Minnesota Politician Blows Up Career Mailing Himself a "Grenade" from Chicago

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 8, 2011 4:00PM

A Minnesota politician tendered his resignation of his city council seat after he admitted to driving to Chicago to mail himself a fake grenade in an attempt to curry favor with constituents.

Leroy Schaffer of St. Francis, MN is also charged with filing a false police report after calling police officers to report what he said was a suspicious package that was mailed to him by political adversaries. When officers refused to open it, Schaffer did the honors himself to reveal a fake hand grenade with a note that read, "the next one will be real.:

Suspicious package, indeed.

Schaffer appears to have a history of outlandish public behavior. He's publicly rebuked GOP Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann over her criticism of Social Security. He was dressed in a tuxedo and top hat when he did so at a town hall meeting. Per the Minneapolis StarTribune.

His 4 1/2-year tenure has been marked by controversy. He was censured three times by the City Council, twice for conduct around women and once over a confrontation with the city's public works director. A fourth censure resolution had been on Tuesday's council agenda, after Schaffer asked Metropolitan Council representative Edward Reynoso if he was Latino and low income, and over complaints from two women who claimed that he repeatedly asked them to go out with him, which he denied. The resolution was tabled indefinitely after Friday's incident.

Schaffer also has drawn fire for his public comments about women, Hispanics and blacks in the town. City staff members complained that his mailings to residents cost the city in staff time and postage as they sought to correct sometimes erroneous or misleading information that the mailings contained.

Strange politics in Minnesota.