Day-to-day boss at campaign finance agency to step down
Gary Goldsmith is stepping down as the executive director of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, setting off more shuffling at the regulatory agency that has endured months of upheaval.
Goldsmith informed appointed board members Tuesday that he would relinquish his duties as the agency's day-to-day manager as soon as a replacement is named, but stressed he'd like that to happen before September. Goldsmith, 66, said he's looking forward to scaling back to a part-time or consulting role instead as his retirement years beckon.
"I'm at an age where I want to slow down a bit," he said.
His departure adds yet another complication to the board deep into election season. Chairman Christian Sande submitted his resignation effective Friday after being named a Hennepin County District Court judge. Two other members were disqualified after the Legislature failed to confirm them. Until all three are replaced, the board lacks a quorum -- four members -- for operating; Gov. Mark Dayton could fill two of those slots any day, possibly with the people whose confirmation votes got held up in May.
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Goldsmith said the public shouldn't be alarmed that the watchdog entity has been weakened at a critical point in campaign season. He noted that the remaining members of the bipartisan board unanimously issued findings in June against a Republican and a DFL lawmaker over campaign spending lapses.
"I'm confident that the public is going to be really well served by the board," Goldsmith said, adding, "It hasn't slowed us down or stopped us from issuing important decisions."
Sande said Goldsmith's decision to leave marked "the end of an era" for the agency.
It's not clear if a full-blown search for a replacement will be launched. Instead, board members intend to individually interview assistant director Jeff Sigurdson about the possibility of promoting him; he was a finalist when Goldsmith got the job eight years ago.