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Minnesota’s political elite have perfected a dangerous shell game: taxpayer dollars shuffled from public coffers straight into the hands of well-connected nonprofits. The latest headline? Senate President Bobby Joe Champion quietly steering public funding to organizations run by a former legal client and a colleague, with zero disclosure and a shrug when called out (“Senate president scrutinized for possible conflict of interest,” front page, April 8). The shameless funneling of taxpayer dollars isn’t just a conflict of interest; it’s a systemic failure. It’s time we torch the current system of direct funding and replace it with blind requests for proposals (RFPs) at every level of government in the state.
This brand of insider favoritism isn’t a bug in the system — it is the system. Local and state elected officials casually funnel grants to “trusted partners” while sidestepping any meaningful vetting or accountability. In 2023, Champion, wielding his gavel as Senate president, rammed through a bill showering $3 million on 21 Days of Peace, a violence prevention nonprofit led by the Rev. Jerry McAfee, his client in court cases just months prior. No disclosure, just a blank check with public funds. Fast-forward to last month: Champion’s at it again, pushing another $1 million for the same group, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with McAfee at a committee hearing, still mum about their past. His defense? I did it pro bono, so no conflict.
Hamline University’s David Schultz, quoted in the Minnesota Star Tribune’s coverage, nails it: “He’s using his position as a state legislator to help further the interests of a private client.” Paid or unpaid, it’s a betrayal of trust. And in a state where fraud is a growth industry (Feeding our Future, autism scams, child care rip-offs), this is gasoline on the fire.
When elected officials can scribble their pet projects into bills and budgets, they bypass the checks and balances that keep government honest. It’s a cozy little setup: A lawmaker or city councilor picks a nonprofit, maybe one with a board member who’s a donor or a friend, and the money flows, no questions asked. This type of direct funding is the rot at the root. The Office of the Legislative Auditor has been sounding the alarm since 2007 — yes, 2007 — warning that legislatively named grants lack oversight. Yet here we are, nearly two decades later, still watching our tax dollars vanish into thin air.
Champion’s gall, dodging reporters, claiming a “smear” while his own words unravel, shows how entrenched this game is. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson is right: Champion shouldn’t just step back from the ethics committee he chairs; he should be sidelined from every lever of power until this stinks less. But don’t hold your breath — Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy’s tepid “let’s wait for the ethics opinion” is a dodge, not a stand.
Blind RFPs would fix this candy store for cronies. Ban direct funding at state and city levels and force every organization to compete in a transparent, merit-based process. A blind RFP process wouldn’t just protect against real or perceived conflicts of interest — it would force organizations to compete on merit, not just a handshake and wink from a senator or city council member. It would give smaller, innovative groups a fair shot instead of sidelining them in favor of the politically blessed. And most important, it would restore some public trust in a system that currently operates in the shadows while taxpayers foot the bill.
