Governor fires back at Bemidji mayor

The dispute between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Bemidji mayor Richard Lehmann over Local Government Aid continued Friday on Pawlenty's WCCO radio show.

The governor cited Lehmann's Friday Opinion Exchange commentary piece. Lehmann accused the governor of using "fuzzy math" to show that Bemidji hasn't been affected by the substantial cuts to the LGA program, which funnels state money to cities to help them provide essential services.

Pawlenty offered up a spirited defense of his math skills, and contended that it's local spending driving Bemidji's property tax increases.

To read and offer your comments on the Lehmann commentary, go to http://www.startribune.com/opinion/ , scroll down and click on "LGA smackdown."

To get on-demand audio from Pawlenty's WCCO show (though it may take staff a bit to get today's show archived and online), go to http://tinyurl.com/yhp6kem.