I’m not a fan of the political cheap shot, the arguments that score populist points with voters but aren’t supported with good evidence.

For instance, elected and unelected demagogues love to hammer funny sounding research projects.  While it’s great political theater to rant about spending tax dollars on “studying the sex life of a screwworm,” if you actually do your homework you will see that the public interest is indeed served by the knowledge such research generates.

Likewise, at first blush “why are we spending millions on the Minnesota Governor’s Mansion” looks to be one of those cheap shots.  In the wake of a Star Tribune news report that millions are being spent to renovate the Chief Executive’s bachelor pad, that argument  probably will be prevalent on talk radio in coming weeks.  But presumably, if you do your homework, you will learn that the Governor’s Mansion, or “The Residence” as earnest communications professionals have branded it, is a critically important public asset that deserves to be preserved, right?

I’m not convinced. We do need to invest in rennovation of the State Capitol Building and most other older public buildings.  They are historic and heavily used public assets that are well worth preserving for future generations of Minnesotans.  But I’m not persuased that The Residence is worth a $6 million renovation, because I’m not sure it’s needed at all.

NEEDED FOR HOUSING?  Many recent Governors have chosen to live in their pre-Governor homes rather than The Residence.  And if they don’t, many could.  If a future Governor doesn’t have metro area housing available, it would be more prudent for taxpayers to give their Governor a fair lodging allowance than to finance mansion mothballing in between uses.

NEEDED FOR GATHERINGS?  Public officials do use The Residence for receptions and meetings, but there are lots of alternative spots in both public and private buildings.  These are venues that United States Presidents use when they visit Minnesota, so they certainly are not below Governors.

NEEDED TO PRESERVE HISTORY?  Finally, I’m not convinced maintaining The Residence is needed as part of Minnesota’s historical heritage.  The State Capitol falls into this category, but The Residence does not.    The Residence has only been used by Governor’s since 1965, and it hasn’t been witness to any grand historical events.  Trick or treating, yes.  Treaty signing, no.

While Governors do use The Residence for legitimate purposes, nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms, nine fireplaces, a manager, a groundskeeper, a housekeeper, a chef and 16,000 square feet is overkill.  Fiscal times are tough, and the Chief Exectutive could easily meet his housing and hosting needs in much more efficient ways.

At the same time, let’s keep this issue in perspective.  Selling The Residence is not going to balance the budget.  The renovation will only take up a tiny fraction of one percent of the state budget, so this is largely a symbolic issue, not a fiscal one.

But symbolism does matter in governance.  And honestly, with much more efficient housing and meeting space widely available, I just don’t know why politicians would still want to take this public relations hit.

I don’t want to see The Residence deteriorate or get demolished, but that won’t happen.  There aren’t a lot of crack houses on Summit Avenue, so if the taxpayers put 1006 Summit on the market, we can be pretty certain that it will be purchased and maintained by a private citizen.

Bottom line:  The Residence is not as important a public asset as, say, a public school, and we regularly sell public school buildings when they prove to be underutilized.  Lawmakers should sell this underutilized public asset too.

– Loveland

Note:  This post was also featured in Politics in Minnesota’s “Best of the Blogs” and MinnPost’s Blog Cabin.