Banana Republic of Spring Lake Park

With Minnesota's first commuter rail line awaiting critical federal
funding, the state auditor's office is reviewing documents that show that some consulting firms have had nearly identical contracts with the two government agencies overseeing the Northstar project.

Now, the players:

Anoka County's Regional Railroad Authority (ACRRA) - The rail authority is the lead agency in efforts to develop major transportation initiatives in the county.

Northstar development authority (NCDA) - The Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) is a joint powers board of 30 counties, cities, townships, and regional railroad authorities along the corridor that are committed to obtaining federal funding for the Northstar Commuter Rail project.

Himle Horner, Inc. - A communications firm.

John Himle - Former legislator (GOP apparently)

Thomas Horner - Former chief of staff to Rep. Dave Durenberger

The Strib article id's $344,000 paid by the ACCRA to a consulting firm led by former legislator John Himle to promote the commuter rail project. The NCDA paid the same firm $349,194 to do the same thing - promote the commuter rail project.

Former Anoka County Commissioner Paul McCarron, who also chaired the ACCRA, also received a consulting contract from NCDA three days after he left office in January, 2003.

McCarron's latest contract, which runs through the end of the year,
pays him a maximum of $25,000 for giving advice on local and state government issues and acting as a media spokesman.

So in the three days following McCarron's departure from the board the NCDA suddenly thinks it should get a media spokesman? But isn't that what Himle-Horner does? They are a public relations firm. (They're a strategic consulting firm. ed. Oh, excuuuuuuuuuse me.) So now we have two PR firms on the case.

"I don't know how anybody would think that would be a conflict," said
Dan Erhart, an Anoka County commissioner and county regional rail authority chairman. "He's no longer a county commissioner. He's a businessman."

A businessman? Were any other businesses invited to bid on this contract? Was it McCarron's savvy business savvy that helped him land the contract or the fact that his seat was still warm on the county board that helped?

Commissioner Erhart displays contempt for taxpayers whom he thinks can't figure out what a sweet deal McCarron got.

Dennis Berg, another Anoka County commissioner, said that "there is clearly an overlap," but that officials at the two agencies are careful about paying for redundancy. "I don't see it as a sign of suspicion or corruption," he said. The county's rail authority, he said, is "just protecting the public" with its consulting contracts.

Last Dec. 2, the Northstar development authority granted a $38,625
contract to Capital Partnerships Inc., a Washington, D.C.-area consulting firm that has helped push the project in Congress. The next day, Dec. 3, the same consulting company signed a $46,350 contract with Anoka County's rail authority for the same purpose.

Another PR firm - this time to focus on lobbying efforts in DC.

And this isn't the first time Himle-Horner has been in trouble with state officials.