Commentary - Citizens are 4' 8" tall with red hair (or, Ms. Longrie - all skewed up). [Updated]

At last night's special budget hearing (formerly known as Truth in Taxation) Ms. Longrie presented her "alternative budget". She prefaced her remarks with a description of the survey she has been touting. She then used the results to declare what it is that citizens see as priorities.

What survey is that? During her failed campaign, Ms. Longrie mailed some questions to some residents, and asked those questions of others as she door knocked. Taking her word for it, she mailed or doorknocked 2500 copies, and received 250 responses. She then used her summary of those 250 responses to make her declarations about citizen priorities.

Let's look at how an actual survey works. Having decided on a research objective, defined questions to meet that objective, and tested the questions for non-bias, we put those questions to use. First, we define a population - say, Maplewood citizens. We then devise a mechanism to contact a random sample drawn from that population, a sample sufficiently large to produce enough respondents to meet our research requirements. Then we send out the survey and gather responses, keeping track of who from the sample responded and who did not. After allowing time to respond, we contact enough non-respondents to gather information to determine whether the non-respondents are different from the respondents, along any variables we care about (for example: did more men respond than women?).

If we determine that our respondents are representative of the sample, and the sample was randomly drawn, we can then discuss the results as if they represented the population, within some range of probabilities (a confidence interval) that the sample was actually representative of the population. (Purely by chance you might draw two red marbles from a bag containing an equal number of blue and red ones - a random but not representative sample. A confidence interval defines how likely it is that your sample is not one of these unrepresentative ones).

It is only through the randomness of the respondents that we gain any confidence at all that the responses we get are somehow representative of the population we wish to describe.

Now, ask yourself these questions:

• If, during the campaign, you received a set of questions from candidate Longrie and another set from candidate Rossbach, what would you have done with either set?
• Is a candidate likely to contact known supporters in general agreement of his or her policies, or those who support the opponent?

Armed with your answers, do you think the responses Ms. Longrie touts as representative of citizen priorities are remotely representative of the citizens of Maplewood? Or, are they just representative of those fans willing to tell Ms. Longrie what they thought.

By her logic and use of language, if Ms. Longrie met a 4'8" redheaded citizen, she would claim all citizens are so endowed.


Stephan

[See this earlier post for a related argument, with graphics].

Update:
Lest you think some information is always better than none, consider how well off you are if all you know about grizzly bears is from one encounter with a comatose bear. Unbeknownst to you it got that way by gorging on the last backpacker that happened by.

Commentary: Venning the citizenry

The representative democracy formed by our federal and state constitutions, and further defined by the body of law enacted under those constitutions, requires that public policy decisions be made by our elected representatives.

In Maplewood, all council members and the Mayor are at large. That is, each elected official represents every citizen (the blue circle in our Venn diagram). The role of citizens is to elect and harangue, not to decide.



Ms. Longrie advocates [large pdf] a different form of government

More citizen and council involvement in setting the policy and direction of Maplewood’s future is called for. The struggle I see our City wrestling with is determining the degree to which citizens will be “allowed” involvement when the council and staff creates public policy or determines City spending. Personally, I feel an active citizenry must be part of the equation. Citizens want and deserve transparency and greater access to much-needed information so they can make informed, balanced decisions, participate in the community dialogue, and determine if their elected officials are making informed, balanced decisions on behalf of our community. Public involvement in creating public policy is critical.

The mutual pact we make as citizens, and swear to when elected, is to abide by the Constitution. All citizens, each and every one, are represented by officials elected for that purpose.

No one is free to make up a different set of rules just because they think it might be a good idea.

Stephan

¡Olé!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_gumby/ / CC BY 2.0

Be sure to read Mr. Hjelle's parting article in the Maplewood Monthly (large pdf) city newsletter.

Deep thought Tuesday

With the proper orchestration, visitor presentations can seem like the overture in an opéra comique.

At the September 28, 2009 council meeting, a father-daughter resident team decided to do a little staff bashing concerning the costs of hiring consultants like Kimley Horn and SEH (complete with pie charts!).



Amazingly, a couple of hours later Ms. Longrie is busy doing a little staff bashing concerning the costs of hiring consultants like Kimley Horn and SEH.



It is good that the council hears authentic citizen voices.

