Orono’s new elected leaders promised to end the drama that lingered over city hall in recent years: Controversial land deals. A lawsuit with a neighboring city. A contentious election fueled by thousands in campaign spending.
Orono’s new elected leaders promised to end turmoil. They’ll soon be put to the test.
A new mayor and council members are preparing to take over as Orono tries to bring more civility to meetings and end a fire department lawsuit with neighboring Long Lake.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 29, 2024 at 4:00PM
Those promises will quickly be put to the test as four new public officials take the helm in January and immediately face crucial decisions about the future of fire service and how they want to manage strained relationships within the city and with nearby communities.
“It’s a really big change,” said Council Member Alisa Benson, the only elected official returning to office in Orono next year. “Having a new council is going to be potentially more challenging, but I think everybody’s up to it.”
The transition comes at a pivotal time for the city of roughly 8,000, which borders portions of Lake Minnetonka and encircles the smaller city of Long Lake. The cities have been embroiled in a contentious lawsuit since Orono attempted to break off to form its own fire department.
The November elections drew thousands in campaign spending as residents debated the future of fire service, the merits of some land deals, and what sort of relationship they wanted to have with elected officials. Public meetings in Orono have at times been contentious, with public leaders and residents cursing at each other. Some have filed lawsuits against each other.
“There is usually nothing better on Netflix than an Orono City Council meeting,” said Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner, who is looking forward to the change.
The November races resulted in the election of three new leaders — Mayor Bob Tunheim and council members Jacqueline Ricks and Steve Persian — who campaigned together and promised to restore civility to local politics.
Tunheim, who overwhelmingly defeated longtime Mayor Dennis Walsh, is an attorney who previously led the Orono School Board. Ricks describes herself as a business owner with experience in property rentals and reconstruction. Persian is a former Long Lake fire chief. They replace Council Member Richard Crosby, who decided not to run for re-election, and Council Member Maria Veach, who lost.
Figuring out fire department’s future
The decisions the new leaders make will affect both their own community and neighboring Long Lake. The cities also share other services, such as water, sewer, post offices and polling places. People often live in one community and head to the other to dine or attend school.
“Most people, to be honest, they don’t know if they’re in Long Lake or if they’re in Orono,” Miner said. “The geographical boundaries are very blurry.”
Attorneys for both cities asked judges to postpone court proceedings in the lawsuit over fire service, saying they’re hopeful new leaders will be able to come to a resolution on their own.
In the months since the election, Tunheim said he and his new colleagues have participated in onboarding sessions meant to help them get up to speed on city operations. He said they’ve also set meetings with representatives for both cities' fire departments.
Miner said Long Lake’s long-term goal is to start a fire district that allows cities to collaborate on services. Tunheim said he hopes to work with Long Lake officials but “I don’t think from either side, anyone is taking hardline positions” at this stage.
Benson said she’s consistently opposed efforts to create an independent Orono fire department. Ricks and Persian didn’t respond to messages
While the fire department is high on Tunheim’s priority list, he said one of his biggest goals is to reset people’s expectations for how city leaders interact with them and to promote civility.
“For a community, it’s not a switch you can pull,” Tunheim said. “But, I think we can set a great example in how we treat people in our council meetings, and we’re resolved to that.”
He said public comment will move to the beginning of council meetings as opposed to the end, and will no longer be limited to 3 minutes. He plans to put fewer items on a consent agenda, in hopes that there will be more public discussion of big issues.
Questions about another election
Those commitments to civility could be tested early in their terms, as leaders decide what to do with another council seat. Council Member Matt Johnson resigned shortly after the November election and still had about two years left on his term.
City officials initially said they intended to hold a special election to fill Johnson’s seat. But in a meeting last month, outgoing Mayor Walsh appointed Claire Berrett, who was criticized by some for her role in a garden club that hosted a forum with Walsh during the election.
Berrett declined to comment. In the meeting when she was appointed, she said she was surprised and honored and promised to “always vote in the best interests of Orono and its citizens.”
In an interview, Tunheim said he believes the city is required by state law to hold a special election, though Walsh had said he interpreted state laws differently.
“We will be taking steps to do a special election,” Tunheim said in an interview, adding that he encourages Berrett to run if she’s interested. In the meantime, he said he intends to treat her like any other council member — with respect.
“I think we just want to really set the tone early on in our new administration that we are going to approach things very differently,” he said.
Some residents contend a plan to build eight courts at Alimagnet Park will worsen runoff into the fragile lake below. The city says mitigation efforts will mark the project.
