|
Mounds View City Council January 24, 2000
<br />Regular Meeting Page 9
<br />
<br />
<br />Mayor Coughlin stated he was concerned regarding the accusations that have been thrown
<br />around, and has heard rumors of such, himself. He suggested however, in light of the State of
<br />the City address, and in having a good Christian attitude toward this, the Council take the high
<br />road, and simply assume that the individuals making these statements are ill informed. He
<br />explained that this would be preferable to calling people to come in, and subpoenaing them,
<br />thereby falling into the same play of “guilty until proven innocent.” He suggested that a kinder
<br />and gentler approach would be to sit down and clear the air with the membership of the Charter
<br />Commission that appears to have this problem with himself, or other members of the Council.
<br />
<br />Mayor Coughlin stated for the record, the people who have indicated their discontent have never,
<br />ever contacted him in this regard, or discussed these things with him. He pointed out that
<br />although there are a variety of means available to contact him, he has never heard from any of
<br />these people, therefore, he is concerned that allegations should be made, without having the
<br />opportunity to confront the accusers, which is a tradition of this Country.
<br />
<br />Mayor Coughlin stated he respected Mr. McCarty’s position, as a grandfather of the Charter, and
<br />having authored a portion of the document, however, it would be best to deal with this in a less
<br />confrontational manner, to determine if it is simply a bad misunderstanding
<br />
<br />Mr. McCarty stated he had no problem with this. He explained that he simply feels very strongly
<br />that the officials of the City, in particular, have a higher calling to accuracy and responsibility for
<br />what they publicly state, as these statements reflect back onto the City.
<br />
<br />Mr. McCarty indicated he was aware of the origin of this situation. He explained that the City
<br />Council had held team building seminars outside of City Hall, as did his council, the council
<br />before them, and council’s all around the Metropolitan area. He stated those team building
<br />seminars were conducted with appropriate notification to the public, and in fact, were attended
<br />by the public at one time, and out of this, some misperceptions have grown.
<br />
<br />Mr. McCarty stated he agreed with Mayor Coughlin, in that if the Charter Commission could
<br />come in and meet with the Council, and find some common ground, this would be a better
<br />solution. He pointed out however, the Council does have the authority, under the City Charter,
<br />to take testimony, administer oaths, and clear the air on behalf of the citizens of Mounds View,
<br />and if this is viewed as a last resort, he will bow to that decision.
<br />
<br />Mayor Coughlin stated that if there are just particular individuals who are having these problems,
<br />he would further suggest that instead of taking this matter to the level of a meeting between the
<br />two groups, he would publicly request these individuals contact him. He indicated that he is
<br />available at City Hall on Mondays, having set aside one day a week to meet with citizens. He
<br />explained that all day long, citizens come in and out of his office, and he encourages and enjoys
<br />this, because it provides him with the full pulse of the City. He added that he actually comes to
<br />City Hall almost every day, and would attempt to accommodate any work schedule to resolve
<br />this matter. He reiterated however, it would be best to deal with this in the least confrontational
<br />manner possible, recognizing that Section 2.08 of the Charter reserves the right of the Council to
<br />go beyond that if need be.
<br />
<br />Mr. McCarty requested the Council keep him abreast of what occurs in this regard. He stated he
<br />was hopeful for a positive outcome, however, he does not believe the Council can afford to let
|