could be better handled by the governor. The election duties should be performed by an appointee who is a nonpartisan, experienced administrator. This could be more easily accomplished by a SOS who cooperates with the transition.

4. She’s a better Republican activist than she is a Secretary of State.

She must be very frustrated, stifling herself from talking about issues that really matter to her. She is a person with good energy that could better serve her causes either as a legislator or a party activist.

5. She’s not a fiscal conservative.

Like many Republicans, Mary Kiffmeyer is a social conservative. But her office doesn’t give her any opportunity to advance those causes. What Republicans may not realize is that she is not much of a fiscal conservative. She claims that her office makes a $6 million profit off business fees. There was some talk at the time of her election of trying to reduce these fees, since after all they are a tax on business. I don’t know why exactly this issue was dropped, but I don’t think it was ever a high priority for her.

More significantly, she was a strong supporter of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) bill which has been a great misfortune for Minnesotans. We received $44 million in federal funds, for which our contributions to federal taxes will be $56 million. And we are forced to spend the $44 million in ways we would never choose if we were given any options. More details Federal programs are usually wasteful and inflexible, and our SOS should have protected Minnesota from this law instead of cheerleading for it. This is one example of many of her belief in centralizing power, instead of promoting local independence.

6. She’s a poor administrator.

Mary Kiffmeyer had no experience as a government administrator coming in. Granted, most SOSes do not. The appropriate way to lead then would be with deference to those who do have such experience. Instead, she is considered a tyrannical boss. Her authoritarian style has alienated many Republicans as well as her staff.

Kiffmeyer’s management style, according to a former employee, is “authoritative tending toward the autocratic. There is a bunker mentality.”

Republicans, liberate Mary Kiffmeyer. Two terms are plenty.

More evidence:

Mary Kiffmeyer signs a contract that prohibits her from telling the truth, then refuses to admit her mistake.

Kiffmeyer's strange partnership with a shady organization --Phony invoice sent by "non-profit" notary operation doesn't reflect well on our state government.

Goodbye Money--How the federal Help America Vote Act, supported by Mary Kiffmeyer, has wasted millions of Minnesota dollars