[0:00] right in front of me. I thought he
was going 70 mph
[0:07] and they me
[0:20] they're referring to them as super
speed.
[0:27] » All right. Sorry. It's a little bit
late. We'll go ahead and get started.
[0:31] So, uh, first off, let's call to order
and do a roll call for the members
[0:35] present.
>> Council member Atkins
[0:38] » preser
[0:43] » preser
[0:50] » council member Joyce.
>> Council member Son
[0:54] » present.
>> Okay. Uh this is just a work session
[0:58] this evening. We're just going to
discuss the applications that were
[1:02] received that everybody should have
gotten.
[1:05] Um before we start doing that though,
I'm going to ask council member sex to
[1:10] excuse herself and we'll we'll power for
you when we're done. So you're in here
[1:14] for council.
>> She's going to want to get
[1:16] » Okay, that's fine.
>> Take the key. Yeah. And that the
[1:21] driver's side, not the passenger side.
That's not my
[1:26] Somebody will let me know.
>> Yeah, we'll call you or text your
[1:30] somebody will
>> or I will or
[1:32] » wait until you get my phone.
[1:37] » And then um I do want to make another
note. Um
[1:43] we have Mr. Wel that is related to Mr.
Mrs. Sex
[1:48] » by she
>> by marriage. So
[1:53] » that's not an issue. Okay, there we go.
Was that is that your answer what you're
[1:57] looking for?
>> I'm just making sure it'll be because
[1:59] » Oh, yeah. My family wouldn't benefit, I
don't think, in any way is how I was
[2:05] kind of trying to summize everything.
So,
[2:09] » it was blood relative. That's different.
>> Yeah.
[2:13] » Well, his she to his nephew. So,
>> that's even one one.
[2:22] So, she going to the to get you.
>> Yeah, they're just
[2:26] we'll wait. We'll wait for Mayor. Mayor,
are we uh looking at 13 resumes?
[2:32] Whatever the I think there's 13. Okay.
Just wanted to make sure.
[2:37] » There was a seemed like a redundancy in
a couple of them,
[2:43] » but I kind of kept going and going and
going.
[2:46] » Okay.
All right.
[2:48] » Yeah. So, uh,
>> I I
[2:52] tell you,
>> everybody did get the packet, correct?
[2:55] And has had an opportunity to look
through it.
[2:58] » Yes.
>> Um, Shannon, we'll just we'll start off
[3:01] with you. What what you want to what you
want to discuss or or because you've
[3:06] seen these before, we have, I'm
assuming.
[3:08] » Yes, I have.
>> So, um, I guess we'll just uh or Mike,
[3:12] do you want to start off with any rules
of this or
[3:15] » No, this is it's really just purpose of
the meeting. council chance to review
[3:19] the resume. Uh the inter manager has
suggested that she's growing weary of
[3:25] the position and want council to make a
choice
[3:30] or take an action of some right
indicated that she's not going to give
[3:34] anybody high and drive but wanted to get
the process started. So that's really
[3:38] what will you remain clerk?
>> Yes.
[3:41] » Will you be transitioning the new hire?
>> I would have to. Yes.
[3:46] » Yes. Okay. Just wanted to know how that
process went.
[3:49] » Yeah.
>> Okay. Well, but and you're indicating
[3:52] that you go back to your assistant
position.
[3:54] » Yeah. Actually, the the finance
department asked me if I would consider
[3:57] CFO. Um, so it's kind of up in the in
the air where where the needs are.
[4:01] » Tom Duty was asking you that.
>> Correct. Okay.
[4:04] » So, it was a discussion. I'm not as
interested in CFO as I am the
[4:09] administrative assistant. I feel like I
can get more done in that role. Um, but
[4:13] again, I'm a team player and we'll do
whatever is needed. So you the
[4:17] administrative assistant is a full-time
position.
[4:20] » Yes.
>> And that's fulfilling to the village
[4:23] manager
>> as well as clerk
[4:26] » to be honest with you. It's a more
difficult position. So
[4:29] » okay just that.
>> Yeah. Okay.
[4:33] » So that Yeah.
[4:36] » Anybody else have any questions?
>> Vice Mayor, I'll tell you what, why
[4:41] don't you just start it off? um kind of
look through or explain how you've gone
[4:45] through the process of looking through
these applications and give us your
[4:48] feedback on it. That's probably the best
way to do it with the understanding as I
[4:52] indicated this is just a work session.
We're not here to make any decisions
[4:55] tonight. Okay.
>> It's kind of open your eyes, take a look
[4:58] what we got and uh throw it around for a
few minutes and uh we'll move forward
[5:04] with maybe a second work session if we
need to or um you know that sound good
[5:10] with everybody. Mr. Present.
>> You guys good with that?
[5:15] » All right. So, go ahead, please.
>> Okay. Shannon has brought stability to
[5:19] the village office. She has demonstrated
the way the village should and could
[5:24] run. She has communicated policies to
both the public and to the village
[5:30] staff. Um, wasteful police actions have
been eliminated and the current
[5:37] organization of departments are moving
forward. The new village manager will
[5:42] have many challenges to face. Currently,
the legislature is looking at removing
[5:48] property taxes for seniors and this will
affect new lean income and the ability
[5:53] to move forward. The new manager will
need to find additional income. Zoning
[5:59] continues to be
an issue and along with bringing
[6:05] business to the community.
the candidates that I chose. And this is
[6:10] how I did it. I looked at just the
resumes. I didn't look at anything else,
[6:17] just resumes.
And I I waited waited what was
[6:22] important. And I noticed that
communication and the way that the
[6:27] public has responded to Shannon because
she has communicated.
[6:32] » She's good at customer service. And I
made that a 40%. You can get 40%.
