A belated follow-up to last week's story about Minnesota Independent's shrinking Minnesota staff ...

On Friday, MnIndy editor Paul Schmelzer got a promotion: he's now listed as the managing editor of newly renamed parent American Independent News Network (AINN).

Does that mean the Minnesota contingent is down to just Andy Birkey? Says Schmelzer, "My primary responsibility is still MnIndy, but my new duties mean I'm working closely with AINN's midwest sites as well" — in Iowa and Michigan — "and I'm helping out with editorial duties network-wide."

It gives me no pleasure to dwell on AINN's Minnesota de-emphasis because Schmelzer and Birkey are good journalists and MnIndy has been a top-notch competitor. While I'm happy for Paul, who's earned the upgrade, the trend is a bad thing for local readers.

Mark Gisleson, who advised AINN when (as the Center for Independent Media) it entered the market in 2006, has a typically lacerating appraisal of the organization's leadership. He argues that group leaders came here because they could raise funds off the hot 2008 U.S. Senate race, but that's long over. Pointing to AINN's newest state site, in Florida, Gisleson writes that, "like a shark, CIM is always moving, always expanding. Their main gig is to be where the hot Senate races are so they can feed fundraise off the electoral frenzy."

It wouldn't shock me that national "progressive" donors are happier to go where the hot races are. That said, I'm told AINN has a very good (and well-staffed) site in New Mexico; as in Minnesota, there's no 2010 Senate election there, but there's also less competition in Santa Fe than St. Paul. Minnesota does have Michele Bachmann, a Representative with a Senator-like ability to generate page views, and funds for and against. But the hard-working Birkey covers her like a glove, which may fulfill the minimum requirements.