Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Eagan City Council dysfunctional - 11/22/2000
Council/Continued a OPEN met for the first time
Jan.5. About 30 people showed
scenes" of which residents are up for the inaugural meeting,
not being informed. including two of five council
"You all have your individual members, though all were invit-
views and sometimes you're ed.
going to agree and sometimes According to its flyers, the
you're not," said Crawford. group was organized to provide
One resident asked what he residents a place where they can
could do as a citizen to enhance discuss city government and its
the council's system and stated processes.
$ s
council disagreements should In an interview, Widmar said
not be a matter of personality, many residents in Eagan feel
and all personal issues "should they are not being listened to by
be checked at the door." Paul Bakken the city and the City Council Pat Awada
"The impression of what we and they are afraid to voice their
see going on is not a good one," trash from a resident's curb. The concerns and take' part in city Awada.
said resident Phil Soucheray. resident, Michael Vincent, was committees. Masin said she was
"People do not feel they-are wel- later charged with the forgery of "You will have people who impressed by the group's first
come to bring their issues for- a letter about Mayor Pat Awada. say that, and I think that has meeting and that it represented a
ward. Something is wrong with The charge stemmed from evi- happened," said Council diverse population of Eagan.
the process. Just rise above the dence found in the trash taken Member Sandra Masin, who The feedback she received
attacks." by Bakken and from a search of attended the meeting. from the meeting was that peo-
Council Member Peggy the resident's home by police. "I am making a very neutral ple feel the city and council
Carlson said, "It's enlightening Bakken has taken some hits place in this town for an evening need to be more clear and spe-
to hear people say Eagan isn't recently in letters to the editor where the truth is the truth and cific when discussing issues,
open." questioning his ethics and alleg- public record is public record," rather than making vague com-,
She went on to. list the efforts ing that he interfered with a said Widmar. "I'm trying to fos- ments or referring to issues
the council has made to make its police investigation. A cartoon ter some interest to let citizens strictly by the agenda number.
actions public knowledge, depicting Bakken rifling have a voice outside of the polit- "We do need to be consis-
including televising workshops, through a trash can and Awada ical structure." tently nudged to be more specif-
creating the agenda hotline and looking on has also been circu- However, Awada questions is when we're making com-
installing a "visitors to - be lating through the city and has the neutrality of this organiza- ments," said Masin. "I think we
heard" segment at every council appeared on a leaflet from tion because Widmar worked on take too many things for grant-
meeting and adding one at the Eagan OPEN. Masin•'s campaign when she ran ed."
end of regular council meetings. At the meeting, Bakken said for state representative last fall. Blomquist said she attended
"I've been on the brunt of the he is not concerned about his She also questioned Masin's and the meeting because she was
other side trying to open the reputation and that his first pri- Council Member Bea invited. She said though she
door," said Carlson. "To be ority is the city of Eagan. He Blomquist's presence at the knows a few people involved in
heard, all you have to do is put a said his action of taking the meeting. • the group, she is not affiliated
little effort in it yourself." trash was the result of anger and "This is not a watchdog with them in any way.
Former long-time council disgust. group," said Awada. She said the From her standpoint, Eagan
member Ted Wachter asked the "I'm very angry with the people behind Eagan OPEN are OPEN is off to a good start but
council to at least try to cooper- negative attitude in this city and the same people who have been where it will go "remains to be
ate, noting the number of I'm disgusted with the people mad at the city for years. seen," she said.
actions the council makes with who are causing it," said "I suspect they are frustrat- If the group talks about
abstentions and "no" votes. Bakken. "It's got to end. If I ed," said Awada. "It's too bad process, "I see nothing bad with
"I have a number of con- have to be the one to fall on my they couldn't do this in a more that," said Blomquist. "Policy
cerns, concerns that are very sword to clean it up, so be it." positive manner. They are a really needs to be reworked at
deep," said Wachter. "The coun- Bakken went on to say he is small group creating controver- the council level and if they
cil should not be in such a con- willing to sully his own reputa- sy." want to help that, let's applaud
dition. If this continues, we're tion in order to preserve the She went on to say that she them."
going to lose our good staff. city's. However, he refused to would welcome any community
There's still time. Get off your go into any details concerning group that is truly nonpartisan to
agenda. Do the right thing for t e iocident because of •
P»$, otgaett~. Because of the• aeon
Eagan residents."
nection to Masin and the use of
Residents also ques the "I seed to be caref
doned
~ 1. cal cartoon th front
*AW Q
*0"t happ si s M the city, salt. it . soy'
a lawsuit against the $
°g at• : the nature of span
Pty and three council members , "If this group tat ? turn
here r
ncdent ou
and an i w ' S 4 t a into a nonpartisan grbvp, Qmn :f
Paul Bakken toO1t tie
n think that's a good th' said