Minutes - 2019/06/10 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council June 10, 2019 Regular Meeting Page 4 Charter members. He noted the Council was very careful not to mention names. He was of the opinion that the actions of Jonathan Thomas do not warrant a character assassination of a man that has an otherwise good reputation. Barbara Smith, 2090 Burke Avenue in North St. Paul, stated Jonathan Thomas was her father. She stated she was not hear to speak to the character of her father because he had enough people in attendance to speak to that. She reported she was a member of a small, select group that has served as a Councilmember and on the Charter Commission. Rather, she directed her comments to the Council and noted the Charter Commission was a separate body for a reason. She noted there has been contention between the City Council and the Charter Commission for years. She encouraged the Council to be civil and to handle matters professionally. She stated she believed in the work being done by the Charter Commission even though she no longer lives in the community. She encouraged the City Council to not lose the value of the Charter Commission but rather to work together for the betterment of the community. Jerry Peterson, 8125 Red Oak Drive, stated he has been on the Charter Commission for just over four years. He explained during this time he has not seen the type of behavior that was falsely accused by the City Council at their June 3rd worksession meeting. He wondered where the Council got this information. He stated he was shocked by the Council’s behavior at the June 3rd worksession meeting. He indicated each Councilmember made false statements about the Charter Commission members. He commented on a report that was provided to the Council at the worksession meeting and requested this report be provided to the public. He stated the work on the Charter Commission was tedious and somewhat boring. He feared the Council had created such a hostile environment that residents would not want to serve on the Charter Commission. He questioned why the Council had violated their own code of ethics and stated he looked forward to receiving a report from City staff. Wudnesh Gelett Etaffa, 8106 Groveland Road, stated she lived three houses down from Jonathan Thomas’s home. She explained she bought her home in 1997. She discussed her experiences with Jonathan over the years and stated he was a man of high integrity that was always willing to help his friends and neighbors. She stated she was a Christian that moved to the United States from Ethiopia. She indicated she has never seen a person walking the Word of God like Jonathan Thomas. Barbara Haake, 3024 County Road I, stated she has lived in Mounds View for the past 53 years. She explained she watched the May 21st Charter Commission meeting, along with the June 3rd Council worksession. She indicated she did not see anything that was disrespectful but noted the respect of the Mounds View citizens still had to be taken into consideration. She questioned why this was being brought out in such a public forum. She stated it may have been better for the Council to discuss the issues directly with Jonathan Thomas and Brian Amundsen, versus the manner in which the Council proceeded. She feared if the Council had some other ulterior motive. She explained she appreciated the City’s Charter and the work that had been done by Mr. Thomas and Mr. Amundsen.