Our blog has moved, and is new and improved.

You should be automatically redirected in 3 seconds. If not, visit
MinnLawyerBlog.com
and update your bookmarks.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Strib on AGO: 'Minnesotans deserve better'

I think the Star Tribune's editorial today ("Minnesotans deserve better from AG's office") provides a pretty good assessment of the situation at the office of Attorney General Lori Swanson.

Here are a few of the money quotes:
  • "When this office is in turmoil, as it has been for some time,
    Minnesotans should pay attention";
  • "The findings [of the Office of the Legislative Auditor] are not
    the exoneration that Swanson's office portrays them to be. If anything, they
    reinforce that the situation bears scrutiny."
  • "Although Swanson may not have crossed legal lines, Nobles' report gives
    good reason to doubt that she and her predecessor, Mike Hatch, have been the
    best possible stewards of that asset."
  • "Swanson is a smart attorney and hard worker. But the state's top legal
    job also requires her to be something more: a good manager. It's a different
    skill set than that which has carried Swanson far in her career. But it's
    something she can -- and must -- learn."
Thanks to those of you who brought this important issue to the public's attention. It is highly unfortunate that the badly needed scrutiny came only at great personal and professional cost to the young assistant AG involved, Amy Lawler.

5 comments:

Peter said...

Too bad you don't have a "fall on their sword" category for the Unsung Heroes award. Amy Lawler deserves one, as do Greg Wersal, Elliot Rothenberg, and Dan Cohen.

Mark Cohen, editor said...

Hmmm. Interesting idea. Although one wonders what the trophy for this particular category would look like. ...

Anonymous said...

Or, at least for Lawler, you could dispense with the trophy and replace it with a job offer or two.

Anonymous said...

Steve Simon should get one, too. Without his willingness to stick his neck out on this, Mengler's report would have been the end of this, and there wouldn't have been any testimony given under oath.

Anonymous said...

In addition to a job offer, Lawler deserves a public apology from Mengler.