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Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - City government security; discussion on background checks for commision and city council applicants - 1/1/200026A Apple Valley/Rosemount, Eagan Sun.Current/Wednesday, May 3, 2000 www.mnSun.com Checks: Councilmember also suggests expanding interviews From Page 1A "I was selling pizza for them as a fundraiser and here they were still re- quiring a background check." After undergoing her background check, Carlson started wondering if similar checks should be looked at by the city for positions on its volunteer commissions. Volunteer advisory commissions are filled by council appointment each Jan- uary. Volunteers advise the council on issues pertaining to areas such as zon- ing, parks, and economic development. "We are giving these people a lead- ership position in the city and that's something that we should take serious- ly," she said. While she said she wasn't sure ex- actly what form the background checks should take, Carlson said they should include criminal records and other checks of public record. The background checks would be limited to applicants who had been nar- rowed down to a pool of front runners, she said. Both Carlson and Mayor Pat Awada said before the city looked any further at background checks, it would have to make sure what kind of checks are al- lowed by law. The issue of background checks for commission members has divided the council, with Awada, Carlson and Paul Bakken open to discussing the idea and Councilmembers Sandra Masin and Awada Bea Blomquist opposed to the idea. Masin said the background checks are perfectly reasonable for volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults. However, she pointed out the re- quirements of the city's commission members do not include such work. "It's not necessary and it's not ap- propriate," Masin said. "It's an expensive process to begin with and it's also intruding on people's private lives." Masin and Blomquist also fear that by requiring applicants to undergo a background check, people will no longer volunteer to serve on city com- missions. This year 27 people applied for the city's 22 commission spots. "These people are willing to give up their time to serve their community and to make them give up personal in- formation to do that makes no sense," Masin said. The process shouldn't be limited to background checks, Carlson said. She also suggested that the inter- view process for commission applicants be expanded. When she applied for a position on the city's Planning Commission, her in- terview lasted 10 minutes, Carlson said. "I felt it was lacking and I think we should give people more of an op- portunity to visit with us," Carlson said. "I think we also need to start requir- ing resumes. I think the current process is just so much window dress- ing and I think the applicants would appreciate our attempt to get to know them better." Carlson said she originally brought up the possibility of background checks in November, but decided to hold off on pursuing it further when former parks commissioner Michael Vincent filed a lawsuit against the city, Carlson, Awada and Bakken. Vincent claimed in his lawsuit that the three council members violated the state Open Meeting Law by circulating a report on him compiled by a private investigator. Both sides agreed to settle the suit out of court last month, with the League of Minnesota City Insurance Trust paying $12,000 of Vincent's legal fees to end the legal proceedings. Since the dismissal, both sides have claimed victory in the suit. "I think there is some merit to the argument of looking more extensively into the backgrounds of our commis- sion applicants," Awada said. "It certainly would have been brought up sooner if not for the lawsuit and I think it's something the council could look at before too long." Carlson said in the wake of the law- suit's settlement, the issue should be given a rest before the council begins to discuss it more extensively. However, she said she planned to pursue a dis- cussion on background checks at one of the council's future workshop meet- ings. "These positions are a big deal," Carlson said. "They have a title now and we need to know whether they will use that title against the city. "We just need to be more willing to safeguard ourselves and the communi- ty." www.mnSun.com Apple Valley/Rosemount, Eagan Sun -Current Wednesday, May 3, 2000 25A Share Your Good News With Everyone! Call 392-6875for rates and information. Engagements MCCOMBS - SWANSON Rodger and Marcia McCombs of Minnetonka are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter Lisa Jane to Kevin Patrick, son of Mark and Kathy Swanson of Apple Valley. Lisa is a 1994 graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and graduated from North Dakota State University in 1999 with a double major in Food Science and Spanish. She is cur- GRIMSRUD - ZINCK Fred and Joy Grimsrud of Inver Grove Heights