Letter to the Editor

Recently I have, like many other Minnesotans, had the opportunity to attend more than just a few city council meetings. This round, my experience has been in the quaint little community of Ellendale, Minnesota, for the last two or three meetings consecutively. 

 

I find myself amazed, but not amused, at the behavior of elected servants that were put in a position of trust by the general public, to in fact serve that same public, as “representatives.”

 

Our elected servants, no matter if it is a city council, a school board, county board or the like, are in fact elected. They are entrusted with a particular degree of power and authority that should not be taken lightly. Nor should it be abused!

 

As of late, an Ellendale city council member has, on one occasion, resorted to name calling of a local property owner during a public hearing. While that attendee demanded an apology, the names were called, and broadcast into forever land via the internet. The apology seemed far less than sincere.

 

In the following meeting, a member of the audience asked a question of parliamentary procedure, only to be told by the mayor that he was in fact out of order, and that if he interrupted again, he would be removed from the meeting. The public meeting, in a public meeting, while addressing a topic which was on the agenda, and currently being discussed, which he had a vested interest in.

 

Just this last meeting, it was brought up that councilman Derek Bartness had, after a public hearing within a meeting, gone to the internet and gave a negative one-star review of a business. Unfortunately, Councilmen Bartness did so to the very business owner that was the subject of the public hearing, and the business had nothing to do with the hearing. Worse yet, you may ask? Councilmen Bartness has never been a customer of nor received services from that business. Ever! 

 

To add insult to injury, the party making the complaint clearly told the council that he only used Bartness’ name, as he didn't feel it was fair to paint the entire council with the broad brush of such slimy tactics. The audience member was reprimanded for using a name and not addressing it generically, even though supreme courts across the land have ruled that this is protected under free speech, a God-given right, enshrined in both our federal and state constitutions.

 

Councilman Bartness’ response was nothing but a childish smirk, also called out by the complainant. But who was admonished during the meeting? The complainant. Not the snarky elected servant Councilmember Bartness. 

 

There also seemed to be a fair amount of concern that one may bring up a question, or concern, but not ever receive any feedback, answers, or resolution. This has also been plainly evident at each and every one of the last meetings. You might get three minutes to speak during the public comment period, but that doesn't ensure that anyone is listening! 

 

While the written statement of decorum in the meeting agenda discusses that you won't receive feedback or resolution during public comment, there is simply no excuse to be ignored, with zero follow-up by someone who claims to represent the people!

 

While I won't speak on behalf of the community mural project volunteers, and their issues with the council, I generally felt bad for the frustration they expressed in their elected officials continually moving the football and offering little guidance in the process of getting this project through to council approval.

 

Ellendale is a good community. But we are only as good as we allow ourselves to be, and that includes our City Hall, and our neighbors who were elected to represent us. We have the right, and the responsibility, to ask questions, to be heard, and receive answers and explanations, even if they are not the ones we were in hope of. We can do better, and we must.

 

Keith Haskell, local taxpayer