ST. PAUL — Minnesota Senate leaders pushed Monday for an outside look into whether a Democrat’s new job as the head of an Iron Range lobbying group conflicts with his role as a lawmaker.

Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm, was hired last week as executive director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, an organization funded in part by public money that lobbies for those interests at the Capitol. His hiring, first reported by the Mesabi Daily News, immediately raised questions about whether the two roles would clash.

Senate Republicans called the two jobs a blatant conflict of interest, and raised the prospect of filing an ethics complaint against Tomassoni if he goes ahead with both jobs. Senate DFL leadership has urged Tomassoni to ask the state’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board for an advisory opinion.

No such request had been filed as of Monday afternoon, board Director Gary Goldsmith said.

Tomassoni said Monday his new job makes it no different than “a farmer voting on farm issues or a lawyer voting on court issues,” but he outlined several steps he’ll take to reduce concern.