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<br />position. He indicated that he believed Governor Walz had not handled the situation appropriately <br />and argued that supporting the resolution reflected both his personal assessment of the issue and <br />the feedback he had received from constituents. <br /> <br />Motion failed. Voting Yes: Mayor Heineman, Councilmembers Olson and Specht. Voting No: <br />Councilmembers Buscher, Peters, Riley and Stewart. <br /> <br />7.08: Adopting Resolution #26-111 Authorizing Staff to Explore City’s Ability to File Claim <br />Against Governor Walz and Other State Leaders <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman introduced Resolution #26-111, authorizing staff to explore the City's ability to <br />file a claim against Governor Tim Walz and other State leaders for alleged state oversight failures <br />related to the Feeding Our Future fraud case. He opened the public hearing and invited residents <br />to comment before the Council considered the proposal. <br /> <br />Mr. Steve Little, 14529 Willemite Street Northwest, Ramsey, attended his first City Council <br />meeting and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to hear different viewpoints. He stated that <br />accountability begins at home and extends through the local, state, and federal governments. He <br />argued that someone should be held accountable for the billions of dollars lost to fraud in <br />Minnesota and indicated that he supported efforts to hold State leadership accountable. He <br />suggested that if the City could encourage the Governor to address residents directly regarding the <br />issue, that would be beneficial. <br /> <br />Mr. Brian Walker questioned the factual basis for portions of the resolution, noting that millions <br />of dollars and assets had already been recovered through criminal investigations and enforcement <br />actions. He stated that no one in the room supported fraud and agreed that anyone involved in <br />wrongdoing should be held accountable, regardless of political affiliation. However, he challenged <br />the fiscal logic of spending taxpayer dollars to pursue litigation against the State, arguing that any <br />financial recovery would ultimately come from taxpayers themselves. He expressed frustration <br />that the Council had devoted significant time to issues unrelated to local government <br />responsibilities and encouraged the City to focus instead on roads, economic development, and <br />municipal services. He commended the Council's recent efforts to attract new businesses to <br />Ramsey. <br /> <br />Mr. Todd Embury argued that if elected officials believe wrongdoing should be condemned, they <br />should apply the same standard consistently across all levels of government. Referencing previous <br />comments made during the meeting, he questioned why some actions by public officials receive <br />attention while others do not. He encouraged the Council to proceed with the proposal if it believed <br />it was a worthwhile use of staff time and public resources, suggesting that the effort would not <br />produce the results supporters expected. <br /> <br />Mr. Michael Swanson, 5368 140th Court Northwest, challenged figures cited in previous <br />discussions regarding the extent of fraud in Feeding Our Future. He stated that while estimates <br />have varied, the amount of proven and convicted fraud is significantly lower than the larger figures <br />often discussed publicly. He urged the Council to use precise numbers when debating the issue. <br />City Council /May 26, 2026 <br />Page 14 of 19 <br /> <br />