[6:37] Knowledge of government practices was
20. Accuracy was 20%. Problem solving I
[6:43] did um 10%. Organize and motivate 5% and
knowledge of new Lebanon challenges I
[6:50] did a 5%.
And the three that
[6:55] I waited I waited them all.
some of them. Um, the gentleman from
[7:02] Colorado, I actually threw his um, thing
out because in our public policies that
[7:10] we receive, if there is a mistruth
on a resume or whatever, we would throw
[7:18] it out in your policies.
Um, he stated that it has 6,000
[7:23] residents. There's only 1,800. I looked
up the census,
[7:27] but the the ones that I came out with
was Melissa Stson at 95%, Jeff Carter at
[7:35] 80% and Pete Hager at 75%. They were
all, you know, they all had a lot to
[7:42] give and um you know,
some of them have absolutely no
[7:49] government.
um
[7:53] no government at all. Um they're mostly
medical and um Sarah back which was I
[8:02] was just I thought wow this would be
really good but um I only got a 60% on
[8:07] her. So as much as I would have loved to
have done that um put her in the mix.
[8:14] She had no knowledge of government and
she
[8:18] um really didn't show any um
organization or motivation to to to
[8:26] staff to get them going. So those are
the three that I really would like to
[8:31] even look at.
>> When you say look at, you mean talk
[8:35] » to really talk about? Yeah.
>> If you want to know what I got for each
[8:40] one, just let me know. I got them all
written down. Okay.
[8:46] » What did you get from Mr. Hager?
>> Mr. Hager got a 75%.
[8:54] » Did you include in your city experience
familiarity with public works?
[9:02] » No, I did not.
>> Department those are pretty elements
[9:06] too,
>> right? That kind of went under
[9:08] government and yes, I think that would
be a very big thing. But I also know we
[9:11] have dentists. Um
and so
[9:16] that's a portion of the government you
have. You have um
[9:21] » Okay. So you pack that into
>> Yeah.
[9:24] » And grant grant writing and getting
public funds.
[9:27] » It's going to be Yeah.
>> You got to have those connections and
[9:32] » Yeah. very much.
>> Know how to fill the village because
[9:36] with our infrastructure
for
[9:40] Yeah.
So, if you have any questions on how I
[9:45] did this or or what I looked at, um,
definitely
[9:49] please yell.
[9:53] Does anybody have anything for you? I'm
sorry.
[9:56] » Anybody have anything for or anything uh
to add on in addition to what the been
[10:06] mentioning?
>> No.
[10:09] Thank you,
>> Mr. Wilder. You're up, sir.
[10:12] » Okay. Um,
I took a look at everyone that was on
[10:18] there and uh it was tough to narrow it
down under the circumstances that uh
[10:27] they would be doing and their
background. Nothing really stood out ex
[10:33] but if I had to pick one obviously
Melissa she's a resident.
[10:41] » Um she is familiar with the structure of
how things work internally.
[10:49] That was the why I was asking how things
would develop with someone coming new on
[10:54] board. Um, so I mean she would be I
would agree with Vice Mayor Cooper on
[11:04] that candidate sex. Um, the other you
did say Jeff Harter and Hager, correct?
[11:14] » Okay.
I did like um his military background
[11:22] and his experience there with dealing
with the municipality aspect of the
[11:31] government. Um I did like that as well.
So yeah, I would agree with uh Harter
[11:37] and uh Hager. Um
>> actually I gave Mr. harder extra extra
[11:44] points because he was military
>> and if I remember from the our
[11:50] unit personel thing that standing
>> yes
[11:56] » some of the yes so um I'm kind of like I
I got to agree with you also about the
[12:03] um medical field background in some um
I just didn't see where that was really
[12:13] a good fit for us. So, yeah, I would go
with those three. I would not have a
[12:19] problem with discussing it more and
talking with them, narrowing it down.
[12:25] Um,
also, I did have a question for Shannon.
[12:29] That one piece of paper about public
request, was that just included in the
[12:34] packet by mistake? What was that?
>> Did anybody get that? Yeah,
[12:39] » it was really really specific.
>> I didn't know what that was. Did it have
[12:46] anything to do with what we're doing?
[12:52] » No, it does not.
>> Okay.
[12:54] » All right. I was just like,
>> okay. Just wanted to verify that. I
[12:58] didn't think it did. I'm like, if
someone requested something like that,
[13:03] how in the world
>> That's my life.
[13:06] » Oh my gosh. I mean, that's a hard no
right off the bat. Okay. Yeah. Um,
[13:13] » so the other thing was the village
resident requirement. Um,
[13:18] how long do you give someone
um coming on new to become a resident?
[13:25] » There is no residency requirement.
>> There is no res.
[13:28] » Okay. Because from the charter it said
that it would have to be established
[13:34] after the fact.
>> It's it was one year. you have one year
[13:37] to move them into but then um state law
I mean and Mr. You can elaborate more,
[13:42] but it's unconstitutional to require,
right?
[13:45] » Okay, I remember that now.
>> Okay.
[13:48] » For like
emergency responders, things of that
[13:54] nature, there can be not a residence
requirement, but a proximity
[13:58] requirement.
>> But for your village manager,
[14:01] » okay,
>> has been well settled for 25 plus years.
[14:04] Anyhow, that's that's a hard,
>> okay?
[14:08] » But that doesn't mean we can't take that
as a factor in your consideration as you
[14:14] evaluate humanity.
>> Sure.
[14:17] » Because bottom line is we've gone
through
[14:21] one, two, three in the past two years,
right?
[14:24] » Yeah.
>> Yeah. So can't swing.
[14:30] » Can't what?
>> We can't swing it.
[14:32] » Right.
So true. That's all I have.
[14:39] Anybody have anything else for Mr.
[14:45] Mr. Joy?
I came up with five.
[14:53] » I'm sorry. Could you say it a little
louder?
