Bitter disputes in Orono as unhappy residents confront mayor and council

The wealthy Lake Minnetonka suburb of Orono has long been the genteel home to Minnesota dynasties such as the Pillsburys, Crosbys and Daytons, a place where power brokers worked quietly behind the scenes.

But in recent months, an ongoing clash between city officials and a determined group of critics has turned typically dull City Council meetings into dramatic confrontations featuring shouting, threats and displays of theatrical defiance by both sides.

In recent council meetings, Orono Mayor Dennis Walsh has cursed a member of the public and sneeringly called former city officials "clowns." He pounds his gavel furiously when a speaker's allotted three minutes expire during public comment sessions.

At a June meeting, when Jay Nygard — a former Orono council member and one of Walsh's loudest critics — got up to speak, Walsh opened a newspaper and buried his nose in it for Nygard's entire three minutes.

The clashes revolve largely around a series of land deals the city has recently made or attempted to make, as well as criticism of Walsh's plan for Orono to start its own fire department after more than a century of using the service from neighboring Long Lake.

Walsh says the furor is the work of a small group of "crazies," some of whom have threatened him. At Monday's regular council meeting, Walsh took time to publicly describe some of the "dark, threatening" attacks that he said have left him fearful for the safety of his family, the city staff and fellow council members.

"This is about to take a real nasty turn, the kind you do not recover from," Walsh read aloud from an email he had received.

Some of the texts he's received are of such a vile, sexual nature that he couldn't read them out loud, Walsh said, adding that he's turned those texts over to the city attorney.

"Obviously, these things aren't policy-related," Walsh said in an interview. "They're personal. There are these behind-the scenes issues that are just relevant to four people."

Yet Walsh's critics — not all of whom are in the usual group that speaks at council meetings — say that his own actions fuel the flames.

"You're supposed to be the voice and leader of this city. How can you do this?" said Tim Hultmann, former mayor of neighboring Long Lake and one of the people Walsh dubbed a clown. "The people in this area say, 'Let's go watch the circus.' "

Land deals in question

In one of the controversial land deals, the city signed over a Lake Minnetonka right-of-way access to Bob Erickson, a member of the city's Planning Commission and a donor (with his wife) to Walsh's mayoral campaigns.

Erickson owned lots on either side of the right of way, and the city's abdication of the land allowed him to combine his properties. In return, Erickson made a donation of $100,000 to the city's park fund.

The city engineer and the state Department of Natural Resources opposed the deal, but the Orono planning staff signed off on it and the City Council approved it.

Lili McMillan, a former Orono mayor whom Walsh defeated in 2016, said that kind of deal never would have happened when she was mayor.

"This was taxpayer's land," she said. "We didn't give it away unless there was some crushing need to do so. If some need comes up, you'll never get it back.

"The previous councils were all about, we don't give this land away. We don't care how much people offer."

Walsh said the right-of-way on Stubbs Bay was among several in the area and wasn't needed any longer. The shoreline was swampy and inaccessible, he said, and giving Erickson the property allowed him to "clean up" the area by demolishing several homes and combining properties.

Critics also have faulted Walsh and the council for entertaining a proposal to allow a rowing club to build a boathouse at Summit Beach Park on Long Lake, land donated to the city by the Dayton family. After public opposition, including by former Gov. Mark Dayton, the proposal was tabled.

Controversy also has arisen over the city's decision to allow a mountain bike trail to be built in Bederwood Park. Barbara Schmidt, who lives next to the park, is suing the city over the trail plan and is another frequent attendee at council meetings.

Future of the fire department

Another contentious issue is the fire department shared by the cities of Long Lake and Orono. For more than 100 years, the Long Lake Fire Department has provided fire service to Orono under a joint services agreement, with each city paying proportionate to its use.

That worked when Orono was much smaller. But now, with Orono's population about six times the size of Long Lake's, Orono is paying about 85% of the cost of the joint department. Orono recently gave notice, as provided for in the contract, that it will terminate its participation at the end of 2025 as it makes plans for its own fire department.

That's upset some Long Lake residents, who say their larger sister city and its leaders are power-hungry.

Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner, noting that the cities are still negotiating the fire district relationship, was hesitant to criticize the actions of Orono leadership.

"Due to the delicacy of our negotiations going on now, I don't really want to say too much about it, because many Orono residents already have," Miner said.

Hultmann, the former Long Lake mayor, wasn't as hesitant.

"Orono never had any real issues [with fire service] until this Walsh took over," he said. "And they decided they should take over immediately.

"He's just totally on a power trip," Hultmann said of Walsh.

Walsh said he's proud of his six-year tenure as mayor. The city has improved its parks and its finances are in better order. For the first time, Walsh said, the city has a dedicated road fund that's not dependent on periodic property assessments. Orono has a triple-A bond rating, he added, and has been catching up on sewer, water and infrastructure projects neglected under his predecessors.

"I put things back on the right track, and we have not had to raise our tax capacity in 10 years," Walsh said. "I think some mayors might be a little bit jealous."