Morning mail

Having received this postcard, a reader thought other readers would be interested in Ms. Longrie's candidacy for MN state representative. We assume it is for district 55A:

[Please click on the image for a larger view]

--------------------------------
[Update 4/19 2:00 pm minor edit]

What accountability looks like

Mr. Nephew addresses a recent decision in light of the insurance renewal issue.

Denouement, for now (updated)

[update at end]

Elizabeth Mohr writes in the 4/9/08 Pioneer Press: Maplewood's infighting raises insurance costs: City's insurer, citing lawsuit expenses, boosts its rates and delivers a warning

Fed up with the squabbling and rising cost to insure Maplewood, the League of Minnesota Cities gave the St. Paul suburb a stern and expensive reprimand Tuesday.

The league, which insures all but six Minnesota cities, had been considering dumping Maplewood's policies. On Tuesday, the league's board of directors agreed to offer a renewal to the city, but with stiff premium and deductible increases.

"The board's concern is the contentious and divisive situation out there," Pete Tritz, director of the League Insurance Trust, said, noting that the atmosphere at City Hall contributed to a spike in lawsuits.
...
League attorneys are upset the council has disregarded their warnings on such things as talking to the media about lawsuits and the people involved when told not to, said VeNita Schnebele, a Gallagher representative.
...

Maplewood Mayor Diana Longrie took issue with the idea the city's insurer was threatening to revoke coverage or penalize the city based on what it considered "uncooperative" behavior.

"A council member ... expressed their opinion of somebody. Is that OK? I don't know. Is that protected by the First Amendment? I don't know," Longrie said. "But they're saying, 'We won't insure you if you speak your mind.' What speech is allowed? I don't know."
...

The city's coverage is scheduled to expire June 30. Adjusted premiums under the new contract will be "123 percent* of what the average city would be paying" and Maplewood's deductible will increase from $50,000 per claim to $200,000, Tritz said.

...

The state auditor's office responded to calls for an in-depth look into the city's books by meeting with Ahl and Finance Director Bob Mittet last week.

State Auditor Rebecca Otto said Tuesday the state will "be monitoring their current situation," but won't perform an audit.

----------------------
[update 4/9 8:00AM]

* The 123% of average is actually about a 38% increase, since Maplewood's previous good loss control record had resulted in below average premiums (Thanks to an alert reader).

Behind closed doors

Mr. Nephew comments on Mr. Davy's latest article, "Goal setting session pushed back".

...
Nephew said he still hopes the rescheduled goal-setting meeting will be productive. "There is tremendous opportunity for this council to find common ground, especially where the environment is concerned," he said.

"I hope we can work through these issues constructively when we finally do have this meeting - I'm just a little more pessimistic after what's happened."

Mr. Ahl addresses residents (updated)

Acting City Manager Chuck Ahl has posted an open letter to residents on the city website. In it he addresses the financial status of the city.

[Update 3/3 9:45AM]

My reading of Mr. Ahl's key points:

• He does not suspect any wrongdoing nor does he expect to find any evidence of any.
• The problems with bookkeeping processes that occurred while the Finance Department was severely understaffed have been largely resolved, in part due to training recently conducted by former Assistant Finance Director Bauman. (This letter does not mention the Finance Department staffing additions Mr. Ahl had previously reported at a council meeting. It seems having enough people to do the work should help.)
  
• Budget-to-actual expense monitoring has been restored.
• The $310,000 surplus reported in December 2007 has been adjusted to be a $40,000 deficit. This $350,000 swing can be absorbed by an overall 2% budget reduction and improved performance by the Community Center and Recreation programs.
• The Pioneer Press article explored who was to blame. Mr. Ahl is focused on implementing processes that will correct the problems, processes for which department heads are accountable.

Comment: This frank and open communication to residents is helpful and appreciated. Stephan

Cleaning up the Copeland Council's mess (2nd update)

Tad Vezner And Elizabeth Mohr have produced a precise recap of the Copeland years in the March 26, 2008 Pioneer Press Maplewood sorting out City Hall financial mess. Please read the entire article. Here's a sample of the "blame-throwing" tone of the Copeland Council***:

Longrie defended Copeland, touting his accomplishment of writing a 2008 budget with no tax levy increase. She said much fault in the finance department lies with Bauman. The mayor accuses Bauman of "leaving land mines" and not passing on knowledge before she left.

