Updates to the Ernie Leidiger story

Some updates on the various issues surrounding State Rep. Ernie Leidiger:

• House Minority Leader Paul Thissen has called Rep. Leidiger to explain the unpaid taxes, and failing that, for Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers to comment on behalf of the Republican caucus.  Press release available here.
• I was on the LeftMN Radio Hour this weekend to Leidiger’s problems. Listen to the audio here.
• Republican Carver County Commissioner candidates have taken up Leidiger’s cause against the League of Women Voters by dropping out of a scheduled candidate forum on October 13.  Candidates participating in the boycott include former State Rep. Tom Workman, Jim Walter, Vince Beaudette, and Frank Long.  An open letter to the league signed by all four candidates is available on the Chaska Herald website.  Telling is the close where the candidates will only deign to appear with organizations they deem as “centrist” or conservative.  Since when do political candidates only get to interact with those who agree with them?  When you have such a regressive mindset, that’s how you get to the problems we currently have in St. Paul and Washington.

[UPDATE]:  The StarTribune’s Rachel Stassen-Berger has a short post on the Leidiger situation this morning, noting that he has not returned any requests for comment since this story broke.