Amid calls to resign, Robbinsdale City Council member charged with DWI plans to stay in office

Robbinsdale City Council Member Tyler Kline said Thursday that his not guilty plea to charges of fleeing police and drunken driving doesn't mean he did everything right the night he was arrested last month.

But Kline added that he plans to stay on the council, despite calls for him to step down and a recall petition being organized to remove him from office if he refuses to leave.

Kline, 38, made his first court appearance Wednesday on one felony charge of fleeing police and two misdemeanor drunken driving charges. He was arrested Jan. 24 after police say he drove the wrong way on Hwy. 100, fleeing from them and then allegedly refusing to step outside the vehicle.

Charging documents state his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

"I clearly made a pretty horrible choice and I'm full of regret. I put plenty of people in danger by my actions on that night," Kline said Thursday during a lunch break from his virtual outpatient treatment with Hazelden. "I'm only a month into my sobriety, but ... I feel good about my record when it comes to my votes."

A June trial date has been set, but Kline said his attorney anticipates being in front of Hennepin District Court Judge Tamara Garcia before then with a plea agreement.

In the wake of the charges, Kline resigned his position as legislative assistant for Sen. Ann Rest, D-New Hope, saying it was voluntary and "the right choice for me and my family."

Asked why he then thought it was the right choice to remain on the council, Kline — who was elected in 2020 — said he believes that he's done good work for Robbinsdale during his first year in office and would like to carry out the remaining three years of his term.

Some residents have noted that Kline was convicted of drunken driving in 2010. "That was a one time thing, I thought it was," he said.

If Kline is convicted of a felony, the five-member council can vacate his seat with a majority vote. Council Members Pat Backen and George Selman have said he should step down, and each said Thursday that they would have resigned immediately if they were in Kline's place.

Selman called the episode "disappointing" and said he was glad Kline was getting help, but added: "There is really no room in city government for this level of a violation and still have credibility. It impacts all of our credibility."

Council Member Sheila Webb said at a meeting earlier this month that she doesn't "believe in pouring water on a drowning man," but added that the incident has been a distraction from normal city business.

"It was miraculous that not only [Kline] survived but that others weren't caught in the midst of that devastation," she said.

Mayor Bill Blonigan did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, former Robbinsdale Mayor Regan Murphy is helping organize an effort to recall Kline in the event he doesn't resign. Murphy is coordinating a group of more than 100 residents to collect signatures door-to-door once the city authorizes a recall petition.

But Murphy said he hopes that Kline will step down before then, adding that it took some time before Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson said he wouldn't seek reelection after a drunken driving crash in December.

Because this is a redistricting year, a recall election can't take place until August, City Manager Marcia Glick said. Once the city OKs the petition, organizers would have 30 days to collect the roughly 650 signatures needed in Kline's First Ward for a ballot question asking voters whether he should be removed from office and if so, who should fill out his term.

Glick said she wasn't aware of a previous recall in Robbinsdale.

"It's just egregious. It's embarrassing," Murphy said. "To have a leader that we should be holding to a higher expectation to commit those crimes and then not step down ... What he's doing is very selfish, and he's not doing what is best for Robbinsdale."