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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />October 23, 2023 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 5 of 6 <br /> <br />crews. She said many if not the majority of Long Lake fire fighters do not support bringing on Van Eyll <br />because he has put out cherry-picked information in an attempt to justify the need for a new department <br />that does not accurately reflect the response times of the Long Lake Fire Department. Many felt betrayed <br />by the misuse of information to make the department appear inept, she said, and many do not support <br />prematurely annexing Fire Department Station 2 ahead of the end of the contract. She said this goes <br />against the fire fighter’s request to keep the department whole. It does not benefit the community to <br />dismantle a successful department and create two superfluous departments per the recommendation of <br />Van Eyll. She also pointed to litigation and the threats against one fire fighter, saying many felt betrayed <br />by Van Eyll. They feel it would cause morale to plummet, she said, more than the situation already has. <br />Blue Card training is very serious and this would create a distraction. <br /> <br />Krista Berbig Long Lake, said the Long Lake Fire Department recently saved three out of four homes in a <br />fourplex, did a phenomenal job, and had a very successful fire open house two weeks ago, and yet the <br />Orono Council continues to drag its feet and delay the approval of the 2024 budget, impacting the <br />department that currently serves each of their homes. She said she does not appreciate the underfunding <br />and the refusal to move the budget forward. She said they are pushing back over $40,000 to bring Van <br />Eyll back to do some duty crew training while spending millions on equipment that will serve Orono and <br />leave the rest in the dust. It is shortsighted to keep underfunding the Long Lake Department and refusing <br />to fund the budget, she said, adding the Council has spent hours meeting after meeting on easements and <br />pickleball and won’t spend more than a two-minute discussion with constituents about Long Lake Fire. <br /> <br />Chelsea Wetrick, Corcoran, told the Council they are not winning any popularity contests. She said she <br />hadn’t been there in awhile and had hoped to talk to Crosby tonight. <br /> <br />Brad Erickson, Corcoran, also said he was hoping Crosby would be there. He said he doesn’t know why <br />Crosby needs the support of two armed officers when he is there to walk the distance to his car. He talked <br />about the situation in Franklin, Tennessee, where he said the Proud Boys under a different name are <br />protecting a mayoral candidate. He wondered if Orono’s next election cycle is going to look like Franklin, <br />Tennessee. He asked when Crosby is going to answer the January 6 questions he asked. It’s not so much <br />what happened as what the Orono Council is doing and not doing to address it, he said, adding freedom of <br />speech only goes one way as he has been almost arrested by the officers at the Council meetings. <br /> <br />MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT <br /> <br />Benson said she had completed a training course on communication for elected officials. The course <br />emphasized trust as one of the most important communication skills for a member of Council. It was <br />identified as one of the main ways elected officials establish credibility in their communities including by <br />being available, approachable, honest, and communicating regularly. She said making a mistake does not <br />equate with being untrustworthy, but taking responsibility is key to repairing trust when it has been <br />broken. She said in the days since the last Council meeting, it has been reported that the Mayor has been <br />accused of making threats against a member of the Long Lake Fire Department. The firefighter involved <br />has made a sworn statement. She said she does not condone the actions the Mayor of Orono has been <br />accused of. Threats of any type are not okay for any reason under any circumstances, especially for public <br />officials. She said Council Members have voluntarily stepped into public roles that require an adherence <br />to conduct that is held to a higher standard. She stands behind the right of community members to speak <br />freely to the Council or about the Council without fearing retribution or any form of intimidation. <br /> <br />Johnson said he had nothing.