Northfield Mayor Lee Lansing said Tuesday that he has no plans to step aside after an investigator's report found that he abused his power by working behind the scenes to promote personal and family interests.
The mayor said that he was "dumbfounded" by the findings, which were presented to the City Council on Monday night, and that if he did act improperly, it was "certainly not intentionally."
The findings are the latest troubling news for the college town, where the mayor sued the City Council this fall and the police chief shocked residents this summer by telling them that hundreds of young people might be on heroin.
Monday's report fueled frustrations and raised questions about whether a shake-up at City Hall is on the horizon.
"I'm hearing my constituents complain, 'Why hasn't the mayor resigned?'" said City Council Member Jon Denison.
And John Hertogs, a Northfield resident for 24 years who lives just down the street from the mayor, said the whole thing is "out of control."
"I think we should wipe the slate clean," he said Tuesday night. "The mayor, the City Council and the city administrator. We need to start over."
Lansing, 61, a longtime resident of Northfield and local businessman, was elected in 2004 and will be up for reelection next fall along with three of the City Council members.