Minnesota Lottery director resigns after timeshare inquiry

Comment #6

Teddi — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 14:11:50 GMT

This entire thing makes no sense. Yes, $400 per night per person is unnecessarily outrageous, but only if it exceeded their annual travel budget and/or room expense limits. The lottery needs to start operating like a business and not like just another arm of the government. As a business, there would be budgets for everything; from travel and lodgings to office supplies to gas mileage reimbursements. If they weren't given a budget there should be no complaining after the fact, since everyone kno... [ More ]

Comment #5

Teddi — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:50:42 GMT

That was my first thought when I read the article. I don't care who owns the property. If they can stay there for less than it would have cost them to stay at a hotel, then ownership shouldn't matter.

In this case I don't think that $311 per night was any kind of bargain and staying there only financially helped the director and no one else. But in general, why should there be an automatic veto because someone with ties to the lottery owns it? You look at the dates of the conference, you chec... [ More ]

Comment #4

Cruzincat — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 02:09:28 GMT

If he uses his timeshare for business, he can't use it for personal use, so there should be some reimbursement, however the state has a law against doing that. They should have written the law such that if an employee stays at a friends or relatives home they can get reimbursed an amount lower than the typical average of a hotel cost. If someon wants to use their timeshare at that rate, then let them.

Comment #3

DELotteryPlyr — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 14:12:14 GMT

You know what would help all state lottery's, is if they SHARED all information on the costs and expenses for running the lottery with each other. That way if one state was spending a lot more on travel than the others it would be apparent. Plus I am sure there are alot of other costs and expenses which a state legislatures and comptrollers would luv to know if their state was spending too much on.

Comment #2

sully16 — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 12:57:08 GMT

That's a wild and crazy bunch up there.

Comment #1

Bleudog101 — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 01:39:35 GMT

Seems like the Minnesota has had its share of problems. First that I don't take responsibility for my actions lady suing for her job back, drunk as a skunk hitting that elderly gentleman. And now this...

Minnesota Lottery director resigns after timeshare inquiry

Lottery Post — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 23:02:42 GMT

Minnesota State Lottery director Ed Van Petten abruptly resigned Friday, coming after an inquiry found that taxpayers have reimbursed the director for staying in his own timeshare unit when traveling.

This morning, I met with Minnesota Lottery Director Ed Van Petten, said Gov. Mark Dayton's chief of staff Jaime Tincher. During that meeting, Mr. Van Petten offered his resignation. I accepted his resignation. We will immediately begin a search for his replacement.

Van Petten had been reimb... [ More ]