[14:56] » Wolf,
[15:05] I think they all have something that
they could offer. Anybody
[15:24] have anything for Mr. Joy? Any
questions, concerns? Anything?
[15:29] » If I may, something to interrupt just to
let you know the one we selected, Mr.
[15:35] He did apply to the city of Germantown
because it came through. I did submit
[15:39] it, but I don't think he never replied
to me when I asked him for
[15:42] clarification. So, I don't believe that
he meant to submit it to us.
[15:45] » Oh,
>> I was going to make that comment just to
[15:49] let you know, but I did include it
because it was a bit
[15:52] » that was my accuracy.
>> I was thinking someone
[15:57] » I did email him thinking maybe he was
but he did not reply. So, I I consider
[16:01] him not interested. Okay.
[16:06] Nothing else.
[16:10] » Okay. Jim Austin I actually veto because
he plays for Germantown, not new
[16:15] evidence. Um Cole Webb, he has a court
case that is active right now in um
[16:22] Colorado that is basically with um two
police officers that he basically
[16:30] um they've already run the claim and now
they're doing the village. Well, not the
[16:36] village, the what is it? It's the
county. Yeah.
[16:41] » That settled town
>> um about that and he's named on it
[16:46] because he was actually the one that
>> messed with it because they was not able
[16:52] to get a job after he um dismissed them
from the police force and they applied
[16:58] for ICE and it was his statement that
stopped them from being able to do it.
[17:03] So
I kind of vetoed him right off the bat
[17:08] after that.
And then we're going to go to that was
[17:13] left Daniel.
>> Okay.
[17:16] » Um, yep. He has a lot of lack of
qualifications.
[17:20] Um,
he just doesn't have anything that's
[17:24] with the village of qualification.
>> I did him because he had PEI in there.
[17:29] » And then we got Heidi. Um,
she's a state tested no.
[17:36] I mean, it's health. That's what the
specialty is.
[17:43] Um Michael he specializes in emergency
maintenance and public health
[17:49] coordination.
So his work is basically it um
[17:54] concentrates on safety and health and
not on the logistics of the government.
[17:59] So I kind of detail him.
Sandy Townsen. Um
[18:06] she has the fundamental knowledge but
she lacks the seno um level experience
[18:12] for a village manager.
[18:17] Then we got
[18:21] I'm trying not to miss any.
>> Delaney.
[18:25] » Um yeah Delaney she has no municipality
leadership and the background into
[18:31] healthcare.
[18:34] Then we're going on Tanya healthcare and
nursing.
[18:40] Then s um Sarah back. She um has lack of
understanding of municipal law and
[18:48] zoning and public work,
>> but she does have a lot of other
[18:53] qualifications, but that's I'm just
going what the lacking is. Jeff Harding,
[18:59] um he lacks um municipal financing and
budgeting.
[19:12] » You said the harder.
>> Yeah.
[19:16] » I guarantee you he experience.
[19:23] » Yeah. Well, if when you go back and you
do the background on him, he's not doing
[19:29] budgeting.
I did a big background on all these
[19:32] guys.
[19:36] » Um, that's
so then we're going on the new
[19:45] Steven Wolf. Don't even get me started
on this one. Um, this one has a sexual
[19:51] harassment case. He also has um he was
actually with um
[20:00] They audit all they found out um
findings of um paying um employees after
[20:05] they left over $2,000. Yes, it's a
little bit of money, but it's something
[20:09] that you should be doing. So, there's
stuff on him. He has like three
[20:13] different other lawsuits, too. I'm not
going to go in all his lawsuits, but
[20:18] he's not a good one.
Melissa sex. We're going to get back to
[20:22] the whole of Alien.
Um
[20:28] Peel
He has um no hand-on experience in
[20:34] public works or infrastructure, but he
has a strong administration and planning
[20:40] and financing.
>> He is but it's just the um
[20:45] infrastructure with public works and
donating and planning use he does not
[20:49] have. Now when we're going back to
Melissa,
[20:53] I think there was Joe too, but he
didn't. It was just a little little
[20:58] didn't any background that I could pour
on him. So,
[21:03] um Melissa, I have some major concerns
and the reason why I have the concerns
[21:09] is when we had the village manager that
retail prior to it.
[21:14] Um and believe me, I love Melissa to
death. She's a good person and I do
[21:19] think she could do a good job. Don't get
me wrong. But in the same sense,
[21:25] we have a village manager that she voted
on to release.
[21:30] And before all this, they used to come
up and they were saying how it looks
[21:36] like um friends, buddies, and pals.
Well, her best friend is going to be the
[21:42] assistant,
and they'll be walking together. So,
[21:46] right there is a big red flag that
people's going to say, "Oh, wait. Now
[21:49] they're going to say she got filed to
she voted to get rid of Glenna so she
[21:55] could get the job and this is what's
been talking through the village
[21:59] already. It's not something that's new.
They're already talking about it and it
[22:04] just doesn't looks good. Even if she
could do the job, it don't look like a
[22:08] good fit. We do we really want to go
backwards and we have to hash everything
[22:13] over already. It's going good. My
biggest thing is if you're going to look
[22:18] at anybody,
I would say
[22:24] um I think it's Tito Hegel or just get a
head huddle and have Shannon staple a
[22:32] little longer and where we get somebody
that can qualify that has years of
[22:36] experience because there is
organizations that can help us to get a
[22:40] good city manager here.
>> I'm working with him right now. Yep.
[22:46] » But I think we really need to get ahead.
I I'm being honest with you guys.
[22:52] » Um,
>> yeah.
[22:55] » Can I say a couple things?
