Friday’s legislative press briefings produced one of those rare instances where two leaders from the same party publicly disagree on one of the session’s hot issues.
Just minutes apart, DFL Sen. Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen of Minneapolis took opposite stands on the controversial “Last in, First Out” legislation on teacher tenure.
Bonoff spoke in support of the measure, saying, “I think it is important — the big issue that we often don’t discuss is that every single year we have layoffs … the group I’m most concerned about are our up-and-coming teachers.”
Minutes later, reporters asked where Gov. Mark Dayton stands on the issue.
Thissen said: “From my perspective, it’s a bill that doesn’t work in very practical ways, and I don’t know why we’re rushing it through instead of trying to figure out something that will actually work, but that’s me.”
Reporters laughed, and one asked Bonoff, an assistant minority leader, if she’s trying to sway the governor.
“She’s trying to persuade me, too,” Thissen chimed in.
“Yes I am, because this is something I do feel strongly about,” Bonoff replied
It seemed to crystallize a comment Bonoff made earlier in the briefing about how geography plays into votes.
She noted the Senate’s approval Thursday of deadly force legislation that gained the support of a few DFLers who largely come from rural districts.
Bonoff’s own suburban geography seems to have the same effect. On the phasing out of business property taxes, she came out in support of general tax changes and plugged a strong business climate – at the last second throwing her support behind a broader sales tax.
Thissen wrote the business tax cuts off as the GOP playing to corporations and special interests at the expense of Minnesota’s middle class.
“That’s the part that I think is missing at the Capitol,” Bonoff said of disagreement between party members after the meeting. “It’s OK that he doesn’t agree with me, but we can always work together.”