Pawlenty foe will lead Senate DFL; Pogemiller promises fresh start; Kelliher designated House speaker
BYLINE: RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER and PATRICK SWEENEY, Pioneer Press
Fresh off big wins in Tuesday's election, Minnesota Senate Democrats on Thursday picked a confrontational, bright leader who has been a fierce opponent of Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
The new majority leader, Sen. Larry Pogemiller, former chairman of the powerful Senate tax committee, admitted he's sometimes been emotional and blunt but said he will temper those tendencies as leader. Pogemiller said he hopes for less acrimony at the state Capitol.
"I don't think it will be a problem as long as the governor works with us," Pogemiller said, with dozens of Senate Democrats who had just elected him standing behind him. "We intend to get a lot of business done in a nonrancorous way."
Still, his election sets down battle lines between the Democratic Senate and the governor.
Later Thursday evening, House Democrats picked Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher as House speaker-designate. Kelliher previously served as her party's minority leader.
House Democrats on Thursday also chose Rep. Tony Sertich, of Chisholm, to serve as majority leader.
The selection of Pogemiller and Kelliher means Minneapolis Democrats will lead both chambers.
Pogemiller said geographic distinctions won't affect how he leads the Senate.
"This is one state," he said.
David Gaither, Pawlenty's chief of staff, said Pogemiller was direct and principled in negotiations.
"Larry and I worked together well in our current roles and worked together in the Senate," said Gaither, a former Republican senator. "People with principles are much easier to deal with than people who don't."
Other Republicans who have worked closely with Pogemiller said they found him personally charming but unremittingly committed to big-government policies on taxation and spending.
"It was an in-your-face selection," said Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, who served with Pogemiller on the Taxes Committee. Ortman said Pogemiller was courteous and thought-provoking but also inflexible and unwilling to negotiate.
Sen. Bill Belanger, of Bloomington, the senior Republican member on the Tax Committee said, "All the Republicans hate him."
But Belanger, defeated in Tuesday's election, said Pogemiller was respectful and open to compromise on some issues. "For the Democrats, it's a good choice. I think Larry kind of represents everything they want to do," he said.
For Pogemiller, that includes reducing the property taxes homeowners pay. He has relentlessly argued that Pawlenty's effort to stop any new state taxes has caused big increases in local property taxes.
"The system is broken, and we really have to fix it," Pogemiller said this week.
On Thursday, Pogemiller said Senate Democrats would also work to increase investments in education -- from early childhood programs to higher education -- deliver more Minnesotans affordable health care and reduce transportation problems.
Minnesotans seemed to support those goals with their votes Tuesday. Voters elected 85 Democrats and 49 Republicans to the House, giving the DFL the majority for the first time in nearly a decade. They also elected 44 Senate Democrats and 29 Republicans, expanding DFLers' strength by six.
But south-central Minnesota voters rejected former Majority Leader Dean Johnson, replacing him with Republican Joe Gimse.
Unlike Johnson, Pogemiller comes from a safe Democratic seat -- he was re-elected with 76 percent of the vote Tuesday. And he's seemed to come at his goals with an urban liberal's perspective.
Last year, he sponsored a tax bill that would have raised business taxes to pay for property tax relief. And in the last three years, he pushed tax plans to raise income taxes for wealthier Minnesotans.
In the past, Pogemiller has been willing to hold out on end-of-session negotiations -- and hold up all negotiations -- to work for a better deal.
But Pogemiller said past tussles with Republicans and Pawlenty are just that -- the past.
"We're all starting with a clean slate," he said Thursday.
Democrats praised Pogemiller for being a smart, strategic thinker. He had competition for the post from five other Democrats before coming out of their closed-door election with the leadership post.
As leader, he will help set the Senate's agenda and committee memberships and be a spokesman. He will also be charged with finding a balance between their needs and those of the DFL House and the governor.
On Thursday, the DFL senators also selected Sen. Tarryl Clark, of St. Cloud, assistant majority leader. They also re-elected Jim Metzen as Senate president and Richard Cohen to be chairman of the finance committee, and they elected Tom Bakk, of Cook, chairman of the Taxes Committee.
The full House will elect the speaker when the Legislature convenes in January. But the new House Democratic majority is expected to exercise its political muscle to give Kelliher the speaker's post.
Today, Senate Republicans are scheduled to choose a minority leader. Sen. Dick Day, of Owatonna, the current minority leader, said he will seek re-election. Sen. Warren Limmer, of Maple Grove, has expressed interest in the post; Ortman said she, also, was considering seeking the job.
On Nov. 18, House Republicans will meet to pick a new minority leader. Reps. Eric Paulsen, of Eden Prairie, and Marty Seifert, of Marshall, said they were considering seeking that post.
Rachel E. Stassen-Berger can be reached at rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com. Patrick Sweeney can be reached at psweeney@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5253.
Margaret Anderson Kelliher
New job: House speaker-designate
Age: 38
Home: Southwest Minneapolis
Education: B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College; M.P.A., Harvard University.
Public service: Elected to the House in 1998. Served as minority whip and minority leader; serves on rules, bonding and environment committees.
Larry Pogemiller
New job: Senate majority leader
Age: 55
Home: Minneapolis
Education: B.S., transportation engineering, University of Minnesota; M.P.A., Harvard University.
Public service: Elected to the House in 1980; served in the Senate since 1982; until Thursday, he was Senate Taxes Committee and Pensions and Retirement Commission chairman; former chairman of the Senate K-12 Education Budget Division; Senate Committee on Children, Families and Learning; K-12 Education Conference Committee; and Income, Sales and Economic Development Division of Taxes Committee.