South St. Paul residents call for council member to resign amid investigation into day care she owns

Tensions flared at a routine South St. Paul City Council meeting as some residents demanded Council Member Pam Bakken resign amid questions about safety at an in-home day care she runs.

But a contingent of supporters slammed Bakken’s detractors for passing judgment before an investigation is complete, calling the push for her to step down premature.

At issue Tuesday night was a home day care Bakken has owned and operated in the south metro for more than two decades, according to a biography.

In December, the state Department of Human Services (DHS) temporarily suspended Bakken’s license to provide family child care for up to 14 kids at a house in the 300 block of Grand Avenue W. According to candidacy records filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, the address is Bakken’s primary residence.

The DHS order, which contains few details, is based on the recommendation of Dakota County Community Services and states the children in Bakken’s care are in “imminent risk of harm.”

Dakota County is continuing to investigate her program, according to the order, which was filed Dec. 9. Bakken didn’t respond to an interview request from the Minnesota Star Tribune.

On Tuesday night, she faced a packed crowd at City Hall as community members took turns sounding alarms about her day care and praising her character during a tense public comment period that stretched for more than a half hour.

The department’s suspension of Bakken’s license didn’t generate much attention until residents began posting about it this month on social media.

DHS documents don’t indicate what exactly transpired to prompt the order. Lakeville Police Chief Brad Paulson told the Star Tribune his department is investigating an incident at a day care in which a child was potentially exposed to a harmful substance.

Paulson said the South St. Paul Police Department asked Lakeville officers to look into the incident in December, though he declined to provide more detail because the investigation is open. South St. Paul Police Chief Brian Wicke didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Outstanding questions about the episode at Bakken’s day care didn’t stop some residents from challenging her fitness to hold office. Nicole Larson pressed Bakken, who was elected to council in 2020, to take a temporary administrative leave or resign. Larson also criticized the city for not acknowledging the ongoing investigation.

“I urge you to speak your truth and the city to issue a statement,” Larson said.

She was one of six residents, including a man who previously sent his child to Bakken’s day care, who asked Bakken to step down.

People supporting Bakken also filled the room. When Nicole Delfino Jansen asked attendees who backed the council member to rise, nearly a dozen people stood up. Scanning the crowd, Bakken began to wipe away tears.

Among her supporters was Brandon Lambert, a South St. Paul English teacher who entrusted his two kids to Bakken’s care. He praised her ethics and morals as Mayor Jimmy Francis and the rest of council looked on.

“These are allegations at the moment, and to suggest she has to step away from her life because of an accusation floors me,” said Lambert, calling some of the rumors circulating on social media “spurious.”

Sharon Dewey, a former South St. Paul Council Member, echoed the English teacher.

“I’m not willing to partake in character assassination... without having all the information,” she said.

In recent years, DHS has taken action against scores of day cares across Minnesota. The department issued 127 temporary license suspensions to family child care providers across the state over the last four years.

At the beginning of 2025, there were nearly 5,800 family child care providers in the state and almost 1,800 child care centers, according to a DHS spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman said a commissioner will make a final decision on the outcome of Bakken’s licensure suspension once an investigation concludes. That finding will occur within about 90 days, the spokeswoman added, unless Bakken appeals the temporary suspension.