>> Let me say something real quick. Um, I
[22:59] understand what you're saying about how
things work, but at the same time, you
[23:06] cannot let that color a decision that
you're making. Now, I'm not going to put
[23:12] my name on something and get another
lawsuit. I'm just not going to do it
[23:16] because you're going to look at another
lawsuit. Believe me, as soon as
[23:22] here, we got another lawsuit. Does the
village need another lawsuit?
[23:26] » No. But I also understand that,
>> you know, I also understand that in all
[23:32] reality,
if you turn if you lean too far this way
[23:37] and you and to compensate for that,
you're leaning all the way over here,
[23:42] then you're not being fair and just. And
that's why I did I didn't do off of
[23:47] social media. I didn't do off of uh
background checks. I went strictly on
[23:54] what they submitted. And that's why I
did it that way.
[23:58] » I always go on background check.
>> I know you do. And that's why I asked if
[24:02] you were going to do it. Yeah. If you
weren't, then I I would have
[24:05] » I always did that because you wanted to
know what you'll get into.
[24:08] » Correct. And it it's wise to be have
your eyes open. But I also understand
[24:17] that
you don't
[24:22] you don't make decisions because of what
might happen. You make decisions the
[24:28] best decisions that you can.
>> And hey, my best decision if we're going
[24:32] to unless you're going to go on ahead on
those.
[24:34] » Yeah. Because as a a community, we have
to go as leaders.
[24:40] You have to make hard decisions
sometimes. And you have to make
[24:44] decisions based on all.
>> Because to be honest though, if you
[24:46] look, Melissa really doesn't have
zoning. She doesn't have planning. She
[24:52] doesn't have infrastructure. If you
really want to go on, she doesn't have
[24:56] any of that. She has no municipality
on that. She does with this, but it's
[25:02] just since she's been on with us that
she has that knowledge.
[25:07] » Correct.
>> Walking all that. She doesn't have that.
[25:09] If you really want to go on somebody
that does, strong in personal financing
[25:13] and budgeting and everything else. And
he he does have I agree with that. But
[25:20] I'm just kind of under trying to
understand
[25:24] why he would go from the city of Dayton
to the city of Cington and come back to
[25:31] a little village like New Leon. That
that's not a going up.
[25:36] » Find a head hunel. Well, find somebody
who's one of the um facilities that you
[25:41] can actually go and get a a village
manager.
[25:45] » Yeah, I I see what you're saying
>> because keep Shannon and tell them
[25:51] » good.
>> So, just listen to you guys. Um a few
[25:55] things. So, experience and knowledge. I
hear you talking about these different
[25:59] candidates and some are healthcare. Um
actually, we get a lot of healthcare
[26:03] submissions, believe it or not. Um I
don't have experience and knowledge. I
[26:08] think that um and I don't have a college
degree. Um I would be I would say that I
[26:15] can confidently though run this village
better than somebody with a masters in
[26:19] public administration.
>> Yes.
[26:21] » Because of who I am. Um I take pride in
what I do. I learn fast. You talk about
[26:27] not not knowing infrastructure. I can
walk you h through the entire way um the
[26:32] influent affluent our water system and
wastewater system now because I have
[26:35] interest in it and because I'm able to
learn that. Um so with that being said I
[26:41] don't think that judging somebody based
off of do they have experience or not
[26:46] you may have a nurse in there that's
more qualified than Mr. Hager or Mr.
[26:50] Wolf who have been in municipal
government for years. So with that I
[26:54] just want to say that. So then don't
disqualify lack of experience or
[26:58] education because I'm proof that that
really doesn't matter. Um like I said,
[27:02] it's passion, it's commitment, it's
multitasking. It's a lot. This this job
[27:07] is not it's not an easy job. I hope
somebody doesn't think they're going to
[27:10] come in here and I mean it is it's
constant. It is and and there's a lot.
[27:14] We're we're very behind.
>> How many hours do you think someone
[27:18] should expect to uh put in that position
if they were to? If we offered it to
[27:25] them, how many hours would you I mean
it's not an 85 job?
[27:30] » No, 40 hours.
>> One time till midnight.
[27:32] » There you go.
>> Like seven weeks.
[27:33] » Yeah. You got to have that kind of work
ethic to um take on a responsibility,
[27:39] but how long can they last? I mean,
there's got to be some parameters so
[27:42] that you can get the longevity out of
that person.
[27:46] » I agree. I agree with that. The thing is
right now that we are
[27:49] » You're doing two positions though. I'm
doing well. I'm doing I'm one person
[27:53] doing two positions.
>> Okay.
[27:55] » Yeah. Thank you for making point. So I
am doing two positions
[27:58] » but also like I said
>> there's a lot of things that are not
[28:03] right in the village from a financial
aspect, from a legal aspect, from policy
[28:08] procedures, legislature.
>> Every day it's something new.
[28:12] » Um
you can't you can't kind of you can't
[28:16] slow off. You cannot start pushing the
brakes at all. You need to keep going
[28:19] forward because day 10 days come up and
you're still dealing with 50 things from
[28:23] before. So if you start slowing down and
losing that momentum, you're going to be
[28:26] back to where you were and not
accomplish anything.
[28:29] » Well, what's your opinion about how well
would you work with like say Melissa? I
[28:33] mean, is that does that appeal to you?
>> Well, and that's my other thing that I
[28:38] want to note. Um, I have I'm from the
school. My heart is with the school just
[28:42] as much as it is here. Um, I did not
plan on working for the village, let
[28:47] alone being the interim manager when I
started coming up to the podium podium
[28:51] as a citizen. Um, with that being said,
Mr. Git, Mr. Joy knows how much I I talk
[28:57] about um, cronyism and nepotism.
However, and this is what I've explained
[29:01] before, you can have an entire family
working in the service department and
[29:05] they can kill it and they can exceed
expectations and they can get things
[29:08] done and accomplish things. Or you can
have six strangers that just sit on the
[29:12] do absolutely nothing.
