11-19-02 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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1. AGENDA M/S/P Siedow/Dunn — to approve the November 19, 2002 City Council agenda, as amended. (Motion passed 5-0). 2. MINUTES: November 6, 2002 M/S/P DeLapp/Dunn — to approve the November 6, 2002 City Council minutes, as amended. (Motion passed 5-0.) 3. PUBLIC INOUIRES/INFORMATIONAL: Dean Johnston, 8200 Hill Trail N. Dean Johnston stated the reason he was at this Council meeting was because of inaccurate comments made at the November 6th meeting. Dean explained that four months ago he started running for City Council and concentrated on running a positive and constructive campaign. In doing so, he attended council meetings and observations were made relative to the termination of Mary Kueffner. There were general allegations, no facts, and several motions to terminate by Rosemary Armstrong and Steve DeLapp. Dean said he heard from Mary Kueffner that if I did something wrong, please tell me what it is. He considered that a situation where Mary was treated unfairly, and that is not how people should be treated. At a Council meeting, immediately prior to the announcement of the missing $40,000, there was a workshop. After the workshop, Dean said he went to Hagbergs and ran into Steve DeLapp and his campaign manager. When he came back to the meeting, Dean sat down in front of the campaign manager. This was a meeting with a presentation by Steve DeLapp citing the problems at City Hall, with no specifics, just generalities. Dean stated someone tapped him on the shoulder, and it happened to be Steve's campaign manager. She asked him if he knew what this was all about. Dean answered that he thought so ... that he knew Steve tried to fire Mary a couple times before. Without further prompting, he said he was told there was $40,000 missing, and Mary is the one of the few people that could have taken it. Dean said he had not solicited comment. The next morning Dean said he called Mary and repeated what he was told, but refused to divulge the source. One of his concerns, he said, was that it was a private comment and not a public comment. Dean said he did not know what happened after that. His point was that he didn't initiate a rumor, he didn't repeat a rumor, and he simply stood up for someone that he thought was being treated unfairly and unprofessionally. Dean felt he was unjustly accused of involvement in this. Council Member Armstrong: She explained she listened to the tape with the investigating sheriff's deputy who asked Dean Johnston, point blank, if Steve DeLapp was involved, and Dean had said that Steve was not involved. Dean Johnston responded that he had no information that suggested Steve was involved. LAKE ELMO COUNCIL MINUTES NOVEMBER 19, 2002 2