City Council conflict of interest letter, full text
Full text as sent. Published October 15, with edits.
Editor -
If you like your political wrongdoing nice and simple, then last Monday’s city council meeting did not disappoint. While the ongoing saga of the Kirkbride brought out the residents, the jaw-dropping moment of the night went to the brothers Synstelien, Randy and Stan.
Following a review of the 2015 city fee schedule, Ward 4 councilman Randy Synstelien spoke against the proposed increase in rental property registration fees and moved that it be removed from the 2015 schedule and studied some more, while approving the remainder of the fees. Before this suggestion had even the time to rattle around in the stunned heads of those in attendance, Stan Synstelien (Ward 1) seconded the motion. A discussion was held, background on the fee-funded rental inspection program given by the Public Works Director, and a work session was proposed, but comments by Randy included the suggestion that such a program is an example of “government overreach” and that if concerned tenants want their properties inspected, they should pay for the inspection out of their own pocket. One can imagine that those who are forced to live in such sub-optimal conditions would feel otherwise.
Concerning rental properties, it is from a position of experience, if not quite political tact, that the Synsteliens speak. According to an analysis of the 2014 tax rolls for the city of Fergus Falls, when it comes to rental properties, the Synstelien family is the largest non-governmental, non-corporate property owner in the city. Our Ward 1 and Ward 4 representatives, along with their brother (and 2012 mayoral candidate) Daryl own at least 10 properties that are not their primary residences, many of which are multi-family. Add in the 11 residential care facilities owned by Synstelien Enterprises, and one can see where a large portion of the family interests (and perhaps income) lie.
Had Randy and Stan recused themselves from the discussion of the fee schedule and simply stepped down from their position on the council dias and addressed the matter as citizens with an interest to protect, this letter would not have been necessary. But they didn’t, and it is my concern and contention (and that of many others that I have spoken to) that such self-serving use of office has no place in the city of Fergus Falls and may very well be illegal behavior, as documented in the League of Minnesota Cities’ informational memo, “Official Conflict of Interest” (available online at http://www.lmc.org/media/document/1/officialconflictofinterest.pdf).
Furthermore, once one begins to see the big picture and the interests at stake, it is understandable why rehabilitation of the RTC, with talk of future apartment units, has been received with less than open arms by certain factions of the council, pending financial disclosure matters notwithstanding. Certainly those in the position that the Synsteliens are in should tread carefully in future deliberations. Or be removed from them altogether.
To that end, we are at an inflection point. Elections are less than a month away. Alternative candidates exist for all contests. Residents of Fergus Falls have the opportunity to effect change in a real and substantive way. We must take advantage of it.
Jake Krohn
Fergus Falls
Related: YouTube video of October 6 council discussion on the rental registration fee issue.
Rock the vote
It may be just spitting into the wind, but even here in Fergus Falls, it’s important to make our voice heard on the upcoming HF1054 (AKA the “Marriage Equality Bill”) vote. My own humble request is as follows:
Representative Nornes -
Please consider voting in favor of HF1054. I know that it would be viewed as a largely unpopular move on your part, given the traditional channels of support that you have received in your district, but I believe that a vote in favor is a vote that is on the right side of history. There exists a number of younger constituents in Fergus Falls and elsewhere for whom this idea of same-sex marriage is a natural progression towards a more equal society, and the support of our state representative would do a lot to quell the sometimes dispirited and jaded feelings we have towards government as a means to a better end.
Thank you.
Locals will be interested in links to Representative Nornes and Senator Ingebrigtsen; a full list of representatives and senators is also available.
Open letter
Last Friday, our state senator and representative held an open forum and meet-and-greet at a local senior citizen’s center. Owing to other responsibilities, I did not attend, but had I been there I would have liked to think I could have worked up the pluck to ask the following questions, which I’ve been sitting on for some time, and which stems from this letter to the editor that was authored by our state senator and published in several local papers back in February.
Senator Ingebrigtsen —
In a letter that was published in several local newspapers back in February, you assert your support of Second Amendment rights, which you characterize as “constantly under attack.” You then mention the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11 as the “two greatest mass murders” in our country, neither of which, you note, were committed with guns, thus leading you to stand in support with those “who will uphold the constitution and not allow our own government to infringe on citizens’ right to keep and bear arms.”
However, this argument seems weak to me, as there is the equivalent of three Oklahoma City and 9/11 attacks happening in our country each year. This attack is carried out in our streets, schools, and homes by individuals who murder with a gun. Nearly 10,000 dead. Twice that number choose to end their own lives with a gun. All told, that’s around 30,000 people, a number that has been fairly consistent for several decades.
In light of this, do you regret your comments in your letter? Do you not view these deaths as the greater crime? Don’t we owe it to these victims and ourselves to be more honest in our national discourse about guns and gun control?
Star Tribune: Gambling firms drove flawed Minnesota e-pulltab funding plan
Tom Barrett, executive director of the state’s Gambling Control Board, defended turning to gambling industry executives for sales estimates because Minnesota’s games didn’t exist anywhere in the country and they had sales expertise with similar games. In retrospect, however, Barrett said he would have consulted further with local charities and other Minnesota players.