>> So, I think that it depends on the
[29:16] person. I can tell you myself or my
family, I can hire every single person
[29:19] in my family and this place would run
like a welloiled machine. I wouldn't do
[29:24] that. Um, and they're in another state,
but it's just it all depends on the
[29:28] person, the people. So, um
>> I think that's going to
[29:36] be a something that I I would think that
would uh show um excel it would excel
[29:44] into people working together. You got to
I mean obviously we had an incident in
[29:50] certain areas of that village that it
was a downfall.
[29:54] » Absolutely. and you see what it took to
be able to get things running. So, um,
[30:01] yeah, there's a lot to be said about
that.
[30:03] » Yeah. I mean, and I have no problem once
getting things transitioned over. I
[30:06] mean, you're going to have to find
somebody strong to fill my position, but
[30:09] ultimately, I mean, I have no I mean, if
it's that big of an issue, I have no
[30:13] point. I mean, I have no problem in I
don't want to say walking away because
[30:16] I'm going to be extremely active
regardless whether it be an employee or
[30:19] a citizen. But, um, you know, I
understand I do understand your point
[30:25] and I I I see why you said that. It's
valid. But I but I will say, as much as
[30:32] I agree with you, it was not anybody's
intent. Like I said, coming up here for
[30:36] years, it was not my intent to work
here. I didn't quit my job. It was not
[30:40] Melissa's intent. I was very surprised
she put in for this position. She's got
[30:43] a career she's been at for a very long
time. She's very comfortable there. So
[30:47] again, back when all that happened and
you'd have to ask her, but I don't think
[30:50] it was this is not some big grand scheme
to get a job at the village of 11,
[30:56] » but you can see how the public
and it doesn't look like that at the end
[31:03] of the day it doesn't look like.
>> What's that thing about a lawsuit? I
[31:08] mean,
>> he's involved in a lawsuit.
[31:10] » She's involved in this lawsuit. I mean,
is that something that uh would what
[31:17] would our law director like to say about
what your comment was about by doing
[31:22] something we're exposing them? I mean,
we wouldn't want to do anything like
[31:26] that.
>> Anybody could say anybody for anything.
[31:28] » Is that what is that true? I mean,
>> are there I've got two frivolous
[31:34] lawsuits. One of them has been
dismissed.
[31:37] » Okay.
>> I'm just saying
[31:38] » there's anybody can file for anything.
It will get thrown out eventually just
[31:45] like these
>> lawsuits.
[31:47] Village money.
>> It could. I can't imagine what the uh
[31:52] what the litigation would look like, but
then again,
[31:57] you couldn't get me to say that it might
not happen.
[32:00] » But I mean, in your backtory, so what
>> in any business you have acceptability
[32:05] of
>> it is that's that's part of business.
[32:08] Yes. Mayor, if I could just say a couple
words on that. um that's been involved
[32:13] in city managers searches and couple big
ones recently and another one right now
[32:20] and you know my experience has been that
it's a heart condition that matters okay
[32:29] and I've looked at
the rotation of uh interums that we've
[32:36] had here in full time
And when Shannon got here and she's
[32:43] right, she didn't know anything. Okay.
Other than being
[32:51] her heart, right? And I really
understand what you're saying,
[32:55] » Nicole. You know, it's all well taken.
Just don't shrug it off. It's something
[33:00] that you got to deal with. But, um,
you know, I looked at Melissa's resume
[33:07] and I talked to her after she
What the hell are you thinking?
[33:15] Why would you leave that position
to do that? I I think I won't tell her
[33:21] answer. She wasn't confidence, but
that's for her to tell you. I'd ask her
[33:25] that question. What the hell you think?
Pardon my profanity.
[33:32] I'm with you on that. I was the same
thing this evening. Same exact thing. I
[33:38] mean, so I mean, it gets down to what
you council members have to do. It's in
[33:43] the best interest of the village. Okay.
You're fortunate that Shannon has helped
[33:49] turn the tide
>> and you know, but Shann's not the police
[33:53] department. You know, they're they're
doing their part. So, you've got a lot
[33:58] of positive going on and it's good to
see.
[34:02] » You know, I'm just not an outside
interest here. I'm fully invested and
[34:08] want this village to succeed. Been
through a lot. I think the future looks
[34:13] bright. The next choice that you make,
it's going to have to be good.
[34:19] » I keeping Shannon on board in some
capacity, but you know, I work closely
[34:25] with Shannon. I can tell you there's
been days where I just thought we roll
[34:31] over. But
go ahead. That's my two cents.
[34:37] » Thank you,
>> J. I'm sorry, too.
[34:41] » No, no, no. I was
[34:46] » Okay. Um, I just have a couple of
comments. I I reviewed all of these in
[34:51] pretty good detail actually and uh I did
some research myself
[34:58] and
if you guys get a chance and you look at
[35:03] the new Lebanon charter section 4.01
under Minnesota manager qualifications
[35:09] and spec specifically states uh manager
be chosen by council on the basis of its
[35:14] judgment of such persons executive and
administrative qualifications and
[35:18] abilities as evidenced by such person's
training experience public
[35:23] administration or otherwise
that that kind of opened my eyes the
[35:28] otherwise part
um I too am in in agreement with with
[35:32] Nicole um on Mr. Mr. Hager. Um, but I
I'm also in agreement with with Melissa
[35:40] and a head officer, so I'm kind of right
with you in line with that. But
[35:46] as for the others, I appreciate what
they've done, but I look at it
[35:50] differently.
Um, most of these people have never been
[35:55] in our community. They've never sat at a
council meeting. They've never gone
[35:59] through and heard and talked and seen
what we have gone through. I think
[36:05] that's important.
