Letters to the editor

Medina police respond to Hecker article It was recently reported in an April 16 article of the Star Tribune titled, "Trustee calls for U.S. marshals to get Denny Hecker goodies," that the Medina Police Department refused to respond to a request from the bankruptcy trustee in charge of liquidating Denny Hecker's possessions to take property from the Medina home Denny Hecker shares with his girlfriend, Christi Rowan.

The article inadvertently created the impression that the Medina Police Department was refusing to cooperate with a court order.

The bankruptcy trustee in charge of the liquidation of Rowan's assets had made a request of the Medina Police Department to assist with the enforcement of the court order. The Medina Police referred the trustee to the federal marshals due to the fact that it is a federal civil case.

Medina Police did not have jurisdiction to enforce the order. The federal marshals have federal jurisdiction for such orders.

Furthermore, in the event this matter was a state civil order, the jurisdiction would fall to the Hennepin County Civil Division, not to the local police.

CHIEF ED BELLAND

MEDINA POLICE

City council member defended vs. critics If you ever wondered what makes feminists, a survey of the Star Tribune article on Minneapolis City Council Member Diane Hofstede ("Work faulted by colleagues, constituents," March 3 Star Tribune West Extra and North Extra sections) is a good beginning.

She won overwhelmingly, but the guys don't like her. Note that eight men's names are bold-faced in that column vs. two women, one of whom admires Hofstede.

Diane doesn't return phone calls, the guys complain. Sounds like spurned swains whining. I remember that complaint being made about Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton as well.

Contrast the story about Diane with the rather admiring one (in the same Star Tribune edition) about Rahm Emanuel, known for his foul language and hanging up on callers. Imagine the story if Diane used foul language -- and somehow, there's no mention of how Rahm Emanuel treats employees.

Contrast those with the complimentary story (in the same issue) of Pam Mondale's new store. One gets the impression it's fine for a woman to be selling household goods, but elected women, including Councilwoman Barbara Johnson, get bad press.

Maybe the voters know something the media doesn't.

ARVONNE FRASER

MINNEAPOLIS

Column gave critics an undue soapbox I would like to comment on a March 3 article written by Steve Brandt and published in the Star Tribune attempting to take Minneapolis City Council Member Diane Hofstede to task over her management style and effectiveness.

The controversial story, "Faulted By Colleagues and Constituents," cobbled from a select half-dozen interviews and written under the guise of "perceived shortcomings," illustrates that by framing a story and leveraging points of view or opinion, it's possible to achieve a pre-determined outcome.

Note that effective management in business or government involves a decision-making process, which by its nature will often leave some groups or individuals disappointed in the resulting policy or legislated outcome. I would think, with all due respect to the columnist, locating and offering a soapbox to a number of less-than-happy co-workers or voters in a diverse community of 25,000 would not require the re-invention of Sherlock Holmes.

If last November's city and Third Ward elections were a referendum on management, commitment and leadership, then voters resoundingly reaffirmed Diane Hofstede's qualifications and accomplishments.

ROBERT MARGL

MINNEAPOLIS