It’s possible that by year’s end, four-fifths of the Grand Marais City Council seats may be vacant.
Therealization came to light near the end of council’s July 14 meeting, when Councilor Jan Sivertson announced that she was getting married in October and planned to spend a lot of time after that traveling. Specifically, Sivertson said she intends to be out of town January through April in addition to a few shorter absences prior to that, and asked her colleagues for advice on whether—or when—she should resign her council seat.
“What do you all think?” she asked. “How effective can I be if I’m not here?”
City Administrator Mike Roth said there are no guidelines or rules in the City Code regarding attendance at city council meetings. City Attorney Chris Hood said council has the authority to declare a position vacant if circumstances warrant,
but that’s all that’s in the statutes.”
Hood went on to explain that if a councilor’s resignation occurs with less than two years remaining on the four-year term, council will fill the seat through appointment. However, if the resignation happens with more than two years remaining on the term and prior to the filing period for elections, a special election is mandatory.
Sivertson will be halfway through her term at the end of 2010; the filing period for this fall’s elections begins Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 17.
Sivertson said she still plans to live in Grand Marais and run a business here, but she doesn’t know how much she’ll be gone. She asked council if they preferred her to try and retain her seat and fulfill her duties despite the expected absences; resign soon in order to put the seat on the fall ballot; or continue with her responsibilities until later in the year and then resign, thus giving council the opportunity to fill the seat through appointment.
Councilor Kay Costello said she didn’t think it would be fair to others or conducive to city business if Sivertson kept her seat but was gone for extended periods of time. She pointed out that in addition to city council, Sivertson is also the city’s appointee to the Economic Development Authority and serves on some other committees. All would be working short-handed, she said.
Mayor Sue Hakes agreed, but there was consensus that the decision should be left to Sivertson. “It’s a personal decision, Jan. You have to do what’s best for you,” Hakes said. Sivertson thanked council for their input, and said she’ll give it some more thought before reaching a decision.
During the course of the discussion, it was brought out that both Hakes and Costello cannot seek re-election to their council seats because both have filed and are running for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Bill Lenz, whose term expires at the end of the year, said he was still undecided about seeking re-election. If Lenz opts not to run and Sivertson decides to resign, only Tim Kennedy will remain on the board.
“I’m concerned about city council,” Mayor Hakes said. “There’s a potential to lose four of us at once.” The filing period for the
general election in the
City of Grand Marais is
Tuesday, August 3 to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 17. Seats to
be on the November 2, 2010
ballot are for mayor and two
city council seats.
For information on filing,
contact City Administrator
Mike Roth at City Hall or
call (218) 387-1848.
In other business:
. Lenz, council’s liaison to the park board, reported that board had approved a proposal
from a group of community members to place a memorial flagpole in honor of Dick Joynes in Harbor Park. However, Roth said such a project was against the rules established when the park was created.
Roth said the city is still paying for the park and depends on donations received to purchase pre-approved memorial benches and other items. Simply put, he said, the city won’t get any more donations to support the park if memorials are allowed to be constructed by private individuals and organizations. Sivertson agreed, stating that the park was carefully laid out and designed, and in the interest of aesthetics, things “can’t just be added willy-nilly.”
Hakes said it was a “lovely” idea, and the city will try to accommodate the request, but in a different location. Lenz said he and park board members were unaware of the
regulations, and he would convey the concerns
to the park board at its next meeting.
. Library Director Linda Chappell and Carol Miller of the library board presented
the proposed operating budget for 2011. Chappell said the board worked hard to keep the budget to a zero percent increase, as requested by both the city and county (which supports half of the budget), but an unexpected last-minute increase of $1,429 in the Arrowhead Library Service fee has caused an overall budget increase of about 1.5 percent. Council requested more information about the services ALS
provides, and Chappell said she would look
into it and report back to council July 28.
. Como Oil & Propane was awarded a two-year contract to supply the
city’s propane, based on its low bid. Competitive bids hadn’t been solicited in a number of years. . Andrew Smith and Al Taenzer of the Lions Club presented the Street
and Sidewalk Permit application for Fisherman’s Picnic events, Aug. 5-8. Smith said there are no big changes from last year involving street closures, and there should be no problems with allowing delivery vehicles access through the alleys and to the
downtown businesses. Council approved
the permit.
. In planning commission business, setback variances were granted to Bob and
Delores Spry allowing an addition to their First Avenue West residence; and to Jane Ranum to allow a covered porch on the north side of her West Third Street residence. Following a lengthy discussion, Ron Lund was granted a conditional use permit to build and operate an art classroom and studio as a home-based business at his West First Street property. The conditions placed on the permit were similar to those placed on a permit allowing a fitness studio to
operate at a residence in the same neighborhood
earlier this year.
. Mayor Hakes reported that she received a call from the hospital complaining
about poor air quality when the city’s burn pile was lit over the Fourth of July weekend. Similar complaints were received in the spring from both the hospital and school. Councilors discussed the pros and cons of the burn pile, as they did earlier this year, and instructed Roth to contact the DNR, Forest Service and Cook County in an effort to find a better location farther from town. Hakes said she was in favor of
holding a public hearing about the burn pile
before any decisions are made.
. Patsy Ingebrigtsen was hired to fill the librarian position vacated by Anne Prinsen. There were 30 applicants for the job.
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