KSTP-TV: Dayton Calls Laughing Crowd ‘Rude’ in Shakopee

Maricella Miranda
KSTP-TV
April 30, 2013

Gov. Mark Dayton spoke in a different setting Monday night.

During an open forum in Shakopee, the Minnesota governor confronted what he called a “rude” audience. It started when the crowd responded with laughter when Dayton said he thinks the state’s Legislators aren’t getting paid enough.

“The average Minnesota makes makes $54,000,” Dayton told the crowd. “They make $32,000. I’ve been all over the state and I’ve never had people behave this rudely. You know, if you want to say something, raise your hand and get a mic.”

Dayton went on to compare the group to ninth-graders who he taught in a New York City public school decades ago.

The Minnesota Jobs Coalition group caught Dayton’s speech on video, airing it on YouTube.

A longer version of the video is available on Mark Dayton’s YouTube site. The longer video puts the audience’s laughter into context, said an official from Dayton’s office.