are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Tara Joy Grimsrud to Aaron Joseph Zinck, son of Lawrence and Sherrie Zinck of Boscobel, WI. Tara is a 1993 graduate of Simley High School and a 1997 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, River Falls with a BA degree in Elementary Education. FREDRICKSON - ANDRYSKI John and Sharon Knight of Minnetonka and Richard and Brigitte Andryski of Rosemount are pleased to announce the engagement of their children Jill Michelle Fredrickson to Christopher Horst Andryski. Jill is a 1994 graduate of Hopkins High School and a 1998 graduate of the University of Minnesota where she received NOKLEBY - DOLL Jim and Sandy Nokleby of Rosemount are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter Kristen Nicole to Mike Doll, son of Melvin and Mardis Doll of Garrison, MN. Kristen is a graduate of Rosemount High School and St. Cloud State University with a degree in Physical Education. She is currently teaching at Falcon Ridge Middle School in COLVIN - ELLINGSON Announcement is made of the engagement of Veronica Colvin and Scott Ellingson. Their parents are Duane and Kathy Colvin of Menomonie, WI and Tom and Gayle Ellingson of Eagan. Veronica graduated from Menomonie High School in 1992 and from UW-Eau Claire in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Physics/Math Education. She is employed by the School District EAGAN May 3, 2000 Jan Abbott/Sun Newspapers Favorite' opens May 4 i School presents "God's Favorite," a Neil Simon comedy, at 7:30 p.m. May 4 to 6. Joe played by Eric Fenstermaker) is the only one to see the trench -coated messger from )n Brook, far right), as his Long Island family endures the test of faith through a series phies resembling the Book of Job. The household includes siblings David (Brian J. and couch -bound Sarah (Amber Maser) and Ben (Kyle Stennes); Mady (Abi Magil) and t J. Meyer) and Joe's devoted wife Rose (Lindsey Orbzut). CaII 651-683-6964 for reserved INDEX . Opinion Page 4A Let It Be Known.:.Page 25A Worship Directory.. Page 24A Calendar Page 27A `Sports Page 28A Classifieds Page 18 City Council divided on background checks Carlson wants to look at checks on commissioners By Joshua Nichols Sun Newspapers Peggy Carlson, a member of the Eagan City Council, began thinking about background checks for commission appli- cants when she had to go through a check into her own background. "The reason I brought it up in the first place was that I had to fill out a background check to sit on the hockey board with the Eagan Athletic Association," Carlson said. CHECKS: To Page 26A s Police run, crisis drill at Eagan High School b• y Dan Gearino Staff Writer ` After the tragedy last year at Columbine High School in Littleton Colo., the Eagan Police Department has taken extra steps to prepare for violent intruders in public places. On May 2, the police ran a drill at Eagan High School, so that students, faculty, staff and police would know what to do in just such a crisis. The morning of the drill, teachers and students went over emergency procedures. The week before, parents received letters from the school telling of the drill. Eagan Police Capt. Jim McDonald helped organize the exercise. "We've been working with the schools for a couple months to plan for an incident like Columbine," McDonald said. Earlier in the year, the police ran through the drill during a school vacation day with EHS administrators. McDonald said that both the police and admin- istrators agreed that it would be beneficial to run the drill with students. See Crisis, 10A Crisis/Continued The May 2 scenario involved an armed intruder. A role player was used to play the assailant. The role player was dressed in bright orange and had no actual weapons. At 8:40 a.m., students were directed to exit the building along specified routes. By 9:15 a.m., the drill was over and everybody returned to class. "We are pleased with the way it went," McDonald said. Even though the drill was conducted at a school, McDonald said that the training could apply to hostage situa- tions at any corporate headquar- ters, government building or public place. "There's no building or busi- ness that's immune to this," he said. Eagan Police Chief Kent Therkelsen said he was pleased with how the drill went, but hopes that such exercises won't make parents and students too fearful of school violence. "We still view schools as the safest place that kids can be," Therkelsen said. "Our goal isn't to alarm. We just want to be pre- pared for something that will probably never happen." EHS Assistant Principal Polly Reikowski said that stu- dents have had many opportuni- ties to talk about school vio- lence in the classroom in the last year. She said that students have been repeatedly told of the importance of reporting class- mates who talk of committing violent acts. Reikowski described the drill as very orderly and very con- trolled. She said students exited the building along "safe" routes, then checked in with their teach- ers at predetermined locations outside.