Thursday, June 29, 2023
Political Mayhem Thursday: When reform works
The Minnesota Board of Pardons granted the first 2-1 pardon in state history to a St. Paul Public Works employee on Wednesday.
Walter Hooper Jr. cried as he told Gov. Tim Walz, Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea and Attorney General Keith Ellison about his troubled past. He cried again as he said "thank you" to the panel after the vote that removed numerous felonies from his record.
The vote was the first under a new law passed during the recent legislative session and long supported by Walz. In the history of the board — dating back to 1897 — pardons could be granted only by a unanimous vote. Now a petitioner needs to receive only two of the three votes, provided one is the governor.
The effect was immediate, with the board granting six pardons by split votes, all with the DFL governor and attorney general in support and Gildea, appointed by a Republican governor, the dissenter. The board unanimously approved 11 pardons and rejected three.
Had the six split decisions been considered in January, they would have been denied under the longstanding unanimity requirement....
Hooper was tearful throughout his 10-minute speaking allotment. "I was raised around drugs, alcohol and violence," he said.
Married since 2016 and sober, Hooper said he wants his record cleared to be a better example for his children and to be able to chaperone on school trips. Ellison asked him how he feels about what he did to his victims.
In a shaky voice, Hooper said he understands that he took both security and what small amounts of cash his victims carried, money he now realizes their parents had worked hard to earn. "I know that was all they ever had," he said, adding that his oldest son has been a victim and "any normal person just comes up to him and he's afraid."
