David Brauer’s Wednesday item noting that Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak might answer the “Will he run for mayor or governor” question in the next two weeks, maybe somewhere around Christmas, made me wonder about the other Twin Cities mayor.
He’s in the same political boat, embarking from the other side of the Mississippi.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has already told supporters he’s planning a mayoral re-election bid in ’09, but there’s lots of speculation that he might toss that tam o’ his into the governor’s ring for ’10.
So I emailed the Chris Coleman camp, wondering if such an announcement might be in the works.
Replied communications director Bob Hume:
“We don’t think that on the heels of a four-year presidential campaign and in the middle of a financial crisis that the public is interested in a two-year gubernatorial race. Mayor Coleman is running for re-election and is proud of what we’re accomplishing in Saint Paul.”
OK.
I’m kinda surprised at the speculation. Maybe it’s my myopic Minneapolitan status, but I never hear anything about Coleman, good or bad, that leads be to believe he has a high enough profile to run for governor at this point. Rybak, love or hate him, is at least well-known.
35% increase in taxes during his first three years in office…..and now he’s up at the legislature crying poor again?
But two years ago, he was up there complaining that he couldn’t give medical insurance to unmarried co-habitators of city employees….and didn’t he just create a new Human Rights department, complete with a director pulling down a six figure salary?
Oh, and isn’t Saint Paul the only city in Minnesota that just “invested $1.4 mil to refrigerate it’s outdoor ice skating rinks?
Oh, yeah…we absolutely need this gem managing the state’s budget.
I am not sure what Chris Coleman’s base would be. Not quite Republicans, in spite of his sponsorship of the Sarah Palin fashion show in September. Not Democrats either, I would guess, since Chris “Goldilocks” Coleman found the amount of pepper-spray used against he fellow Democrats to be “just right.” Swiftee doesn’t like him. Neither do I. Nobody in Greater Minnesota even knows him, as Jeff Klein points out. No real innovation. No windfall of riches during the RNC, as promised. It is hard to imagine a governor’s race with any energy. In fact, I would be at least moderately surprised to see him serve another term as mayor. It didn’t work for Norm Coleman after turning Republican. It didn’t work for Randy Kelly after Kelly endorsed George W Bush. It is hard to see much future for Chris Coleman, who apparently likes Republicans but doesn’t like civil liberties that much.