Maple Grove Attorney Launches Bid For MN State Auditor

MAPLE GROVE, MN — Maple Grove attorney Ryan Wilson announced his campaign for state auditor Monday, promising to “ask tough questions and bring accountability and transparency to government” if he is elected.

Wilson is the first Republican candidate to declare their candidacy for the office.

He said he has been exploring a bid to unseat DFL incumbent State Auditor Julie Blaha for several months and decided to enter the race after “recent reports of significant fraud and waste” at Feeding Our Future and “gross mismanagement” of the Southwest light rail.

Feeding Our Future, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, was raided Jan. 20 after some of its officials were accused of spending almost $50 million in federal nutrition funding on personal expenses, including trips and a $1 million home in Plymouth, the Star Tribune reported.

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The Metropolitan Council announced last week that the Southwest light-rail project will take four years longer than initially planned and cost up to $550 million more to complete.

The original project, also known as the Metro Green Line Extension, was due to be completed in 2023, with a budget of about $2 billion. Construction is now expected to conclude in 2027.

In a news release Monday announcing his candidacy, Wilson said the Southwest light-rail project is going to be “jaw-droppingly over budget.”

“Minnesotans are fed up with the lack of transparency about how their taxpayer dollars are being spent by multiple levels of government,” Wilson said.

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Wilson, who specializes in constitutional litigation, said he is “not afraid to root out political favoritism and cronyism” and promised to “shine a light on government actions” if elected.

Wilson earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He also served as CEO of Symbios Clinical, a Blaine-based medical device contract research company, the Star Tribune reported.