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.