Single copy $1.00 Vol. 112 No. 4 • Thursday, January 10, 2013 • Silver Lake, MN 55381 City Council appoints, then debates, role of its liaisons By Alyssa Schauer Market Fund. liaisons are “not supervisory. Staff Writer • Official newspaper: Silver “The liaisons were created At its annual meeting and Lake Leader. to provide an individual link to first meeting of the year on • City attorney: Gavin, each department. The goal was Monday, the Silver Lake City Olson, & Winters, LTD. that each department head Council started the evening • Acting mayor: Councilor would meet with the liaison, with swearing-in ceremonies Nolan Johnson. and give them the report,” Ve- and reviewed city council ap- • Deputy weed inspector: nier said. pointments. Dale Kosek. He said liaisons shouldn’t City Clerk Kerry Venier • Civil defense director and have to attend the meetings. swore in Mayor Bruce Bebo, emergency response coordina- Venier felt that liaisons may who will be starting his sixth tor: Chris Wawrzyniak. then “overstep their bound- two-year term as mayor of Sil- • City administration liai- aries” and that the department ver Lake, and Councilors Pat son: Bebo. heads should be capable of re- Fogarty and Nolan Johnson, • Public works liaison: John- laying information to their em- who were all re-elected in No- son. ployees and reporting back to vember’s election. • Public safety liaison: the liaisons. Fogarty will be serving a Councilor Eric Nelson. Johnson disagreed. “I think two-year term and Johnson • Municipal liquor dispen- it’s good for liaisons to attend will be serving a four-year sary liaison: Fogarty. these meetings, so we can put term. • Community development faces to names, and vice Councilor Carol Roquette and planning commision liai- versa.” also was re-elected to a four- son: Roquette. Bebo suggested that if li- year term, but was absent for • Assistant to all liaisons: aisons attend such meetings, Silver Lake leader photos Monday’s meeting. She will Bebo. they should serve as “an ob- by Alyssa Schauer be sworn in at a future date. • Regular meeting dates and server.” The annual meeting of the The City Council also dis- times: third Monday of each Venier also reminded coun- Silver Lake City Council on cussed the liaisons appointed month at 6:30 p.m. and April cilors that the department re- Monday night began with by Mayor Bruce Bebo for 1, July 1, and Oct. 7 at 6:30 ports they give should also the oath of office for re- 2013. The Council liaisons p.m. include their own observa- elected members. Starting will remain the same as 2012. • Economic development tions. his sixth term as mayor is “Everything is moving re- authority: members of the city “They shouldn’t be regurgi- Bruce Bebo (right) and ally smoothly between liaisons council. tated. It would be nice to in- Councilors Pat Fogarty and departments heads. I feel • Personnel committee: clude your observations in the there is good, open communi- Bebo, Roquette and Depart- reports, also,” Venier said. and Nolan Johnson cation, so I am proposing that ment Head Dale Kosek. He asked that councilors (above) take the oath for we keep liaisons as they are Council meeting etiquette also include their observations their elected positions. for this next year,” Bebo said and liaison descriptions also along with the typed reports Fogarty was elected for a during the December meeting. were reviewed and Fogarty given by department heads. two-year term and John- Councilors agreed, and at asked about including pay in “That was the initial intent son for a four-year term. the Monday meeting, a resolu- next year’s budget for coun- of having liaisons meet with Councilor Carol Roquette tion was passed to keep liaison cilors attending special meet- department heads,” Venier was absent, but also was appointments. The following ings with their liaisons, such said. elected in November for were approved by the Council: as the quarterly meetings “I agree, and I disagree with another four-year term. • Official city depositories: scheduled for the Municipal She will take the oath of of- First Community Bank and Liquor Store. Liaisons fice at a future date. Minnesota Municipal Money Venier emphasized that the Turn to page 2 County Board: new commissioners, chair Charges against By Lori Copler went on to elect its 2013 chair about $750,000. Staff Writer and vice chair, with Wright, The highway department The McLeod County Board who is starting his second had hoped the bridge could be deputy dropped of Commissioners’ new year four-year term, getting the nod open to traffic before Christ- Criminal charges against David Schauer, who was the got off to an odd start Tuesday. as chair, while Terlinden was mas, but Brunkhorst said it