St. Paul’s public referendum on organized trash collection drew strong opinions all around. It also drew money — labor unions, small businesses and grassroots donors spent upwards of $30,000 on each side to get out the vote for the November ballot.

A trash company also got involved, effectively matching “Yes for St. Paul” contributions dollar for dollar. In early October, Republic Services of Crestwood, Ill., contributed $28,000 to the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, a conservative advocacy organization that supported organized collection, for online advertising. Republic paid $2,000 to Golnik Strategies of St. Paul for consulting services.

New campaign finance reports on file with Ramsey County Elections shed fresh light on the bruising battle on the November 2019 ballot. On Election Day, St. Paul voters overwhelmingly voted to keep the city’s year-old system of trash collection intact, with a final vote of 63 percent to 37 percent.

“Who could have thought trash could bring out so much opposition, support or discussion?” said Peter Butler, treasurer for the “St. Paul Trash Lawsuit” political action committee.

In late October and early November, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, AFSCME Council 5’s People’s Fund and Teamsters Local 120 each donated between $3,000 and $5,000 to the “Vote Yes” campaign, which successfully sought to keep the city’s organized trash collection program intact.

Prior to that, AFSCME Council 5 also donated $8,300 to the “Vote Yes” campaign last September. St. Paul Firefighters Local 21 donated $1,500 in early October.

Beyond the $30,000 reflected in “Yes for St. Paul” campaign finance reports, ISAIAH, an advocacy coalition, also donated thousands of dollars worth of “in-kind” services to the “Vote Yes” campaign. AFSCME contributed polling on political messaging.

Organized under the title “St. Paul Trash Lawsuit,” opponents of St. Paul’s organized trash collection also spent roughly $33,000, though the majority of that — $23,000 — went toward legal fees to the Waconia-based law firm of Halper and Joseph.

Over the course of 2019, the coalition waged a lawsuit against the city in hopes of overturning key legal ordinances that created the new trash collection system. Arguments were heard last summer before the Minnesota Supreme Court, which decided the fate of the city’s year-old trash collection system must go to public ballot.

Most donations to opponents of organized collection were in the range of $100 to $200, or less. Over the course of the year, Grand Ole Creamery owner Gary Huffman contributed at least $700 in his own name, as well as another $1,500 registered to the ice cream store.

Summit Avenue resident Chip Michel, an executive with the Michel Sales Agency in St. Paul, donated $1,000. The Minnesota Financial Management Corp. of Bloomington, which owns and manages apartment complexes throughout the state, also contributed $1,000. Related Articles St. Paul PD highlights surveillance photos of looting suspects, seeks tips

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A St. Paul coffee house, J and S Bean Factory, contributed $825. Mancini’s Char House contributed $350.