More Fear on the Horizon
Has the time come again when we should be running to the basement? Are some dark and scaring things lurking on the horizon for tonight's meeting? The questions that linger have to do with the two candidates that are being interviewed for the Police Civil Service Commission opening. Is this a chance for the three mouseketeers to further politicize the business of the city?
Interesting, the two candidates that are up for consideration tonight...
Mr. Bartol we have seen before in his business concerning the Gladstone redevelopment as well as a short fill-in stint on the council. There are times that he has appeared to be aligned with the fabulous threesome. Also, there has been some mention of possible Open Meeting Law improprieties. Could these simply be the newbie in him? On the flip side, he has appeared at times to be more moderate and wanting to do what is right. I am not sure I would want to take a risk with such an important position to find out where his true sensibilities lie.
The other candidate appears to be a bit of an unknown, at least to some of us. Ms. Liddell's name has not come up in relation to the council or any of it's members. But that doesn't necessarily bode well. Could she be another Cave-like puppet? Or is she a genuinely interested citizen wanting take care of the city in an ethical manner?
Stay tuned. But keep the basement door open.
Interesting, the two candidates that are up for consideration tonight...
Mr. Bartol we have seen before in his business concerning the Gladstone redevelopment as well as a short fill-in stint on the council. There are times that he has appeared to be aligned with the fabulous threesome. Also, there has been some mention of possible Open Meeting Law improprieties. Could these simply be the newbie in him? On the flip side, he has appeared at times to be more moderate and wanting to do what is right. I am not sure I would want to take a risk with such an important position to find out where his true sensibilities lie.
The other candidate appears to be a bit of an unknown, at least to some of us. Ms. Liddell's name has not come up in relation to the council or any of it's members. But that doesn't necessarily bode well. Could she be another Cave-like puppet? Or is she a genuinely interested citizen wanting take care of the city in an ethical manner?
Stay tuned. But keep the basement door open.
posted by LookingNorth @ 10:40 AM
7 Comments:
At 1:46 PM,
Frostbrand said…
Since the apparent reason for the previous PCSC commissioner not being reappointed is that, basically, she didn't toe the council majority's line on the Banick affair, I imagine that Cave, Hjelle & Longrie will be looking to decide which of these will be more likely to take their orders. Maybe they already know.
(Isn't it an odd coincidence that Bartol's "no one else has stepped forward" application is dated the same day that Liddell's app -- which is dated a week earlier -- is stamped "received"? Bartol's has no "received" date-stamp, at least not on the scanned copy in the council packet. And it appears, shall we say, hastily assembled.)
Of course, it's also possible that the council may choose to reject both candidates. Since they voted not to (re)appoint the one applicant they had last time, I wonder if "none of the above" will be a voting option today? Or was that a special one-time option for getting rid of Birkholtz?
At 1:56 PM,
drawnLeftward said…
This could get complicated. If Bartol pulls his monkey wrench out of the Gladstone gears to stick it into the police commission, what will happen to Gladstone?
Or does he have more than one monkey wrench?
At 1:58 PM,
Frostbrand said…
Another thought --
Is it a typo that the agenda on the city website identifies the PCSC interviews as a closed session?
This doesn't seem to fall under one of the Open Meeting Law's exceptions that would allow for a closed session...
At 2:32 PM,
Frostbrand said…
Follow-up to myself: I sent an e-mail to the city and have been told that it was indeed an error (the PCSC interviews are NOT a closed meeting) and a correction will be made.
At 12:00 AM,
Frostbrand said…
Well, after listening to the interviews, I'm cautiously optimistic about the new appointee, Liddell.
Her story in brief is that she had a career as a corporate manager, which she left in 2005 to become an entrepreneur, buying a Dairy Queen franchise in the east side of St Paul. That led her to some civic involvement in St Paul, and the thought that she should get involved in the city where she lives as well. Thus she looked at the Maplewood city website, and saw the call for applications for the PCSC.
Some might prefer an individual with more direct experience with law enforcement. She does not appear to have that, but she does have experience serving on an oversight committee, dealing with confidential personnel matters, and the like.
So, as I said, I feel cautiously optimistic.
(Now DrawnLeftward can tell me I'm insufficiently cynical again!)
At 12:45 AM,
drawnLeftward said…
No need to tell you Frostband, you already did :)
Bartol = Overton window
At 12:46 AM,
drawnLeftward said…
and Frostband = Frostbrand
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