City Pages: Mark Dayton, heckled about raises for legislators, disses Shakopee audience

Aaron Rupar
City Pages
April 30, 2013

Last night, Mark Dayton had some choice words for the audience of a “Meetings with Mark” forum event in Shakopee.

When the topic of giving legislators raises came up, Dayton said, “they’re terribly underpaid,” prompting derisive laughter from his listeners. In response, the guv told them, “I’ve been all ever the state and I’ve never had people behave this rudely. You know, you want to say something, just raise your hand and get a mic.”

Here’s the footage:

Dayton supports a bill recently approved by the Senate that would raise legislators’ salaries from $31,000 to $42,000. It’d be the first raise they’ve received since 1999, but a companion bill in the House hasn’t yet been introduced, MinnPost reports.

After the event, Dayton spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci didn’t back down from Dayton’s remark.

According to the Star Tribune, Tinucci said Dayton thought the Shakopee crowd was “the least respectful” he’d encountered while touring the state, adding that many of those in attendance “were not interested in hearing answers or having a discussion.”