McLeod County Sheriff prosecutor because Eischens Newly elected 1st District re-elected vice chair. will now likely not open until Deputy Mark Eischens have is a county employee, said in Commissioner Ron Shimanski Because of the absence of the first of May. was unable to attend because Shimanski and because it was Junge said that the daily been dismissed. a court filing that “the state of illness, and therefore was Christensen’s first day on the fines levied against the con- Eischens had been in- does not believe the case can not sworn in to his new posi- board, Nies suggested the tractor are no longer in effect. dicted by a grand jury Oct. be proved beyond a reason- tion. County Board table committee “The penalty stops with the 19 on four separate charges able doubt.” That meant that current assignments until its Jan. 22 date of the suspension,” said that resulted from the dis- Schauer’s filing dismissed Commissioner Ray Bayerl, meeting, adding that the new- Junge. The work was sus- charge of his weapon while the charges, with approval who thought his retirement comers should meet with pended Dec. 20. he and other members of an from a district court judge. would start with the adjourn- County Administrator Pat Brunkhorst said the county emergency response team According to court docu- ment of the 2012 business year Melvin to learn about the var- will continue to have a priority were executing a search ments, the team had made on Tuesday, stayed around to ious committees to determine of plowing the detour route. warrant in April 2012. entry, and Eischens heard a vote during one more meeting. upon which they may be most He also said that he had one Eischens faced a felony “thud” or a “bang” just as According to County Attor- interested in serving. complaint from a neighbor charge of assault in the sec- Harry Lee Ondracek, 58, of ney Mike Junge, state statute In other business Tuesday, about the bridge not being ond degree — dangerous rural Glencoe, had come says that an incumbent com- the County Board: open to traffic on time. weapon and a felony charge around a corner and emerged missioner remains in office Paul Wright, chair • Heard that work on a “She understood the issue,” of possessing a dangerous into view. Eischens asserted until his successor is adminis- bridge replacement on County said Brunkhorst. “She doesn’t weapon and discharging a that he thought Ondracek tered the oath of office. 5th District Commissioner Jon Road 15 has been suspended like it, but she understood why firearm that endangered had fired a weapon, and fired While Shimanski was ab- Christensen was allowed to as- and will resume in spring. we stopped the work.” safety. his in return in self-defense. sent and unable to vote be- sume his seat for the com- Highway Engineer John • Approved the McLeod He also faced a misde- It was later determined that cause he had not be sworn in, mencement of the 2013 Brunkhorst said the bridge is County Chronicle as the offi- meanor charge of assault in Ondracek was unarmed. the County Board kept the session. ready for the pouring of con- cial newspaper for the county the fifth degree — inflict or Ondracek was taken to a new commissioner on speaker- Along with Christensen, in- crete, but the weather isn’t fa- for 2013. attempt bodily harm; and a hospital for treatment of in- phone so he could listen in its cumbents Paul Wright, 3rd vorable for the job. • Agreed to buy iPads for the discussions. District, and Sheldon Nies, 4th The contractor did not com- commissioners to replace the misdemeanor charge of dan- juries sustained, and later re- And 5th District Commis- District, who were re-elected plete the job on time, and has used laptop computers they are gerous weapons — reck- leased and booked into the sioner Bev Wangerin, who in November, took their oaths been fined since the antici- currently using at meetings. lessly handle or use. McLeod County Jail on a also was the chair and was to of office and resumed their pated completion date. • Agreed to trade in a 20- The case had been sched- fifth-degree charge of pos- have led the current board in seats at the table. Brunkhorst said the contrac- year-old floor scrubber for a uled for a jury trial Monday session of a controlled sub- finishing its 2012 business, Shimanski will be sworn in tor could try to pour the con- new one at a net cost of in McLeod County District stance. also was absent and Vice Chair sometime this week by County crete now, but the end result $5,700. Court, but the trial was can- Eischens has been on paid Kermit Terlinden led the Auditor/Treasurer Cindy may be less than desirable and celled after the charges were administrative leave pending County Board through that Schultz.