Feb 20 Governor's Office or Panic Room? - Update

UPDATE: Thanks to reader Margaret Adamek, who notified me of a Star Tribune article last month which reported Governor Dayton's choice of office space:

Dayton will work out of a closet-sized room nearby. A minimalist by nature, Dayton says his new Spartan space suits him: Just enough room for a desk, a computer and a phone. Two people could not stand side by side without being closer than Minnesotans like to stand.

Now that the office space size was indeed reported by media, we can focus on the other more important items: that Dayton has no (D) sponsor for his budget plan as of this update, and the difficulty (D)s are having in working with him (noted below). As we all know Dayton's not-so-stable past as a U.S. Senator, this executive position puts him under even more stress -- and neither his office, staff or the media can insulate his erratic behavior.  As the 2011 legislative session continues, we'll be following these issues closely.

 

Original post:

Last night, I bumped into a State Senator at the movies. We discussed the change of mood at the Capitol since the Democrats lost the majority in both houses. He remarked that many (D) legislators were in "dazed and confused" mode in November, and struggling to realize the enormity of the new impact. So much focus was on electing Mark Dayton Governor that little attention was paid to state legislative campaigns thought easily won for the (D) column.

One of the most remarkable comments the Senator made was how Governor Mark Dayton has transformed his office. He installed cubicles into his office space for staff, and moved his office into... a closet. My first reaction was, "that sounds like a panic room." The Senator replied that some Democrat legislators are struggling with how to work with him. This office space raised my concerns for his handling of leadership, and the location sounds like a physical way to insulate himself. The State Senator is also wondering about the state of Dayton's mental state.

I felt the need to report this, as this would likely not be covered by mainstream media. True North will be following this closely to report all sides of the issue. I've sent an inquiry to the Governor and will follow up with his response.