Most of these these individuals
[36:10] um
have not seen what we have done in the
[36:16] last two years and three months for this
community. I too am being sued. Nicole
[36:22] and I have been on the same bus since
February 7th
[36:26] and we're fighting and we're winning
because the cases are getting thrown
[36:30] out. So something must be right. we must
be winning because we're telling the
[36:33] truth about stuff and they don't have
nothing. So, that's what I'm leaning
[36:38] towards. I I think Melissa is
lacking in some municipal experience and
[36:46] knowledge, but Shannon Beimis was too.
And look how far she's gotten us. She's
[36:51] found $365,000 in back taxes that people
owe this community. She's saved us
[36:56] money. Look at our police department.
Look at our fire department. Look at the
[37:00] progressive things that have happened to
this community since she took the seats.
[37:04] And I think that that with her help and
her guidance and her attitude, I think
[37:11] that Melissa would be a good asset with
some training. Now, let me back up. I
[37:16] agree with what Nicole says with the
cronyism and nepotism and all that, but
[37:22] that didn't stop the previous people
that were here. It did the same thing.
[37:27] Now, are we any better than them? You
want my opinion? We are because we've
[37:31] proven ourselves and and we're working
hard towards that. Okay. Um,
[37:38] so
the the the the individuals that that
[37:42] sent over resumes and we've talked to, I
appreciate what they've done. Um, most
[37:47] of them have medical experience and
training as everybody has indicated. Um,
[37:53] do they have the knowledge and
experience? Probably not.
[37:56] But
neither does Melissa. But Melissa's been
[38:00] involved in every council meeting since
2017. She knows what's been going on in
[38:05] this community. She's helping in this
community. She's been a part of this
[38:08] community. She lives in this community.
So that's 50 60% of what we're looking
[38:13] for right off the bat. Can she be
trained? Sure, she can. Can she go to
[38:16] OML conferences and schools and training
and all that like Mr. Wilder and the
[38:21] vice mayor and I did? Absolutely. So,
it's not like we're shooting ourselves
[38:25] in the foot by selecting somebody that
does not know anything about this
[38:30] community. Okay. I also agree um Nicole
with you on Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf is
[38:36] absolutely a no-go. That dude's being
sued all over the place and he's done
[38:40] illegal stuff. We don't want him.
>> Um Mr. Carter, who has been to three
[38:46] council meetings since 2017, likes to
proclaim how good he is and how better
[38:51] he is than everybody else and that we're
afraid of him is why we haven't hired
[38:55] him.
The the Did he serve his country
[39:00] honorably? Sure he did. He he did what
he did for his country. but to to talk
[39:07] down to the leadership of this
community, to talk down to the the
[39:11] attorney, to talk down to the police
department with comments on social
[39:14] media, which I have right here cuz I've
saved them for the last eight months.
[39:20] Um, that's an issue.
>> And he's been to three council meetings
[39:24] since 2017. And then he has the audacity
to come out and say that we're political
[39:29] idiots.
Do we want somebody like that as our
[39:33] leader of this community who calls the
current council members and the mayor
[39:38] political idiots and a weak city
management system against policies. I
[39:45] think our policies are straight up. If
you don't think the policies are right,
[39:49] look at our our updates in our on our uh
chart that's been that we've been
[39:54] working on. Look at what's been going
on. We've been working forward, working
[39:59] hard to move forward. So, if if I had a
choice and and it's not a choice
[40:05] tonight, I I agree with you. I would cut
it down to two. It would be Melissa or a
[40:12] head hunter. That would be my choice.
Okay. Um I I appreciate everybody else
[40:19] who has applied. Um, I appreciate their
time and their efforts, but we have to
[40:26] do something that's difficult for us to
make decisions on and what we have to
[40:31] do. And what we have to do is support
our community and what our community
[40:34] needs. And I I think that's what we
need. I think we need somebody that's
[40:38] been in this town, that lives in this
community, been here, I don't know, two
[40:42] years, Shannon, I don't know how long
she lived in this town. Um, I I I think
[40:47] that that's what we need to focus on. I
think the past is behind us. I think we
[40:52] need to move forward and we can't make a
mistake and select somebody
[40:58] » Yeah.
>> that uh we just don't know anything
[41:00] about and we know everything about
Melissa Son and that's my opinion about
[41:05] it.
>> I felt that was a positive in my book. I
[41:10] mean
not being partial but I I would rather
[41:14] know the person that's working within
than not because we're going in blind
[41:19] with the others. That's right. And and
and Mr. Welder, I'm sorry to cut you off
[41:22] and interrupt you, but look look what
this lady has done, working together,
[41:27] mind you, with our acting village
manager for a day at the park. The last
[41:32] two years have been a 1,000% success.
>> Hard work
[41:36] » that they have done. And they worked
together in a position with two former
[41:42] managers that give that didn't really
give two hoops about the community,
[41:45] » right?
>> And look how successful it was. Imagine
[41:48] them working together here and how
successful they will be. And and that's
[41:52] how I'm looking at it. And and that's
that's what I'm leaning towards. But I
[41:58] agree with you, Nicole. I I think if uh
I think it's I think it's warranted if
[42:02] Shannon would stick on for a little bit
longer. I think it's warranted to talk
[42:05] to a head hunter, maybe get a few more,
review them, um and go from there and
[42:12] see where we're at with it. If I had a
choice tonight, I would select Melissa
[42:16] and then I would accept her resignation
as the mayor and then we'd submit our
[42:20] 30-day letter to bring somebody else up
to
[42:23] » talk about process.
>> Go ahead.
[42:26] Just a thought on
[42:30] you may want to consider before you get
a deadline interview to what council
[42:36] considers top
executive session next meeting and you
[42:42] know council be ready just
>> I think that would be a great idea.
[42:45] » So before you go through the process
ahead because you just get a night head
[42:51] » I know
>> you're going to get what you pay for
[42:53] » just a couple of them I you do a decent
search, you're going to be between 15
[42:57] and 25 gram.
