03-13-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING February 27, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 16 of 22 of a fire district combining all the local communities that is already being discussed into a fire district oversight. Seals said there will be a meeting May 22 and staff is putting together all the options with all the data. And that will be one of them that they will look at. We'll look at what doors does this open for us? What doors are really tough? Every model that we look at is going to have pros and cons. Newcomer said he thinks there's so many concerns of where our money being spent. I'm just looking at hiring a fire chief, purchasing a million-dollar ladder truck, making an offer for $1.5 million, the original offer was $3 million, which correlates to about $335 per every man, woman and child in Orono to get what we have right now. Seals responded you have my commitment that you’re going to have all that out. And the great thing about that May 22 date is there's three weeks between the next date, June 12. She said anyone with additional questions should send them in. James Elder, 195 South Brown Road, Orono, said I will also keep my voice calm. Every organization on which I ever served and which had minutes required of the members of that committee to review the minutes. And when the minutes were asked to be approved at the following time, there was a commitment that the Board of Trustees, the Council members, whomever, had reviewed them and agreed with them. You had a long debate tonight about verbatim versus general and I would remind you that is fiduciary. You are supposed to read your own minutes, correct them and then when they are submitted for approval at the following meeting or whatever, you all agree that they're accurate. So I would observe that might be your solution. Take responsibility, review your minutes and correct them. Brad Erickson, 2485 Independence Road, said I also have a business that I’ve owned for 10 years in Orono. I also want to say, because I know you've had some issues with me living in Independence and speaking here, that I feel if Mr. Crosby, who is again not here for the fifth time in a row for these public comments, can travel to the governor's mansion to redress his government, and out to Washington DC on January 6 of 2021 to redress dress the government, I certainly can drive five minutes down the road to redress mine. Well, it's official, Mr. Walsh. You've cemented your legacy. Orono Mayor Minimizes Holocaust; Council Member Fundraises for Proud Boys. That's from a leading Jewish media outlet in the Twin Cities here, TC Jewfolk. Remember those people from St. Louis Park, where you grew up? Four days after that article came out some posts were discovered that you put on nextdoor.com. To Orono residents on Next Door Mayor Dennis Walsh doubles down on the video he sent. Finally, you admit publicly online to sending out the Holocaust video on Valentine's Day, no less. But then you attempt to minimize the message and its implications by stating, quote, The three and a half minute video that talks about government overreach regarding COVID mentions the Holocaust for five to 10 seconds as a reference point, unquote. That's you even after being confronted by members of the Jewish community. You double down by posting. I stand by my statement. Well, Mr. Mayor, the extermination of 6 million Jewish people is not a reference point for you to be used as a political football, footnote, or anything else. You sir, are a disgrace to your hometown, and to this town, your legacy is forever stained. You have had ample opportunity to apologize or step down, yet still you refuse to do either. So I turn to this Council and asked for appropriate action to be taken. We're better than that.