Legalectric

Why do some people think the law does not apply to them? Why do some people disregard their swearing on oath?

Here’s Iocco Campaign Finance Complaint #4. I was getting ready to file this when Mayor Iocco’s stumping for nuclear generation in North Dakota came to my attention… REALLY? So I did some looking into that:

RW Mayor promoting nuclear in ND! April 21st, 2026

And then I did finish this Complaint and filed. Why? Because way, way back in February 2025, Iocco swore on oath to file his amended campaign finance report showing the charge and payment to Wylie Wilson Trucking for use of the trailer. The trailer was put on land owned by Miller & Homes, in WI, and they did NOT appreciate that, and have since put up “NO TRESPASSING” signs — that means no campaign signs on that property. Same with Iocco’s earlier display of his HUGE sign on Dehn Oil property, they did not authorize that sign on the former Wilson Oil roof and told Iocco to IMMEDIATELY take it down, and it was taken down within hours. Earth to Mars — WILSON NO LONGER OWNS IT, despite his use of the address for SOS business registration and most recent SoS renewal on February 9, 2026 with no changes (click HERE and see for yourself!):

Wylie Wilson Trucking did produce an invoice in response to Discover, which I filed as exhibit (NOT Iocco), and Iocco ignored Discovery despite reminders. At the hearing, Iocco said he’d paid the bill, either the day of or the day before the February hearing! Uh-huh… Iocco did NOT produce any documentation, proof of payment, no check carbon, no printout from bank account, N-O-T-H-I-N-G! It did occur to him to say he paid it, but didn’t file proof, didn’t file a corrected final report, and so at the hearing, he said he would file. Right…

From the City’s Campaign Financial Reports page:

Gary Iocco

1. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 05-31-2024 to 08-04-2024 (PDF)
2. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 08-05-2024 to 08-30-2024 (PDF)
3. Gary Iocco – Campiagn Financial Report 08-31-2024 to 09-13-2024 (PDF)
4. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 09-14-2024 to 09-27-2024 (PDF)
5. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 09-28-2024 to 10-10-2024 (PDF)
6. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 10-11-2024 to 10-28-2024 (PDF)
7. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report 10-29-2024 to 11-11-2024 (PDF)
8. Gary Iocco – Campaign Financial Report Certification of Filing (PDF)

Months later when he hadn’t filed, ONE YEAR AGO, I filed a Motion for Order to Show Cause to push him to produce it (and it served as a reminder to Iocco… well, should have!), and that Motion was denied. Iocco still did not file the report. Then I filed a Motion for Reconsideration, which was denied, and yes, that should have been more notice, another reminder to Iocco, and he STILL did not file the report. ALJ Mortenson, who denied those Motions, later said:

Overland demanded that the pro se respondent be ordered to show cause why he should not be sanctioned for conduct well outside Overland ‘s campaign complaint, an abuse of process that appears calculated to harass the respondent.

Oh my, expectation that someone follow through on promise under oath, to file a report that was the subject of the Campaign Finance Complaint, and following available administrative process to follow up on Iocco’s failure to file, that’s MY problem? Well, that theory did not go well for ALJ Mortenson. Whew…

And here we are, fourteen months after the hearing, and a year after those abusive and harrassing filings (SNORT!) and denials by the ALJ — Iocco’s final report is STILL not filed.

Good grief — It’s a small thing, a one page filing, and Iocco should file the report and provide a copy of the cancelled check, proof would be appreciated after all this time, because all we have is his statement that he paid it, just before the hearing, and nothing’s been filed, so color me skeptical that he paid it.

Again, why do some think the law does not apply to them? Especially something so easy to file, and that makes me wonder if he really did pay… so on that happy note, another gentle reminder, Mayor Iocco. A judge has been assigned, and now waiting for the primia facie determination. If there is, another hearing:

I’ll be putting together a campaign finance workshop open to the public and will be sending out engraved invites to all those who have been found to have violated campaign finance law. It’s not so difficult, but some clearly need a refresher course.