>> So, that's just an FYI. So, and then in
[43:04] terms of if you get to a preferred
candidate, okay, it's not just, hey,
[43:10] you're hired.
>> Sure. Sure.
[43:11] » It's, you know, you'd have to authorize
me to,
[43:14] » right,
>> prepare a contract that council would
[43:17] approve the basic terms of
>> and then engage in negotiations.
[43:22] Anyhow, I just wanted to get Yeah, this
I think we're in an early we're not
[43:27] going to rush through this by no means.
This is something that we really need to
[43:30] think hard about and and move forward.
And that's if we have to do another work
[43:34] session or two work sessions out there
too. Even though you guys say it doesn't
[43:39] look like for him to vote for Melissa if
she did come on, it's going to look bad
[43:46] because it is family.
[43:51] » That's just being honest. I'm going to
tell you the community. They had a
[43:55] problem with Gail voting and I'm sorry
Gail and I'm not trying to be mean. They
[44:00] had a problem with Gail voting on
Glenn's contract when Glenn his daughter
[44:05] worked for Glenn
that was out there.
[44:10] » That's blood.
[44:17] » You don't get it. His daughter was not
blood to Glenn. No, it's blood to him.
[44:24] » I know, but his daughter was not blood
to Glenn.
[44:27] » He's the one voting.
>> Yeah, he voted and it had nothing to do
[44:31] with his daughter, but his daughter
worked for Glenn. People be mad enough
[44:37] to make comments or
>> so. But I don't want to make comments. I
[44:43] do think it looks sad
>> for having a family member even though
[44:47] it's not blood.
>> His his nephew still benefits
[44:53] from
because he's married to Melissa.
[44:57] » But we got some we got some discussion
to do.
[45:00] » Okay.
>> Um
[45:02] Mike, if you if you approve, I think uh
um we ought probably ought to have an
[45:08] executive session, talk about it again.
do some interviewing.
[45:10] » Okay.
>> Um I don't know have everybody
[45:14] » do an interview
>> or
[45:17] session or discuss it.
>> Yeah, I think that would be good. I mean
[45:22] because last time I think there's
concern that not all council
[45:26] participated.
>> So it all
[45:31] you'd have to leave it mayor.
>> That's right. That's not um
[45:37] » you know we we'll identify one or two
questions and you know so it's not an
[45:40] all nighter or whatever
>> but I think that would be our next stop
[45:44] if everybody's comfortable with that
we'll do another work set or at an
[45:49] executive session maybe if not the next
meeting the meeting after that whatever
[45:52] we need to do whatever the timing
>> we'll do executive session see how far
[45:56] we get if you want to make a decision
after the executive session in terms of
[46:00] what direction you want to head
>> based upon those interviews
[46:04] You can't make the decision executive
session but you come out here and
[46:08] debate.
>> Okay.
[46:11] » Is everybody in agreeance with that? You
want to do that?
[46:14] » All right. Um
I don't think I need to. Anybody have
[46:18] anything else? Any other comments or
questions?
[46:20] » And I'm not trying to be mean in any
way. No, you're right. I'm willing.
[46:24] » And you know what? We're doing
>> I will I have nothing against me against
[46:29] Mr. W. I'm just I just wanted to let
everybody know it's just epic.
[46:36] » And you know what? I'm with you. I'm
tired of being sued.
[46:39] » I just I'm not going to go through that
motion. Okay.
[46:42] » Yep.
>> All right. Um I'd like to do a motion to
[46:45] go ahead and terminate this work
session.
[46:48] » Second.
>> Sorry. Council member Atkins.
[46:54] » Yes. Mayor Cooper.
>> Yes.
[46:58] Mayor Mayor.
>> Yes. Council
[47:02] Wilder.
>> Yes.
[47:04] » Council member Joy.
>> Yes.
[47:06] » And
>> Okay. Can somebody go out and holler for
[47:09] her?
>> And then we're going to take
[47:14] we'll take 10 minutes.
[47:31] going
[47:41] out.
[47:52] Senator
[48:09] You know,
there's two ways to
[48:33] Friday night.
[48:56] All
[49:13] right, everybody. Good evening. Sorry
for the delay. We appreciate your
[49:16] patience. We'll go ahead and get
started.
[49:22] I'd like to call to order this March
3rd, 2026 regular council meeting.
[49:25] Please rise for the invocation. Standing
for a pledge of alleg
[49:37] to put aside personal agendas and work
together in harmony.
[49:41] Grant us the patience to listen to one
another and the courage to do what is
[49:45] right for the common good.
May our work tonight strengthen the
[49:49] bonds of our community.
We pray that you continue to protect the
[49:53] citizens of our community, our public
service workers, our firefighters, our
[49:58] medics, and our police department. In
the name we pray. Amen.
[50:03] » Amen.
[50:08] America and to the republic for it
stands one nation
[50:14] indivisible with liberty and justice for
all.
[50:23] » Okay. Next is verbal roll call. Council
members present for the record.
[50:29] » Vice Mayor Cooper
>> council member Joy
[50:33] » council member present. Council member
Wilder
[50:36] » present.
>> Mayor
[50:38] » present.
>> Nico
[50:42] that's the approval of the February 17,
2026 regular council meeting minutes.
[50:46] Are there any corrections or changes to
these minutes?
[50:52] » Do I have a motion to approve the
February 17, 2026 regular council
[50:55] meeting minutes?
[51:02] » All those in favor say I. Anyone
opposed?
[51:07] » Uh, yes. One. No. Motion carries.
>> Okay. Before we uh move on to unfinished
[51:13] business, Chelsea Fry, school nurse for
the school, elementary, middle, which
[51:18] one is it? Both of them. All of them.
