KSTP reports that the fellow whose quote is to your right about me being a partisan hack (from this 2006 post) has run afoul of ethics charges.

A lawyers' standards board has filed a petition accusing former St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker of unprofessional conduct.

The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility alleges Ellenbecker didn't return an audiotape to a client. It also accuses him of failing to pay a private investigator even after ordered to do so by a court.

The petition also says Ellenbecker hasn't cooperated with the office, which is an agency of the Minnesota Supreme Court that handles complaints against lawyers.

Ellenbecker didn't return a call Thursday seeking comment.

Ellenbecker uncooperative? Incroyable! I'm sure there's a good explanation for this.

The Board is in fact appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court and has 23 members.

UPDATE: Larry Schumacher gets a call from Ellenbecker, who says it's a "misunderstanding" that he made worse through "procrastination". �I screwed up, but I didn�t do anything intentionally in terms of trying to avoid anybody,� he said Thursday. The story is generating a great deal of commentary on the Times' chat, where the former mayor is a frequent poster.

Labels: mayor, Minnesota, St. Cloud