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May 9, 2008 11:55 am US/Central
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Minneapolis Mayor's Driver's License Suspended
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
The Minnesota driver's license for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was suspended three months ago for only paying part of a speeding ticket fine.
Court records show Rybak received a ticket in Olmsted County in June 2006 and paid $142 in fines. The records show that amount was $80 short of what the court says he still owes.
The mayor says he only learned of the suspended license late Thursday afternoon. He was confronted by cameras when he slid into his car parked outside the Minneapolis City Hall Thursday evening. Rybak said he did not intend to drive, and that he was only getting in the car to pick up some paperwork.
Rybak said his license trouble stems from a speeding incident two years ago.
"I was trying to get from an event in Rochester to the Mosaic Celebration and I went too fast and I rightfully got a ticket," said Rybak.
Rybak said he was surprised to learn his license had been suspended-and wondered if it was an administrative mistake because he'd mailed a check to pay for the ticket.
WCCO-TV reporter Caroline Lowe showed the mayor court records indicating he still owes $80 for a $222 fine.
"OK. If I owe them 80 bucks I will pay it. But it was an honest mistake because I paid the ticket and must not have calculated it right," he replied.
If Rybak had been stopped by police after his license was suspended in February, he could have gotten another ticket and had his city car towed.
He left his car behind at city hall Thursday night and planned to take the bus or call his wife for a ride home.
Rybak, who also has a driver, said he already planned to take the bus to work on Friday when he will also take steps to clear up his license and fine issues. He also says he will not get behind the wheel of a car until those issues are resolved and he has a valid Minnesota driver's license.
The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating how many police officers -- and which ones -- looked up Rybak's driver's license information on city computers. Officers are supposed to look up driver's license information from the state for law-enforcement purposes.
Officials with the Minneapolis Police Department are also trying to figure out why information about Rybak's record suddenly came out Thursday, three months after the suspension.
Public Information Officer Sgt. Jesse Garcia requested the state Department of Public Safety release information on when that information was accessed and where the information was accessed from. Officials are also trying to find who leaked the information to the media.
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