Board pulls plug on anti-war billboard

MnDOT Commissioner Carol Molnau
Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau.
MPR Photo/Tom Weber

A Minnesota Capitol board has pulled the plug on an anti-war video billboard that was planned for the Republican National Convention.

The mobile billboard would have been stationed below the Cathedral of St. Paul, not far from where Republicans will be meeting at Xcel Energy Center next week.

But the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board turned down a permit for the billboard on a 5-5 vote.

Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau, a Republican, cast the deciding vote. She says she was concerned about traffic safety.

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Afterward, Democratic state Senator Sandy Pappas of St. Paul said she was "outraged" and that there was "no legitimate reason" for denying the permit.

A group called True Blue Minnesota had worked for months to secure permits for the billboard.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)