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Wayzata Mayor Andrew Mullin took a stand on national television this week, joining America’s Newsroom to put real pressure on Gov. Tim Walz for the handling of the fraud scandal and the fiscal chaos trickling down to cities. Mullin spoke for hardworking Minnesotans worried that state mismanagement will leave local communities paying the price through higher taxes and cut services. His appearance is a warning sign: local leaders are done being ignored by a state capital that thinks its money is endless.
Nearly 100 Minnesota mayors have now gone public with a blunt letter to Walz and the Legislature, saying fraud, unchecked spending, and poor fiscal management in St. Paul are squeezing city budgets and threatening core services. These mayors — the boots-on-the-ground people who actually run towns and show up when roads fail and emergencies hit — are sounding the alarm that state policies are shifting costs to property owners. When local leaders unite like this, it’s proof the problem is real and widespread, not a partisan talking point.
The arithmetic is ugly: officials say an $18 billion surplus was effectively spent down in one biennium and now Minnesota faces a growing structural shortfall, with preliminary estimates pointing to nearly a billion-dollar-plus hit to property taxpayers statewide. Cities are already looking at preliminary levy pressures that would translate into hundreds of millions more in property taxes unless the state course-corrects immediately. This isn’t theory — it’s financial punishment for families who did nothing wrong while state leaders chased big spending schemes.
Republican leaders in Washington and at the state level have been right to demand answers, and their outrage reflects what towns and taxpayers are feeling: failure to act on fraud and potential retaliation against whistleblowers are not defensible by any standard. House Republicans and local GOP officials have called for aggressive probes because when public money vanishes and oversight is weak, criminal accountability must follow. If the governor allowed a culture that silenced truth and enabled theft, Minnesotans deserve the full weight of investigation and the justice system.
Governor Walz’s office has pushed back, saying there isn’t evidence of multibillion-dollar losses and that only tens of millions have been documented so far, but Minnesotans aren’t reassured by vague denials and bureaucratic spin. Officials can’t soothe worried homeowners with talking points while audits, subpoenas, and whistleblowers tell a different story about oversight failures. If the facts don’t match the PR, then leadership must change — not simply rebrand the same failed stewardship.
This is about accountability and the basic compact between taxpayers and government: you protect our money and run efficient programs, or you don’t get to saddle families with the bill. Conservatives should back these mayors who are defending neighborhoods against state mismanagement and demand both prosecutions where warranted and immediate policy changes to stop unfunded mandates. Cut the waste, tighten oversight, and stop pretending that endless spending is a responsible plan for the future.
The politics of this scandal will play out, but the moral clarity is simple — stand with local leaders who put residents first and hold state officials to account. Minnesotans hardworking enough to pay the bills deserve honesty, fiscal restraint, and leaders willing to put service before spin. It’s time for voters to remember who protected them and who left them holding the bag.
