Ramsey County sheriff challenger Matt Bostrom now has backing of DFL and Republican groups

By Mara H. Gottfried

Posted: 09/16/2010 12:01:00 AM CDT

Matt Bostrom, a St. Paul police commander running against Bob Fletcher for Ramsey County sheriff, already had DFL backing, and now Republicans are coming out in support of him …

… "I've worked for 16 years to keep the sheriff's office nonpartisan and nonpolitical," Fletcher said in a statement Wednesday. "When you work to serve the people, instead of parties, you're often attacked from both ends of the spectrum." (No, Bobby, you are attacked because of your personality, behavior, and conduct.) …

Fletcher singled out Vadnais Heights City Council member Joe Murphy, treasurer of the Republicans for Matt Bostrom PAC, saying he believed the committee's formation "stems from Mr. Murphy's arrest by Ramsey County sheriff deputies for greeting his neighbor with a weapon and his desire to have a sheriff who will support him in his effort to succeed Tony Bennett as (county) commissioner." (Ever ready with the dirt directly connected to the Sheriff's office. What do you do, investigate everyone that speaks against you? Do you have opponents arrested as a regular course of business?)

Murphy was arrested in 1998 in Shoreview, and the county attorney's office later deemed there were insufficient grounds to charge Murphy with a crime. Murphy called it "a wrongful arrest." Murphy said neither of the things Fletcher cited are the reasons he's supporting Bostrom. "That is typical of Bob Fletcher trying to change the topic," Murphy said.

"What I want is an honest, trustworthy sheriff," Murphy said. "My sole purpose for supporting Matt Bostrom is I think he's a better candidate, and too many things have gone on in the sheriff's office that shouldn't go on in law enforcement. ... I don't think the sheriff's best friend should be in federal prison for corruption. His best man at his wedding, he gave a badge and a gun and let him loose on the street."

Mark Naylon and Timothy Rehak, Ramsey County sheriff's employees, were convicted in federal court in 2008 for taking money in an FBI sting operation. Naylon, who served as best man at Fletcher's second wedding, was the sheriff's spokesman. Naylon was not a licensed peace officer, but trial testimony showed he spent most of his time engaged in police work.

In a news release, Aplikowski said "taxpayers ... should be looking carefully at the fiscal issues because there is a clear difference between the incumbent sheriff and challenger Bostrom. During his nearly 16 years in office, Sheriff Fletcher has overspent his budget repeatedly, forcing the county board to find additional tax dollars to cover his excessive spending."

Fletcher responded: "The budget claim is simply false. The sheriff's office has never overspent its board-approved budget." (That seems to be a semantic's issue, doesn't it Bobby? You asked for money above and beyond what your official budget called for. The fact that you received the money from the Ramsey County board doesn't automatically mean it was already in your budget.)

Based on information provided by the county, the Pioneer Press determined that Fletcher asked for and received from the county board $370,000 to $680,000 each year since 2003, with more in 2008 due to the Republican National Convention. The requests included specific needs, such as increased cost of fuel and overtime costs for hospital security.

Asked how the sheriff's office compared with other departments, county spokesman Art Coulson said, "it's not unusual for a line in a budget to go higher than budgeted," though "the expectation is you always live within your budget."

Interesting. I'm being interviewed for a radio station about Fletcher tomorrow night -- although other issues are likely to come up -- and this is very useful.

Time? Station?

Jeez, Joel, you seem to be getting more cryptic as time goes on. We are the good guys here you know. Okay, most of us are. The point is, we need details man. Details.

You're going to become a celebrity!