As part of my work with TakeActionMinnesota I have been tasked with following State Representative John Kriesel in the news and other sources in order to keep people aware of the moves of our Republican legislators. What I am finding about Kriesel has been a mixed bag--some of his votes are strictly party line, but some of his battles are strikingly progressive. More below:
During my daily sweep of news sources looking for references to Kriesel I came across this story In the Minnesota Independent:
A feud between Rep. John Kriesel and Rev. John Echert of Holy Trinity/Saint Augustine Parish in South St. Paul erupted on Catholic blogs on Tuesday. Kriesel, a Republican who opposes a putting an anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot in 2012, received a letter from Echert that said the parish was launching a campaign to ban gay marriage in the Minnesota Constitution. Kriesel’s office warned the parish about violating its tax status by lobbying.
Really!?! A Republican holding the a local Catholic priest's feet to the fire for getting a little close to violating the non-profit tax perks his church enjoys for staying out of politics.
Damn am I torn between liking this guy and being suspicious of him--I mean a republican that's not against gay marriage!!! Or at least bringing up for state referendum to add banning gay marriage to the state constitution--who'da thunk?
Update: Saint Paul (Minnesota's Capitol) has a large Catholic population (as do surrounding communities) --consider the name of the city for example...it used to be Pigs Eye Landing. I kinda like the old as a state capitol name...:) So, for Kriesel to combat the Catholic Church in this area is a huge hit and may impact his re-election chances.