[Update 3/26 1:00 PM]

Since a council process for hiring a new city manager is on the current agenda, relevant councilperson observations from the article should be part of our record.

First, on the importance of the decision to hire a specific city manager:

Seven months later, at a 2 a.m. meeting ostensibly called to establish the search process for a permanent city administrator, Hjelle introduced a motion to make Copeland the manager permanently. Longrie and Cave voted with Hjelle in approving the motion.

"I took a huge leap of faith. I thought, you know, what the hell harm can he do?

[emphasis added]

Commentary: Perhaps Mr. Hjelle should be reminded that the city manager of Maplewood controls a $39,700,000 annual budget, $171,000,000 in assets*, a large work force including 50 or so armed police officers, and not so indirectly the value of your property and mine.


Secondly, on the process for hiring a city manager:

"He (Copeland) was hired to do their bidding," said Nephew, whose November 2007 election ousted Cave from the five-member council and created the new majority that forced out Copeland.

Longrie dismisses such charges. She says she "cold-called" Copeland — described as a sporadic acquaintance she first ran into in 2001 — because of his background**. And because he had no connection to Maplewood.

But he did have a connection to the mayor.

[emphasis added]

Commentary: In contrast to 'cold-calling', here from the current packet is Ms. Longrie's view of how to hire Mr. Copeland's replacement.

Stephan
-----------
* year end 2006. One consequence of the situation described in the article is that we, at least we citizens, do not know what this number is as of year end 2007.

** see the balance of the article for a review of the background Ms. Longrie found so attractive.

*** updated 3/27 9:30am. My original sentence 'Here is a sample of the tone' could have been interpreted as reinforcing the content of the quote from Ms. Longrie, rather than my actual intent which was to illustrate her attempt to defend Copeland (and by inference herself) by blaming departed staff members. Stephan

Depoliticization of the City News

The April Maplewood City News arrived by mail today, embedded in the Summer Parks and Recreation bulletin.

With the exception of Mr. Hjelle still publishing his Yahoo rather than city email address, there is no political content in this taxpayer funded newsletter.

Lillie Newspapers: Mr. Hjelle and the Sherrie Le decision

In the March 12,2008 Lillie Newspapers Alex Davy reviews the Sherrie Le decision in Judge in Sherrie Le case rules firing illegal

District Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled Feb. 29 that termination of former Maplewood human resources director Sherrie Le was illegal, awarding Le $184,714 in damages.

Former City Manager Greg Copeland fired Le, a city employee since 1994, in August 2006, claiming that she was unprofessional.

But Gearin didn't see it that way, finding that the city violated state fair labor practice laws and the Minnesota Whistleblower's Act.

"I see it as a vindication of my actions," Le says.

Gearin's 31-page judgment reveals a tense and often acrimonious administrative environment.

Davy reviews the history of Le's final months with the city and the trial findings, leaving the trial story with

"The fact that I reported those violations led to my firing, and I'm convinced of that," Le stated. "Anybody that tried to maintain integrity in the city and stood up for what was right, they tried to get rid of."

In the Pioneer Press article reviewing the decision, Mr. Hjelle is quoted accusing Le of perjury and describing Judge Gearin as stupid for believing her. Davy wraps up his review with more charges from Mr. Hjelle:

A strange footnote
With a nearly two-year case now wrapped up, Le is satisfied a decision has been made and Copeland and Mayor Longrie, also named in the lawsuit, were absolved of personal liability for the firing.

But Council Member Hjelle has some concerns with the whole trial, which he says are linked to the arrest of Judge Gearin's sister by Maplewood police about two weeks before her decision in the case.

On Feb. 15, Patty Gearin was issued a citation for obstructing the legal process in connection with a fire that broke out at her Maplewood business, Wipers Recycling, in early January.

An industrial grinder used to turn salvaged material such as old shoes and tires into absorbent cleaning cloth and potting soil caught fire, and the Maplewood Fire Department was called to put out the blaze.

According to city officials, Patty Gearin did not have a certificate of occupancy and was operating her business illegally.

The link of Patty Gearin's arrest occurring in Maplewood was enough for Council Member Hjelle to say that Judge Gearin should have recused herself from the case. "This just screams mistrial to me," he says. "If the judge is to be assumed to be beyond impartial, the mere fact that her sister got arrested should disqualify her. You have to have faith that she's honest, but God does it stink like hell." [emphasis added]

Judge Gearin maintained that her sister's arrest did not influence her ruling, according to court documents.

