Minneapolis misinterpreted; General Mills mystified
General Mills says it doesn't know where Minneapolis got the idea the company wanted to keep its $10,000 gift in support of a recent gun summit anonymous.
"We don't know why this was listed as it was, but we have long supported the efforts of the City of Minneapolis in this area, and we supported this effort as well - with no request of anonymity," Vice President Thomas Forsythe wrote in an e-mail.
Minneapolis revealed the source of the donation yesterday after MPR News questioned why it was listed as "anonymous" in official documents. Cities are legally required to disclose virtually any donation they receive.
"This was a simple misunderstanding on our part, and we misinterpreted the company's wishes," Minneapolis spokesman Matt Laible said.
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It's unclear how the misunderstanding came about.
General Mills forwarded MPR News two e-mails between its staff and an aide to Mayor R.T. Rybak dated Oct. 30, 2012. The e-mails did not mention whether the city should acknowledge the gift publicly.
(Regional gun summit on Jan. 10. MPR Photo/Jennifer Simonson)