Orono mayor’s race draws big dollars, political drama

Election season has clearly arrived in Orono as the city prepares for its first contested mayor’s race in eight years.

It comes with everything you might expect: Flyers with bold claims landing in residents’ mailboxes. Yard signs dotting the roadside on the drive along Lake Minnetonka. But the race for the small city mayor’s post is also garnering tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations as residents debate contentious issues like the future of their fire department and how officials should behave.

The divisions on display are “a mirroring copy of the national picture, and I am heartbroken about it,” said former Mayor Gabriel Jabbour, who has been critical of the administration of Mayor Dennis Walsh but says he’s excited about the challenger.

Former Orono school board chair Bob Tunheim, an attorney, filed last month to run against Walsh, whose tenure has been passionately debated. Both candidates are pitching themselves as leaders who will value civility, be responsible stewards of taxpayer money and run operations better than their competitor.

Orono is home to about 8,000 people, and the town surrounds the city of Long Lake. The two cities are locked in a lawsuit and face a trial next year, as Long Lake officials accuse Orono of trying to poach their firefighters after Orono broke off to form its own department.

Some residents and business owners have also questioned the value of a new public works facility or deals that transferred Lake Minnetonka property rights to city officials. Public meetings have at times devolved into shouting, with speakers and elected leaders trading pointed words or suing each other.

Tunheim, brother of U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, said he decided to run after hearing from people who were disgruntled with the current city leaders and noticing that no one else had signed up.

“I’m kind of looking at this as there is a need in Orono,” Bob Tunheim said. “And, how can I not step up and use my gifts to make the city a better place?”

If elected, he says his number one priority will be to address “the lack of civility” and ensure that residents with opposing views are treated well. He says he will aim to be more transparent about government spending decisions and to balance expenses with concerns about residents’ rising property values driving up their tax bills. He also has questions about the plan to set up a new fire department, noting that many other cities have chosen to consolidate services rather than form new ones of their own.

Jabbour, the former mayor, said he’s excited by Tunheim’s candidacy and hopes the election will usher in new officials who will work to repair relationships with other communities.

“I am absolutely embarrassed to [see] the image that we are leaving in the greater state of Minnesota,” he said.

Incumbent Walsh said he is running for one last term and, “I want to make sure we have great people to be able to take over down the road.”

Walsh pitches himself as a candidate who tightened up city finances and attempted to update plans. He defended the decision to build a new public works facility, saying the other one was decades old and the city had added services since it was built. He said Orono’s tax rates are lower than those in some surrounding communities.

Orono is gearing up for a trial with Long Lake and has twice been held in contempt of court for recruiting from the smaller city’s department. Walsh said Orono accounted for much of the fire department’s business and the choice to form a new one was part of an effort to make sure Orono “can use best practices and make sure everything is done right.”

Walsh said he believes that he has support from residents and that some of the criticism he faces comes from activists who live elsewhere or former officials who are “just jealous that I did all that.”

His campaign website includes testimonials from a handful of current and former council members, including Matt Johnson, who is on the council now. Johnson said he appreciates the time Walsh has put into the job, his commitment to getting residents’ opinions on issues like parks, and his efforts to streamline some government processes so employees can handle issues like permits faster.

“He cares about the future of this community,” Johnson said. “That’s important.”

The mayor presides over Council meetings, serves as a spokesperson for Orono and can declare emergencies, if needed. The position pays $4,200 per year. Already, local elections have drawn more in campaign donations.

A new political committee called Preserve Orono raised $30,000 as of late July, the bulk coming from a former Target executive and a marina owner, according to filings with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.

Ron Esau, the group’s chair, said in a statement: “Preserve Orono is a grassroots group of concerned citizens who want to keep Orono safe, sane, and secure. That’s all we have at the present time.”

A mailer from the group accused Tunheim of being a self-serving bully and encouraged people to vote for Walsh. Tunheim said he anticipated those kinds of attacks, but he and his supporters say the accusations are unfounded.

Walsh said, “I am not working with that group.”

He said it’s too early to tell how the influx of money might affect the race, noting that the town is small enough it doesn’t tend to attract polls.

Tunheim said he anticipated it would be a contentious campaign and he expects more drama as Election Day draws closer: “I don’t know all the nastiness to come, but there is going to be more, I’m sure.”