"It doesn't concern me that her sister got arrested," Le says. "(Judge Gearin) called both my attorney and the city's about a week before it happened, trying to encourage them to settle. It seems pretty clear that she had already reached a decision."

Mr. Hjelle and accountability

Tad Vezner of the Pioneer Press follows up on his article from last weekend with Maplewood / Council member wrong on vote facts (3/6/08)

Maplewood City Council Member Erik Hjelle admitted to having the facts wrong when he accused a former city employee last week of lying on the stand during the employee's lawsuit against the city. But he insisted he was innocent of the employee's allegations of conflict of interest.
...
Upon being informed of the ruling on Friday, Hjelle accused Le of lying on the stand about his vote.
...
On Wednesday, Hjelle said he confused the vote described in the lawsuit, which was to increase pension funding, with votes to increase the pensions themselves.

In the earlier article, Hjelle was quoted as saying:

Reached Friday evening, Hjelle said that the judge was misinformed and that he had recused himself from the votes.

"This judge was simply lied to ... I'm sorry that a judge was stupid enough to believe (Le). But I guarantee you no one will hold (Le) accountable (for alleged perjury), because that's how things work around here," he said. [emphasis added]

If in the followup interview Mr. Hjelle expressed any remorse for publicly accusing a former staff member of a felony and impugning the character and integrity of the Assistant Chief Judge of the 2nd District, the reporter didn't mention it.

South leg development moratorium

With the end of the south leg moratorium and the CoPar lawsuit looming, Mr. Hjelle has sent an email to a group concerned about development in south Maplewood.

Mr. Rossbach has responded to the email on his website.

Mr. Nephew sent a responding email to the group, which he has now published on his website.

Sherrie Le prevails (updated 4)

Pioneer Press Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:11:11 -0700
Maplewood / Judge says city firing illegal

A Ramsey County judge ruled Friday that Maplewood city officials illegally fired one of their employees because she attempted to form a union and made whistleblowing allegations protected under state law. Former city human resources director Sheryl Le was awarded $184,714 by District Judge Kathleen Gearin. The award represents two years of back and future pay and benefits. She also was awarded attorney's fees, yet to be determined.

According to the decision, Ms. Le was also reinstated from the date of firing until the date of trial for purposes of seniority and pension benefits.

The article includes some details from the Judge Gearin's 'findings of fact'. Here is one:

Le complained about a possible conflict of interest regarding votes by Hjelle and Cave in 2006 regarding increasing funding for the pension plan for firefighters. Hjelle was a paid-per-call firefighter, as was Cave's husband. Both men resigned as firefighters for the duration of the vote, then were reinstated the next day, according to the judge.

Reached Friday evening, Hjelle said that the judge was misinformed and that he had recused himself from the votes.

"This judge was simply lied to ... I'm sorry that a judge was stupid enough to believe (Le). But I guarantee you no one will hold (Le) accountable (for alleged perjury), because that's how things work around here," he said. [emphasis added]

[Update 3/1 11:30 AM]
Maplewood Voices has submitted a data practices request for the minutes of the April 24, 2006 council meeting at which the firefighter pension funding vote was taken. We do not archive minutes, and the 2006 archives are no longer on the city website. We do however archive packets. Here is the relevant text from the 5/10/06 packet, which included the DRAFT minutes for 4/24/06:

2. By-Law Change Fire Fighters Relief Association
a. Fire Department Representative Ed Fitzgerald presented the report.
Councilmember Rossbach moved to adopt the proposed by-law change to Article III, Section 3.1 and delete reference to Oakdale firefighters and adopt by-law changes to Article IX, Section 9.2a to $1,100.00 for 2006 per active fire fighter and $1,200.00 for 2007 per active fire fighter.
Seconded by Mayor Longrie Ayes-All [emphasis added]

Since this reference is from draft minutes, it is possible the vote record was changed on the approved minutes. We will update as needed when the data practices request is fulfilled.

[Update 3/1 2:30 PM]
Councilperson Nephew has commented on the decision at his website.

[Update 3/2 8:30 AM]
A reader who does archive minutes confirms that the final minutes from 4/24/06 read 'Ayes-all' for the pension vote. It appears Mr. Hjelle did not recuse himself as he claims above. Once our data practices request for the actual minutes is fulfilled we will provide a copy.

