Minutes - Council - 05/24/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Administrator,they only received half the applicants that most, on average get for such a role. He stated it is tempting and take that nugget and fault Administrative Services Director Lasher that she didn't recruit well enough, but if they are looking for someone to blame they shouldn't look any further than this dais. Councilmember Woestehoff addressed the Staff present and past stating he was sorry. To all the residents that are watching, he stated,this is why local government matters. This is why elections matter. If they know they can do better than this, $5 and an application by May 31, 2022. He stated what Councilmembers Howell and Musgrove brought to this meeting was a disgrace, especially after it was inappropriately and unprofessionally discussed at the last meeting. He stated he is disappointed and hoped this topic was done. Councilmember Howell pointed out that at the last meeting she spoke very little. She requested that the City Clerk send out these text messages to the whole Council hoping that the Mayor would do the responsible thing and address this with the City Clerk. She stated that it is unfortunate that Councilmember Woestehoff is filled with so much condescension because it makes it hard to work with someone filled with so much condescension and contempt for the person sitting next to them. She repeated that she preferred that this to be in a Closed Session and this was not her choice. She stated they have text messages that were sent to job applicants at 1:46 a.m. and she would be hard pressed to find someone who is not struggling with partisan issues who would find that reasonable to be text messaging job applicants at 1:46 a.m., which is not reasonable. She stated they have other forms of communication. She repeated the City Administrator and City Attorney rectified the situation by sending out a very professional letter stating no decision had been made, which should have been done in the first place. She stated it is unfortunate that Councilmember Woestehoff is taking two things that could have been discussed and rectified simply and is trying to turn it into a partisan issue on the dais. She stated this is not about persecuting an employee, it is about protecting employees because if there is an issue that they bring up, Council needs to be able to address it. She stated it is also about protecting job applicants so they will know if they apply for a job in the City of Ramsey that they will be treated equally. She stated right now she wouldn't have confidence in that. She stated this is unprofessional. She stated that Councilmember Woestehoff sees it as a partisan issue and couldn't simply deal with the two issues at hand and get a policy set going forward saying this will not happen again. She didn't think it was too much to ask that job applicants not be texted at 1:46 a.m. Councilmember Heineman commented that this would be a great time with some of the passion running around that they hear from Administrative Services Director Lasher to set a base line for what she wants to talk about and then Council can resume discussion. Administrative Services Director Lasher stated this has been incredibly stressful for herself, her family, and Staff here at the City. She stated she followed through on her word. She told both candidates when she had information she would send them a text. That is common practice as people like to be communicated with by text. She stated the handout that was distributed at the last meeting calling for up to her dismissal didn't feel like policy of an 18-year professional employee and was hurtful. The handout underneath the text that was sent to Mr. Hagen reads "notice the time, date and content to candidate number one, the candidate that HR personnel wanted to hire." She stated she made no secret that she thought Mr. Hagen was the best candidate. City Council/May 24, 2022 Page 10 of 21