Auditor Raises New Question About Dayton Plane Use In 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's political campaign has agreed to reimburse the state for $1,688 in plane travel costs after the Minnesota legislative auditor raised doubts in a report Friday about the nature of two trips he took in 2013.

An audit of governor's office expenses put scrutiny on a pair of trips to union conventions and suggested they were more political than official business. Dayton was gearing up for a re-election campaign at the time.

In both October 2013 instances, Dayton appeared before American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees council conventions — one in Duluth and one in Grand Rapids — before making his way to official functions. The unions were backing his re-election.

Legislative Auditor James Nobles said auditors reviewed audio and video footage of the appearances in reaching their conclusion.

"They looked more like a political rally than anything else," Nobles told The Associated Press in an interview. "If there was any doubt in people's minds, they could just look at the visual and audio record of what occurred."

As governor, Dayton is afforded state security and travel accommodations at all times. But the state is supposed to be reimbursed for activities of a political nature.

In an official response to the audit, Dayton's office disagreed that speeches to state employees at union conferences were political. Chief of Staff Jaime Tincher said in a letter to auditors that the office carefully delineates between official and political functions. She noted that Dayton regularly appeared at union conventions as governor, whether an election was upcoming or not.

"To resolve any question of inappropriate use, his campaign committee, Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota, will reimburse the state for the costs identified in the finding," Tincher wrote.

The auditor report was forwarded to the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, which has the power to examine how Dayton documented travel reimbursements in campaign reports. Board executive director Gary Goldsmith didn't immediately return a message seeking comment Friday about whether such a review would occur.

In 2014, Nobles' office conducted a similar examination of 55 state plane trips involving Dayton and aides during his first two years as governor. Dayton's office acknowledged then that there were three trips combining official and political business. His campaign reimbursed the state a total of $3,214, a pro-rated portion of the total cost of those trips.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)