Charter Commission Approves Increase In Fees To Run For Public Office In Minneapolis, Blame Can Be Laid At The Tiny Feet Of A Certain "Garden Gnome" Candidate (Roger Smithrud, Cough Cough)

Photo of a garden gnome in old Butter Roll Bakery building,
blog post by John Hoff

Saying it would discourage filings by "frivolous candidates" (Roger Smithrud, cough cough) the Minneapolis Charter Commission recently approved an increase in fees to run for public office, click here for Strib article.

Running for Park Board will now cost (Roger Smithrud) $50 instead of $20. A run for mayor will now cost (Smithrud) $500 instead of $20. And running for a council seat will cost $250 instead of $20. (For Roger Smithrud)

Barry Clegg, the chair of the commission, said the idea was to weed out the frivolous candidates (Roger Smithrud) but to keep the filing fee reasonable for a "legitimate" candidate. (Anybody but Smithrud)

JNS blog would like to point out that running for Soil And Water Conservation District Supervisor still appears to be a great bargain and all that political power is still pretty much up for grabs. Also, this particular job is actually much closer to the sort of tasks for which garden gnomes are well-suited.

I'm just saying.

I would add, however:

Don't laugh, Lennie Chism, because Roger Smithrud still beat you in a five man race. 

Perennial Also Ran Roger Smithrud Also Ran For Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2, WHO KNEW?

Image used under First Amendment fair comment and criticism, blog post by John Hoff

Roger Smithrud, a perennial losing candidate for local office, apparently ran as a write-in for Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2, the race in which Linda Higgins and Blong Yang were the (how to phrase this?) real candidates. This blog previously reported on Smithrud's participation in the primary and how Smithrud had a VERY NICE SIGN. 

Incredibly, Smithrud ran as a write-in. I say "incredibly" because, well, his write-in candidacy was so far below the radar that garden slugs were the only ones who observed it passing by and, second, Smithrud can't even win when he's on the ballot so why bother running as a write-in?


"Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the lizard people are not running for Hennepin County Commissioner #2, so go write in Roger Smithrud," was apparently his slogan. His campaign literature goes on to state...

JNS BLOG EDITORIAL: When Garden Gnomes Run For Public Office, Grammar And Punctuation Suffer...

Creative stock photo, taken at FOB Salerno, Afghanistan, blog post by John Hoff

I recently came into possession of political literature distributed by Roger Smithrud, a perennial Northside "also ran" candidate whose most recent masochistic self-flogging was in the race for Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, District 2.

Smithrud, who early in his political career resembled a garden gnome, has been slowly but surely evolving as a candidate by, for example, trying to look more like a wise professor than lawn art.

Unfortunately, Smithrud has far to go as a viable candidate for, well, anything.

People close to this blogger say stuff like, "John, why are you picking on sweet little Roger Smithrud?" but then, hiding smiles behind their hands, these same folks forward a copy of Smithrud's political literature in PDF form knowing very well it will offend this grammar Nazi all the way down to the soles of my jackboots. (OH MY GOD!!! Apostrophes on plurals? OVER AND OVER?! Where did Smithrud learn to write, in PRISON?)

I have to HELP this sweet little garden gnome. Yes, he's going to make shrill gnome screaming sounds and cry out that I'm chipping his paint, but THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. Through a painful process of public criticism verging on outright mockery and soul-scarring one-liners, this blog is going to help Smithrud grow as a person and as a candidate so one bright, glorious day, Smithrud can place second in a four man race or even third in a seven man race...

Roger Smithrud Has A Sign, And It's Just As Nice As OTHER Candidates' Signs. Yay! Roger Is Just Like A Real Candidate! Well, Except For That Whole Snowball's Chance In Hell Thing...

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Roger Smithrud, whose rightful ownership of the title "perennial also ran" is exceeded only by his eerie resemblance to a garden gnome, has a VERY NICE SIGN.

See photo, above.

The appearance of this single sign in North Minneapolis is the first I've heard of Roger Smithrud running for Hennepin County Commissioner District 2. If it's the LAST I hear, though, it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Looking on Roger Smithrud's website, www.smithrud.com (I bet he didn't have to fight anybody hard for that domain name) we see some of the painful, cringe-inducing reasons Roger will always be an inconsequential ballot ornament and not a viable candidate...