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Getting cross: Special session on complaints ends up attracting complaints Senior Reporter CROSSLAKE -- During a special session Thursday, the Crosslake City Crosslake was supposed to look at how complaints are handled, but the conversation took a left turn early on.
For several hours, sometimes to groans and chuckles from the public audience, the conversation centered on the role of elected officials and that of the city administrator. City department heads lined up one after the other to defend Tom Swenson, city administrator. After the meeting, Swenson said it was a bit like attending his own wake.
Toward the end of the meeting residents chastised the council.
Sandy Eliason, Crosslake, said the hours wasted debating the topic were foolishly spent.
If a motion by Mayor Jay Andolshek had passed at the meeting's outset, the meeting may have ended quickly.
Andolshek submitted a letter to the council expressing displeasure about the meeting's topic and with council member Dean Eggena, who requested the special session. The session was expected to center on the city's operating procedures for handling complaints and enforcement of ordinances. Eggena owns and operates a demolition landfill with a city conditional use permit. The city received complaints about a rotten-egg smell emanating from the landfill. It was the topic of a special council meeting last month.
"I feel this is due to Mr. Eggena's dissatisfaction with the city investigation of landfill complaints," Andolshek said. "While there is an ongoing complaint issue with Mr. Eggena's landfill and possible enforcement issues with the original conditional use permit, councilman Eggena should not be influencing council or staff procedure in how complaints are handled and should not have called this special meeting. This council will rapidly lose our credibility with our community if we allow these items to be
discussed while we have ongoing issues with Councilman Eggena's landfill."
Andolshek's motion to table the discussion until the city was done with the landfill failed. Eggena abstained from the vote. Andolshek was joined by council member Dean Swanson in favor of tabling the matter. Council members Terry Curtis and Dick Phillips were opposed.
Curtis said he thought the council was gathered to look at procedural issues and not the specifics of the landfill.
Andolshek said without the landfill issue he doubted the council would be meeting at all. He proceeded with the meeting under protest.
But how complaints are handled was not a matter the council ever got to in detail.
Eggena said he called the meeting to clarify city procedure, specifically how council members in liaison roles interact with staff. Curtis and Phillips joined in asking for clarification of their roles as elected officials. Swanson said liaisons act as communicators between the council and commissions and certainly can talk to staff, but should not act alone to direct staff actions.
"One of my favorite reality TV shows is watching the Brainerd City Council," Curtis said, adding he believes Brainerd has issues with council members acting alone. Curtis, who has been on the council about five months, said council members get calls from the public and he has not run everything through the administrator.
That began a lengthy discussion of just where the fine line between getting information and directing staff was drawn.
Eggena said he believes the liaison should be the direct link between the city departments and the council and if a department head has a problem he should speak to the liaison first. If the liaison then wanted a full council meeting, he could call the mayor. Eggena made a motion stating the council liaison will be the direct link. Curtis seconded.
"This motion in effect does away with the city administrator," Swanson said. He noted that is where the council was nine years ago before Swenson was hired. "We were dysfunctional."
"We don't need to be micromanaging the staff," Swanson said. "We are here to give direction and see the ordinances are followed." Swanson said the motion needed to be defeated. "You are just undermining the city administrator. Maybe that's what council member Eggena wants."
Curtis said: "I have no intention of voting to eliminate the city administrator. ... Tom's not leaving. This is not Tom's going away party." Curtis said the council has drifted away from its accountability and responsibility and he wanted to do more than have a title and sit at the council table.
Eggena said his action was not to get rid of the city administrator.
Robert Hartman, police chief; Ken Anderson, community development director; Jon Henke, parks and recreation director; Ted Strand, public works director; Darlene Roach, clerk/treasurer; and residents all came to the podium to support Swenson. They stressed Swenson's professionalism and knowledge of issues that council members may not have. Swenson said department heads may be confused about who they report to and a liaison could give a strong "vibe" for a certain action or priority.
Eggena's motion was amended to say council members and mayors may have direct contact with department heads. It passed 3-2 with Andolshek and Swanson opposed.
"I'm finding this very appalling and embarrassing," Pat Netko, Crosslake, said of sitting in the meeting. "You need to get rid of your egos and get rid of your agendas." She pointed to the long regular council meetings that now run to 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. and all the special meetings. "The Crosslake City Council is becoming the talk of everyone."
As the three-hour mark approached and council members wanted to adjourn, Eggena said he still had about five state statutes to discuss. There were chuckles from the audience when he suggested another special session.
At the end of the meeting, Swenson said he wasn't prepared to debate whether an administrator was needed, but he was happy for the support and with the final outcome.
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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