On May 23, the City Council authorized City Council Member Lee Helgen to accept a $1,000 gift for lodging and accommodations at the 2007 Sustainable Operations Summit in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.  The conference was announced in January - but for some reason the council waited until the last minute to take this important action. Helgen leaves on Saturday June 2nd.  The last minute request must have been due to the distraction caused by the anticipation and overwhelming excitement about the event's keynote speaker - Al Gore.

The gift was received from a private entity, CraigMichaels, Inc.  SPicy discovered that CraigMichaels "has cultivated the concept of conferences, trade shows and expos into more effective and rewarding "executive summits".  CraigMichaels created this "invitation only" seminar.  The resolution authorizing the gift indicates Saint Paul's own Mr. Helgen will serve as speaker and / or panelist.

To SPicy, acceptance of this gift is fiscally prudent, but there seems to be a biodegradable odor of hypocrisy in the air.

It was not that long ago people like Mr. Helgen were concerned when Stanley Hubbard offered to fly Mayor Christopher Coleman to Washington, D.C. for the announcement of the Republican National Convention, where Mayor Coleman was scheduled to speak.

In a marketplace of corporate-owned media outlets, the Hubbard family has the only locally owned television and radio company in the Twin Cities.  His offer to help Saint Paul was not accepted.  Yet the gift for Council Member Helgen is from a company founded by the president of $40 million dollar International fashion Apparel Company, that's ok?

Policy, if consistently applied, it does not make sense to accept a gift for a council member to attend a corporate driven conference. SPicy has long thought Mayor Coleman should have been able to accept Mr.Hubbard's offer, but now the Council should authorize expenditures for Helgen's travel, you know, consistently paying your own way.

SPicy does not know exactly is included in Mr. Helgen's $1,000 gift.  It's not every day someone gets to be part of an event with Al Gore.  The conference website encourages attendees to purchase carbon offsets, better check Helgen's Council budget to see if he decided these are worthwhile taxpayer expenditures.  The company's website also does tell us that events like this are important because: "CraigMichaels' unique format offers a time-efficient, educational and business development platform combination by enabling attendees to personally develop itineraries that suit their immediate needs. 

Talk to the people living in Ward 5 and SPicy knows they put fighting crime, creating jobs high on their priority list of immediate needs. Not on the list; trying to sneak through a last minute tax increase on bars and restaurants, climate change and Al Gore. 

SPicy is also curious to know if Lee will spend any time chatting with some of the other panelists - including Brenda Mathison.  Brenda is the director of Environmental Affairs for Best Buy - the people who want to build a store in Saint Paul. 

Maybe there might be a break in an environmental stewardship session for Mr. Helgen to see what he can do to help bring some economic stewardship to the city - in the form of new jobs and tax revenue.

SPicy will be here waiting at tipline@saintpaulicy.com for any updates from Mr. Helgen while in New Mexico.  Please email SPicy when you get a minute, tell us what you are dressing up as on "Theme Night." Finally, have a good time and say "Hi" to Al, SPicy hopes its not too hot down there.