St. Paul, MN—State Representative Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, issued the following statement today regarding news that Gov. Walz and family will be relocating to a $17,000-a-month lakeside mansion later this year during renovations at the St. Paul governor’s residence.
“As Minnesotans struggle with soaring interest rates impacting the housing market, high inflation, and much more, it is incredibly tone-deaf for Gov. Walz to make taxpayers fork over $17,000 a month in rent payments for a palatial lake side mansion for him and his family,” said Novotny. “There are hundreds of much more affordable options that the governor could have pursued that would have saved taxpayers money. Additionally, if space was a concern, there are plenty of venues like the Landmark Center or other facilities around St. Paul that could host events for the governor instead of at this home. This move by Walz and his administration is the wrong message to send taxpayers and is out-of-touch.”
Novotny shared that a simple Google search revealed a comparable property for significantly less in monthly rental costs. The home is on Lake Phalen and would be $4,500 instead of $17,000 per-month and further illustrates the lack of fiscal responsibility demonstrated by the administration.
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