04/22/1996 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 22, 1996 Ms. Gatchell said that Council Member Lyden came up a the "kiss" theory, keep it simple stupid. She asked him who he was calling stupid when he said "keep it simple stupid"? Council Member Lyden said that was a mistake. He explained that in graduate school it was impressed on the students that if there was a way to do anything simply and effectively, do not open a "can of worms" as he felt the City Council did when using the particular process that was used in the past few years to select board members. Ms. Gatchell said that she did not appreciate Council Member Kuether laughing at her constituents (Council Member Neal) when they made comments or suggestions. She did not think that was professional and ethical. Ms. Gatchell was referring to Council Member Neal's request to hold a circus in Lino Lakes. She said that Council Member Kuether laughed at the request and also laughed when members of the audience walked out of the meeting. Ms. Gatchell asked why does the City Council have to alienate the citizens of this community? The community expects this Council to work as a team. This community is not getting much for their money. Ms. Gatchell addressed Mayor Landers and said he is stifling public comments so that he could get through the agenda. She said that the citizens are paying for this time. The citizens do not want quantity, they want quality. Judi Brauns, 6625 Sherman Lake Road - Ms. Brauns read a statement addressed to the City Council and Mr. Mike Trehus. She said that she would like to share her observations regarding the appointment process to City boards and commissions and felt it was better to speak to the City Council than to write a letter to the editor. Ms. Brauns explained that she moved to Lino Lakes in July, 1995. A few months later she saw a request in the local newspaper for applicants to the Planning and Zoning Board. She explained that with many years of civic involvement as both a member and chairperson of city commissions involving planning and development, she applied immediately, not expecting to be appointed, but to offer her experience and help and to learn more about the board appointment process in Lino Lakes. Ms. Brauns said she probably learned more than what she wanted to know. Ms. Brauns said that late last month she received a telephone call from Dan Tesch at City Hall to say that she had been appointed to one of the three vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Board. However, there had been a mathematical error and that she was actually in fourth place not third. Ms. Brauns said that as a teacher, she had a real hard time with the math error business. She said that her goal was and still is to help her new home town, and offered to withdraw her name but was asked not to do so. The next week Ms. Brauns read in the local newspaper that because she was appointed to fill a Planning and Zoning Board vacancy, she was accused of cronyism. The letter to the editor stated that must be the reason for her appointment. Ms. Braun said that not only did she not work on the Landers/Lyden campaign, she had never met any member of the City Council prior to the interview for the Planning and Zoning Board position. Ms. Brauns said that those initial charges were annoying however, the following weeks paper contained a letter to the editor questioning why a new resident from out of state would ever be appointed. Did the concept of qualification and experience not occur to this writer? Ms. Brauns said that this letter to the editor went on to say, why were her references not checked. She said that her concern is how is it PAGE 3