reprinted from

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        Contact: Jennifer Lovaasen
May 22, 2006

AFSCME endorsement of Rebecca Otto upsets race for Auditor

Minnesota’s largest public employee union – Council 5 of the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees – today announced its endorsement of Rebecca Otto for
Auditor against incumbent Patricia Anderson.

“The work of the Auditor’s office has a tremendous impact on AFSCME members who work
in that office and in local governments across Minnesota,” said AFSCME Council 5 president
Mike Buesing. “The incumbent Anderson had an opportunity to win the support of our
members but instead was hostile to them and local government funding. Governor Pawlenty
used what the League of Minnesota Cities called the “suspect data and faulty methodology”
of Anderson’s 2003 report on Local Government Aid (LGA) to help push through a 27% cut in
LGA that year. That cut damaged public services at every level and resulted in the layoffs of
hundreds of our members.”

“Rebecca Otto has not even been elected to the office yet but she is already doing a better
job than the current Auditor,” said Buesing. “Otto found significant errors in Anderson’s
report on Minnesota counties – Anderson can’t even get her math right.”

Rebecca Otto is seeking the DFL endorsement at their convention on June 9-11. In addition
to Otto, AFSCME Council 5 also screened Patricia Anderson.

AFSCME Council 5 provides one strong united voice for 45,000 public and non-profit
employees throughout Minnesota.

The hard work and generosity of AFSCME members has made the union a major player in
elections throughout the state. The PEOPLE program is the union’s political arm. PEOPLE is
an acronym for Public Employees Organizing to Promote Legislative Equality. In addition to
direct contributions to candidates at all levels, AFSCME PEOPLE mobilizes AFSCME
members to support the union’s endorsed candidates.

###