Thisweek Farmington and Lakeville

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‘Coffee Concerts’ return to the Lakeville Area Arts Center. See Thisweekend Page 12A

NEWS OPINION SPORTS

Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville JANUARY 7, 2011

VOLUME 31, NO. 45

www.thisweeklive.com

Public Notices/3A

Opinion/4A

Announcements/5A

Sports/6A

Classifieds/7A

Thisweekend/12A

Farmington city attorney to seek outside help with Burke misconduct investigation Legal fees for District 192 were initially more than $14,000, but were reduced to $10,000 by Aaron Vehling and Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Like a game of hot potato, Farmington School Board Member Tim Burke’s alleged misconduct case has been tossed around among attorneys from various jurisdictions. District 192 attorney Michael Waldspurger passed the case to Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom after Jim Martin, a private lawyer whom District 192 hired to investigate Burke, found in December there are possible grounds for criminal charges.

These charges are associated with possible misconduct attributed to Burke’s al- Burke leged treatment of district employees and possible communication of confidential personnel information from closed meetings. But Backstrom’s office announced last week it will not prosecute the case because it does not deal with non-felonies. It forwarded the case to Farmington City Attorney Joel Jamnik. The alleged offenses “are misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors,� said Chief Deputy Dakota County Attorney Phil Prokopowicz. “State law says those are handled by the

office of the city attorney.� But Jamnik will not pursue the case, either. At the Jan. 3 Farmington City Council meeting, Jamnik said he will seek outside council to review the case to avoid public perception of a conflict of interest. Costs for the investigation and prosecution would be borne by the city, a prospect that concerned council members who spent much of 2010 battling to cut an already tight 2011 budget. If charges against Burke are pursued, Jamnik added, “I don’t anticipate it to be a simple, cheap prosecution.� Council members asked if they had to move the case forward, but Jamnik said a decision whether to pursue charges can’t be made until all the informaSee Burke, 5A

Farmington council questions options Council members may request special meeting by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Several Farmington City Council members may request a special meeting to review city involvement in the investigation of a Farmington School Board member. On Jan. 3, City Council Photo by Laura Adelmann members were advised to At a Dec. 13 meeting, Farmington School Board Memrefer a thick investigative ber Tim Burke looked at part of the 700-page report on report on School Board the investigation into allegations he violated the school Member Tim Burke to anboard’s conduct codes and state data practices laws. The other attorney’s office to rest of the report is next to him on the desk. review for possible prosreferral to avoid the apHowever, some counecution. City Attorney Joel pearance of a conflict of cil members said after the Jamnik recommended the interest. See Council, 10A

194 Board stalemate is temporary Lakeville has new mayor, Keliher, Peterson vie for board chair position two new council members by Aaron Vehling

million in budget adjustments for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school year. Programs and staffing could be cut. The closure of a school in one of Lakeville’s low-enrollment neighborhoods is likely imminent.

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

After some politely heated discussion at a special meeting, the Lakeville School Board decided to put off electing a board chair until the first official board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 11. Current board chairwoman Judy Keliher is seeking a fourth year in that position. Board Member Roz Peterson, who has campaigned for the position in the past, is pursuing it again this year. The six-member School Board was tied three-to-three over the decision.

Keliher

Heated but cordial

Peterson

Kathy Lewis and Jim Skelly said they supported a “continuity of leadership� during a time of budget cuts and change in the district. Bob Erickson and Michelle Volk expressed support for Peterson to change up the leadership and offer a different direction. The district faces almost $16

A common refrain for those who supported Keliher maintaining her role was that with major changes coming up in the district, a board position status quo would provide an aura of stability, perhaps akin to the old adage regarding not changing horses midstream. See Stalemate, 4A

Former Sheriff Don Gudmundson swears in Bellows, Ratzlaff LaBeau, Little by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

It’s official: As of Monday, Jan. 3, Lakeville has a new mayor and two new City Council members. Former Dakota County Sheriff Don Gudmundson swore in Council Member Mark Bellows as mayor and Matt Little and Colleen Ratzlaff LaBeau as new council members.

Bartholomay takes oath of office Reiterates goal of bringing development to Farmington THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

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After Gudmundson swore him in, Bellows spoke of his mission as mayor and what he feels the city faces. “There is a clear message sent to every level of government – national, state and local: People want transparent and responsible leaders,� he said. Adding to that, Bellows said he wants to create an environment in which Lakeville is a more “business- and development-friendly city.� See Mayors, 10A

Rep. Garofalo eager as Legislature kicks off Farmington legislator scores key committee assignments

by Laura Adelmann Jason Bartholomay, Farmington’s newest city council member, took the oath of office Jan. 3. Bartholomay was elected to the council Nov. 2 with 2,151 votes or 19 percent of the ballots cast. He replaced Steve Wilson, a six-year incumbent, who earned 1,976 votes in the election. Upon taking his council seat, Bartholomay thanked many, including voters for participating in the election, city staff for helping to educate him on city issues and the Dakota County Chamber of Commerce for holding candidate forums. Bartholomay thanked other candidates who ran in the election, noting that some good ideas were suggested that he’d like to continue to explore as a council member. He also recognized Wilson for his years of service and his efforts to improve

Business-friendly

by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Photo by Laura Adelmann

Farmington City Administrator Peter Herlofsky administered the oath of office to new City Council Member Jason Bartholomay before the Jan. 3 council meeting. Looking on are City Council Member Julie May and Mayor Todd Larson. the city. Finally, Bartholomay reiterated his intent to work on attracting commercial development into Farmington. Previously, Bartholomay said he has good working relationships with business representatives who may be encouraged to

move or build in Farmington. Additionally, Bartholomay noted his intent to push for transparency and work hard for fiscal discipline. To fellow council members, Bartholomay said he looks forward to working

with them, but anticipates they won’t always see eyeto-eye. “But we will always have taxpayers in mind,� Bartholomay said. Laura Adelmann is at laura.adelmann@ecm-inc. com.

Driving to the Capitol on Tuesday morning, state Rep. Patrick Garofalo was eager to renew his oath of office and begin serving on committee assignments that take advantage of his “numbers guy� personality. The third-term Farmington Republican expressed excitement to be part of the national shift right that gave Democrats a shellacking in November. “This is the most proreform Legislature I’ve seen since I was elected. I’m looking forward to that,� Garofalo said. And, this session, some prime committee assignments appear to hold opportunities for him to become an advocate for change. For example, he said his appointment as chair of the House Education Finance Committee is “a

good opportunity to reform public education, to do things differently and to fo- Pat Garofalo cus on accountability.� Garofalo said there should be a focus on results rather than how much money is spent for education. He added he has no plans to cut education funding, but said that decision will be based on the February state budget forecast, which he predicted would have a brighter outlook because the economy is picking up. “More jobs equals more revenue income for the state and less (use of) state services,� Garofalo said. While optimistic about an economic upswing, he said cuts may eventually be needed. “I think raising taxes on job providers is a bad idea,� he said. “We’re better off by cutting spending See Garofalo, 3A

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