Check this take on the PowerOn Midwest project:

PowerOn Midwest Project Series Looking to Enhance Electric Grid to Meet Changing Needs

Too bad they weren’t at the meeting last night! Well attended meeting this evening in Windom on the “PowerOn Midwest” transmission project, PUC Docket CN-5-117.

Tomorrow, two more:

The purpose was to “inform” and to take comments on scoping of “Environmental Report.” The notice:

Here’s the order holding that the Application is complete and referring for a Contested Case!!

Here’s the main part of the order that I’m wondering about — exactly how will this work:

There are even more meetings next week:

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

At the April 13, 2026 Red Wing City Council meeting, Mayor Iocco said that he’d been to North Dakota to talk with them about what it means to host a nuclear plant.

Iocco gave a short report on his activities since the last meeting, part of which was a trip to North Dakota to speak with their nuclear committee, that they’re wanting to build a nuclear plant, and he was there to tell them about hosting a nuclear plant. ???

Here’s the link, this starts at ~1:39:

https://redwingmn.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3944/media

Look who else is a part of this — are we surprised?

The North Dakota legislature has an “Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee” and here are links.

FYI, TODAY and TOMORROW, they’re in Idaho, INL.

• AGENDA
• VIDEO – 4/21 – it’s live… (check section on E.O.s and “regulatory reform”)
• VIDEO – 4/22 – should be posted tomorrow

Here are meetings with links. Iocco said that this March 24th meeting was the 3rd he’d been to, LISTEN TO WHAT MAYOR IOCCO SAYS, BEGINNING AT 11:04. But first, here’s the meeting minutes version of what he said:

March 24, 2026 – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CDT

• Agenda
• Meeting Video – Iocco starts at 11:04
• Minutes

December 15, 2025 – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CST

• Agenda
• Meeting Video
• Minutes

September 3, 2025 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm CDT

• Agenda
• Meeting Video
• Minutes

Committee Memorandums

• Advanced Nuclear Energy Study – Background Memorandum (PDF)
• Request for Proposal and Proposal Responses – Advanced Nuclear Energy Study (PDF)
• Supplementary Rules of Operation and Procedure of the North Dakota Legislative Management

Is this promotion in the name of the City of Red Wing authorized? Was there a message approved to be delivered?

I sure had questions when I heard this, and so I filed a Data Practices Act Request yesterday:

Two electric service agreements (ESA) have landed at the Public Utilities Commission, where the utilities are asking that the Commission approve the agreements, and today, a “Notice of Objection Period” has been announced.

A few days ago, another Notice – this time a substantive comment period. These two ESAs are running somewhat together — mark your calendars.

One of them is Minnesota Power, for its Hermantown data center, a Google (Harmony Group, Alphabet), PUC Docket M-26-159.

The other is from Xcel, for the Pine Island Google (Echo Zone) data center in Pine Island, PUC Docket M-26-170.

Commerce wants authorization to dig deep, hiring experts “to analyze the allocation of costs related to connecting data centers to the electrical grid. The Notice is telling the world that if they object, speak NOW!

Seems a good idea, given this is just getting started and we need to do it “right,” whatever that may be.

Let’s get to the guts of the matter. Here are the Petitions, followed by the notice of comment period — first, Minnesota Power, for Hermantown, M-26-159:

And next, Xcel – M-26-170 – and only the Objection notice so far, no Notice of Comment Period… YET!:

A few days ago, Xcel filed an Electric Service Agreement for Google’s Echo Zone data center in Pine Island. there are TWO dockets, but the document filed in M-26-170 and labeled same is also filed in M-26-171, also with M-26-170 on the first page, so… I’ve not gone page by page to compare.

Here’s the Electric Service Agreement from the M-26-170 — I’ll post both just because:

And here’s the one from M-26-171 that is labeled M-26-170, put here until I have time to compare: