How effective is the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools?

It’s a question that some city officials have been raising lately, triggered in part by the controversy over the selection of Sen. David Tomassoni as the organization’s new executive director. Tomassoni, to his credit, effectively ended that dispute by declining the position, shortly after a ruling declared there was no legal conflict of interest.

But the larger issue — how much bang are area cities getting for the dues they pay to RAMS each year— remains.

Ely Mayor Chuck Novak said he questioned councilors and city staff about what issues the city had brought to RAMS and whether the organization had fought on their behalf. Although schools have had a lot of issues what were supported through RAMS, Novak wondered what issues have municipalities had that were addressed by RAMS.

Part of the issue may be, unlike school districts, it is difficult to find much common ground between communities across the Range. It’s hard to imagine that the key concerns in Nashwauk-Keewatin mirror those in Ely.

And in places where there may be common ground, such as Local Government Aid, other organizations including the League of Minnesota Cities or the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, have taken the lead in persuading legislators.

Meanwhile, RAMS hasn’t done a good job of keeping communities abreast of its activities. Aside from an annual dinner, where city and school officials gather to hobnob and share their concerns, there doesn’t appear to be much communication from the organization. RAMS doesn’t maintain a website where members can track the progress of legislation or RAMS’ efforts on behalf of its members, or find announcements or minutes of recent meetings. The phone number for the organization’s office has been disconnected with no forwarding information. It’s hard to hold an organization accountable when there’s so little documentation of its efforts.

The organization’s federal 990, required for organization’s exempt from income tax, shows that just over $92,000 of the $129,975 that RAMS received in 2012 went to pay the salary on benefits of its former executive director Ron Dicklich, who appears to have been the organization’s only paid employee. Dicklich’s salary and benefits amounted to over three quarters of RAM’s total expenses of $120,793 that year. Dicklich also reported in the Form 990 that he spent 50 hours a week as director of RAMS. Yet during the same year, he served as a lobbyist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and for Great River Energy.

Was Dicklich really earning his hefty salary and benefits from RAMS? It’s hard to know for sure. Tracking down information about the group isn’t easy.

City and school officials are charged with spending citizens’ tax dollars wisely. They should be asking questions about RAMS’ effectiveness and are right to demand detailed answers before they pony up more dues.

To be fair, it’s not always easy to determine how much influence lobbyists have over legislation and the concept behind RAMS, combining voices on common concerns, is legitimate. But at the very least, the organization should be doing a better job of communicating with its members and provide a record of its efforts on behalf of the communities it represents. The brouhaha over Tomassoni could do some good if it forces RAMS to be more accountable and transparent to the communities it serves.