AP: Dayton admonishes Shakopee town hall audience

Associated Press
April 30, 2013

Gov. Mark Dayton is calling members of a Shakopee audience “rude” and “juvenile” after a raucous town hall meeting.

On Monday night, Dayton held the latest in a series of “Meetings with Mark” that he’s hosted around the state in recent weeks. The room apparently erupted into heckling and interruptions when Dayton was trying to explain his belief that state lawmakers should get a raise in pay.

The Minnesota Jobs Coalition, a Republican political committee working to unseat Dayton next year, recorded the meeting and publicized the governor’s comments. Asked Tuesday about the incident, Dayton said again that some in the crowd behaved rudely. He also compared them to junior high students.

Shakopee is a suburban city south of Minneapolis.