Minnesota GOP gets eviction notice for failing to pay rent

The Republican Party of Minnesota has been served an eviction notice at its headquarters in St. Paul.

Minnesota in Politics first reported on Monday that Hub Properties Trust filed the paperwork last week after the party failed to pay rent for the past year.

"Tenant remains in default under the lease by failing to pay in full when due, rent from April 2011 through the present," according to the court filing. “As of April 1, 2012, the tenant owes landlord a total of $111,192.14.”

Because of a security deposit and several partial payments, the outstanding debt comes about $96,000.

Secretary-Treasurer Bron J. Scherer revealed earlier this month that the party had stopped paying rent and was attempting to negotiate a new lease because it was more than $1.2 million in debt.

"Our landlord took the step of filing some court papers," Republican Party Chair Pat Shortridge told MPR News on Monday. "They're certainly within their rights. I don't agree with their decision because I think we've making some progress on figuring this out. We're not going anywhere. We're not going to get evicted. We're not going to have any long-term issues. I think we're going to get this solved."

Former Minnesota Republican chairman Tony Sutton abruptly resigned in December 2011. When he took the position in 2009, the party had approximately $1 million in the bank, according to the Star Tribune.

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Photo: Shutterstock.com

-- With earlier reporting by Eric W. Dolan