[Update 3/4 8:30 AM]
Mr. Nephew has put Mr. Hjelle's firefighter pension vote on youTube.


[[keywords: Legal;Officials;Staff;Maplewood;]]

Eyes on the prize

On February 19th the Maplewood City Council agreed to a settlement which terminated former City Manager Greg Copeland's employment (our article).

Councilperson Nephew elaborates on his decision to vote in favor of accepting the settlement. Rather than diminish the whole by quoting a part, please read it in its entirety.

Stephan

The media mirror

City Pages' Paul Demko (Welcome to Maplewood, 3/14/2007) comes back to town to see what changes a year and an election have made. His latest, Maplewood Follies (2/20/2008) , highlights the work ahead.

While investigators hash out the legal niceties of Copeland's firing, the city's public works director, Chuck Ahl, has been installed as acting city manager. He has begun to sift through the rubble of Copeland's nearly two-year tenure, and the initial findings aren't a good sign for Maplewood taxpayers.

At least we learn that Mr. Hjelle will be doing his best to help out:

"...It's just mind-boggling how incompetent these [councilpersons Nephew, Rossbach, and Juenemann] people are, ..."

Had Mr. Demko's article been written a few days later, he could have covered the Copeland settlement agreement meeting, at which Mr. Rossbach thanked Mr. Hjelle for his cooperation during the settlement negotiations.

Ms. Longrie addresses Copeland document

Making a council presentation at the January 28, 2008 city council meeting, Ms. Longrie made a self described attempt to clarify the issues concerning the document purporting to be a Copeland employment contract.

Review

On January 11, 2008 Finance Manager Bob Mittet used a document purporting to be an employment contract between the City and city manager Greg Copeland (medium pdf) as justification for a payroll request covering backpay to Mr. Copeland from November 14, 2006 through the end of the most recent pay period (January 4, 2008), a net amount of $4899.50. The resulting check was produced on January 14, 2008.

The document was signed only by Mr. Copeland and Ms. Longrie, as was the check, and was not witnessed or sealed. It was only dated by text reference to Mr. Hjelle's motion in the early morning hours of November 14, 2006 making Mr. Copeland the permanent city manager.

At the January 14, 2008 council meeting, councilperson Nephew asked those in attendance if a contract with Copeland existed. At that time at least Copeland, Longrie, and Mittet knew of the document. None of them acknowledged its existence to Mr. Nephew. At the January 17th continuation of that meeting, Mr. Hjelle stated he had known of its existence for over a year (previously documented). A unanimous (4/0, Longrie absent) resolution was passed directing Police Chief Thomalla to turn the situation over to an outside law enforcement agency for further investigation. Between the two meetings, Maplewood Voices asked councilpersons Juenemann and Rossbach whether they knew of the document. Both confirmed they had only become aware of it during that week.

The document includes a variety of compensation clauses, the only one of which that has been acted on is the pay raise from $78,000 to $85,000, which is the only one that is included in the November 2006 motion voted on by the council. It is this pay raise which resulted in the aforementioned backpay. The motion is included in the document by reference.

The document also includes a 'non-disparagement clause', which would grant a terminated Mr. Copeland a lump sum payment of $100,000 if any Maplewood elected official criticized him, his performance, or the contract itself. This clause could be triggered by Ms. Longrie or Mr. Hjelle if they chose to criticize Copeland or the contract. By way of example, we note that Mr. Hjelle has already been quoted in a Pioneer Press article making such a criticism:

There was never any discussion of a nondisparagement clause for Copeland, and it was never approved by the City Council, said Erik Hjelle, the council member who made the Nov. 13, 2006, motion to hire Copeland.

Somehow, though, it made its way into Copeland's contract, which was signed by the mayor on behalf of the city.

But because the council did not originally intend it to be one of Copeland's "benefits," the clause is invalid, Hjelle suggests. Debating the clause is "a moot point," he adds.

As of today, Mr. Copeland is on paid administrative leave, has been informed of the intention of the city council to terminate him, and has requested the statutorily granted hearing.


