7 days ago
St. Cloud City Council member fined for violating Minnesota statute during 2024 campaign
A St. Cloud City Council member violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act, which carries a $600 fine.
The June 4 Office of Administrative Hearings ruling came after Councilmember Scott Brodeen parked his pickup truck, which according to the OAH ruling, had 'multiple campaign signs supporting his candidacyattached to it, displaying his name and campaign slogan," which was parked within 100 feet of a polling place. The vehicle was parked at Lake George during early voting hours. Minnesota statues prohibit campaign materials from being within 100 feet of a polling place.
According to both Brodeen and an OAH finding of fact report, the violation took place around noon on Nov. 2. Brodeen told the St. Cloud Times he was door-knocking that day and didn't think early voting was taking place.
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"I gave it no thought, because in the six weeks of early voting, there wasn't voting on Saturdays," Brodeen wrote in an email to the St. Cloud Times. "Well, as I have learned, there was early voting on this day. So, by parking my vehicle at a voting location, since my truck had my 'BRODEEN' stickers on it, I unknowingly violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act, which prohibits campaigning within 100 feet of a voting location."
According to the City of St. Cloud's website, early voting takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the last Saturday before the election.
Brodeen said he was door-knocking at the time and admitted the mistake, accepting the $600 penalty.
"I screwed up, plain and simple," Brodeen said. "I should have slowed down a little bit and then could have known there was voting that day and clearly wouldn't have parked there, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."
The OAH website states a $600 fine is the lowest penalty for a clear violation of the statute.
Violations that are promptly corrected are subject to a lower penalty, according to the office's website. However, Brodeen said he missed a call from the city informing him of the violation, and he wasn't able to move his truck in time.
"Unfortunately, I didn't hear the call that came around 1:30 p.m. from (Seth) Kaufman, the city clerk, telling me my truck couldn't be there and to move it right away until much later that evening," Brodeen said.
Brodeen won his city council bid a few days after the violation, on Nov. 5 and was sworn into office January 2025. This is his first term, and he is one of three new at-large city council members out of an initial field of 16 candidates. The councilmember ran his campaign on economic development, responsible spending and public safety.
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In an email to the St. Cloud Times, Brodeen said he's happy to put the violation behind him and use the experience as a lesson learned.
"The Lord calls us to be humble, and humility can be either a choice or a lesson," he wrote. "I greatly prefer when it is my choice, but in this situation, it was a lesson."
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud City Council member fined for Minnesota election violation
