by Editor
MN Governor Under Fire for Diverting Troop License Plate Funds
March 15, 2010 in Veterans News by Editor
When Minnesota motorists paid out $30 apiece for “Support Our Troops” license plates, it’s a good bet they had no idea they were supporting Lee Buckley, a political appointee of Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Last year $30,000 from the license-plate fund was used to pay a portion of Buckley’s salary. Buckley worked in Pawlenty’s office as a $92,000 a year special adviser on faith and community services.
During budget hearings on Pawlenty’s office budget this week, Sens. Steve Murphy, Don Betzold and other legislators were furious over what they saw as a siphoning off of the money and a deception to those who bought the plates thinking they were directly helping veterans organizations. By state law, money from the plates is split between the Department of Military Affairs for family members of deployed service members and the Department of Veterans Affairs for grants for homeless and needy veterans.
“For money that was supposed to go to fund things for veterans going to fund people in the governor’s office, it’s outrageous,” said Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, a Marine veteran. “The governor runs around telling everyone he’s cutting all these budgets, and then he back-door fills in his own department. I’m just disgusted with this.”
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