One relevant statute

As to the validity of the purported contract, Minnesota Statute 412 (Statutory Cities) provides:

412.201 EXECUTION OF INSTRUMENTS.
Every contract, conveyance, license, or other written instrument shall be executed on behalf of the city by the mayor and clerk, with the corporate seal affixed, and only pursuant to authority from the council. [emphasis added]

Ms. Longrie's remarks

In her remarks, Ms. Longrie makes these arguments:

• Who signed the document has been questioned. She argues that she and Mr. Copeland have signed lots of contracts without the city clerk's signature or the city seal (in possible violation of 412.201). She exhibited a stack of what she said were examples.
• When the document was signed has been questioned. She argues that documents are often signed at a much later time than the passage of the authorizing council resolutions.
• The council's awareness has been questioned. She argues that the council doesn't have copies of many city contracts.

Here is the audio of her remarks.


Secondary Issues

Ms. Longrie's remarks did little to clarify the issues concerning the document. Here are some:

• Maplewood Voices has submitted a data practices request for the stack of documents Ms. Longrie presented as evidence. Once available, we will be able to determine how many of the contracts she presented are between the City and the City Manager. Any other contracts are not pertinent, although they are examples of possible violations of 412.201.
• How many of Ms. Longrie's stack of contracts obligate councilmembers to avoid specific behaviors without their knowledge?
  
• Is Mr. Copeland's signing as the city manager or the employee subject to the contract?
• When was the document written?
• Why has only the pay raise clause been acted upon?

Primary Issue

Where is the council resolution(s) authorizing each clause in the contract, as required by 412.201?

From the minutes (small pdf), here is the full text of the November 13/14, 2006 resolution. So far as we know it is the only relevant resolution voted upon by the council:

4. Selection of Firm to Coordinate the City Manager Hiring Process
a. Interim City Manager Copeland presented the report.
Councilmember Hjelle moved under Section 2-101 of the Maplewood City Code, appoint and hire Mr. Copland as the permanent Maplewood City Manager, with 1 year probation, starting tomorrow, at a yearly salary of $85,000 including benefits currently given. The council will give Mr. Copeland a mid-year job performance review no later than June 1, 2007. A salary review will occur after successful completion of an additional job performance review no later than October 31, 2007. After satisfactory completion of his probationary period, Mr. Copeland will be entitled to receive 6 months pay and benefits if terminated by the council for any reason other than cause. Mr. Copeland’s powers and duties shall be set forth in Section 2-102 of the Maplewood Code.
Seconded by Councilmember Cave Ayes-Mayor Longrie,
Councilmembers Cave, and Hjelle
Nays-Councilmember Juenemann

It's all in the attitude

Lillie Newspapers: 11/14/2007: Alex Davy: Maplewood residents oust Cave for Nephew in city council race. Rossbach survives heated race

Sea change. That's what residents ushered in Nov. 6 when they replaced incumbent Rebecca Cave with first-time candidate John Nephew, bringing the fierce battle for two Maplewood city council seats to a close.

Council Member Will Rossbach successfully defended his seat against Cave and newcomer DelRay "Rocky" Rokke.

"It's still strange to believe it's over," Nephew says. "But we have a lot of work to do if we're going to restore pride in Maplewood."

Nephew's victory breaks a two-year political alliance between Cave, Mayor Diana Longrie and Council Member Erik Hjelle.

The 3-2 majority shook up Maplewood's status quo, eliminating a number of jobs in the 2006 city reorganization and folding the parks and recreation department into public works. Critics accused the council majority of mismanagement and claim the job cuts were a response to unionization efforts.

"This was a victory for the citizens of Maplewood," Rossbach says. "They took back their city."

Nephew and Rossbach, who ran a joint campaign, received a combined 60 percent of the 12,535 votes cast.

Cave says she felt outmaneuvered and outgunned. "They went for party endorsements," she says. "They had quite a bit of money, and they very successfully clouded the issues. But anyone who deals with dirty politics is going to suffer the consequences eventually. What goes around comes around."
...
"Being in office isn't about getting payback," Nephew says. "I have the ability to negotiate past personal feelings to solve the real problems facing Maplewood. I'm confident that we'll be able to work out our differences."

Rossbach echoed the sentiment. "I'd like to return to a government process where the entire council is listened to openly and honestly," he says. "We need to try to bring Maplewood back together."
...
Council Member Erik Hjelle says hiring a consultant to aid in the selection of a city manager is "a waste of time and resources."

"These whiners want to spend tens of thousands of dollars so they can feel good about the process," Hjelle says. "Just to hire someone who will sit there doing nothing for a year and a half because he's afraid."