>> All of them.
[51:20] » I guess uh you have some information
you'd like to pass on about the blue
[51:25] envelope program.
[51:31] » You can come up here and talk to if you
like. Either one.
[51:35] » It's up to you.
>> Okay, that's fine.
[51:40] » Envelope. Can you hear me? No.
>> No. Is it turned off?
[51:54] » Okay. So, Chief Town is Okay. So, we'll
do both. I am actually here to speak
[51:59] about friends of first responders. It's
um a new initiative program that we are
[52:03] starting in partnership with New London
Police and Fire. So, Chief Cman, they
[52:08] the New London police are starting the
blue envelope. This is drivers on the
[52:13] autistic spectrum. So, this program is
for drivers specific who have autism.
[52:18] So, anyone in our community who um is on
the spectrum will receive a blue
[52:23] envelope if they choose. I'm you can
pick one up at the school or here at the
[52:27] village office. And it's a program
that's been adopted through other
[52:33] communities and what it is is a letter
for these people. Um, and it gives some
[52:40] tips on what they can do um if they are
driving and get pulled over because
[52:45] people on the sector do have um
so
[52:53] I was not prepared to speak on this
program. This was Do you want to speak
[52:56] on this program and I'll speak on mine
and then we'll piggy back because
[52:58] they're they're one and the same but
mine addresses students and drivers and
[53:03] his address drivers.
[53:14] » So basically I want to give
police department for helping us and
[53:19] Sergeant Thomas for getting for this.
What the blue envelope program does if
[53:25] we pull someone over, it enables the law
enforcement officer to be able to uh
[53:32] recognize and handle the situation
accordingly. And every officer will have
[53:39] this blue or every driver will have this
blue envelope. They get pulled over,
[53:44] they show a blue envelope, and inside
it, it will tell us name, date of birth,
[53:50] emergency contact, and their different
like I I don't want to say triggers, but
[53:56] how to react with that driver. So, what
we're doing is we're implementing the
[54:01] blue envelope here as well as when a new
student starts or is in school and she
[54:09] starts her program, they also say,
"Okay, we also have the ones that are
[54:13] going to be driving. New Avenue Police
Department has this blue envelope
[54:18] program. So, they'll be in that and
this. Our our goal is to ensure that we
[54:25] are able to interact with autistic
children. We don't want to be, you know,
[54:30] unaware of what they what their triggers
are. It enables us to have a safe and
[54:37] effective interaction with the driver.
Some jurisdictions have a color seat
[54:42] belt. We haven't gone that far. We're
going to start with this. If we get a
[54:46] lot of buy in, which I think we will,
we're going to expand to say, "Okay,
[54:50] here's a blue envelope." Um, the goal is
to roll this out April 1st. And at which
[54:56] time, since Sergeant Thomas is the
traffic guy, is to have him explain it
[55:02] to the families if they need it. And
then, you know, we'd like to get into
[55:07] the schools and drivers in and um
explain this to them also. So, this goes
[55:13] out April 1st. We're going to start the
blue envelope for our autistic drivers.
[55:17] Now, I don't think we have any drivers
yet. And that's why since she'll know
[55:23] who they are, we can bring the families
in or she can bring families in. Okay,
[55:27] this is our program, but oh, by the way,
we have this you might want to look into
[55:32] also.
[55:40] Okay. So, my program u is called friends
and first responders and empowering
[55:45] connections. So, the program goal is to
foster meaningful connections and build
[55:50] trust between first responders and
children and students with diverse
[55:53] abilities preschool through 12th grade
by increasing awareness, interaction,
[55:58] and communications. This initiative aims
to create a safer, more inclusive
[56:02] community where students feel recognized
and supported by their local heroes.
[56:06] Additionally, it seeks to familiarize
first responders with effective
[56:10] communication tools and strategies to
better assist and engage with students
[56:14] who have limited or alternative
communication methods, ensuring positive
[56:18] interactions in all community
encounters. So, why this program
[56:22] matters? A couple years ago, we actually
had an elementary student leave home and
[56:25] one of our new police officers found him
at a gas station. Uh the student was
[56:30] nonverbal and unable to communicate
their name or address. So with this
[56:34] program, it highlighted a gap and it's
not about the care, it's about the
[56:39] tools. So this program fills that gap.
So each of our
[56:44] police cruisers is going to have a
binder. And currently we have 31
[56:50] families. We identified 33 families in
our school district and 31 families are
[56:55] participating. So each of the police
cruise providers will have an AAC
[57:01] communication board. So this stands for
augmentative and alternative
[57:05] communication. All of our students with
autism nonverbal or limited
[57:09] communication is familiar with this.
They typically have an iPad. Obviously
[57:13] this is an iPad in age care. So we made
a custom board for New London police and
[57:17] fire that is specific to first
responders and um other things and
[57:23] questions that they may ask on a call.
So, this isn't just for if a student's
[57:27] lost. If there is a medical emergency
and JC has to respond, they will be able
[57:32] to communicate with that child. Um same
with the police if they get pulled over
[57:35] or um or if they just see them in the
community and have them play basketball
[57:40] with some of them. So, just that
interaction with our local heroes at a
[57:44] community level.
In addition, we have a sensory bag. So,
[57:49] a lot of students with autism or diverse
abilities
[57:54] respond to tactile stimulation and
different sensory items. So, in this bag
[57:59] we have um a sensory brush, we have
fidgets, we have putty, we have
[58:04] sunglasses if the lights are too bright.
And then we also have
[58:10] another communication device. We have a
quick reference guide. So, along with
[58:15] this binder, we are going to do a roll
call training with
[58:18] and the fire just to educate them a
little bit more on autism, developmental
[58:24] delays, limited communication, how to
use the AAC device, and then some
[58:29] deescalation techniques.
And then our third tab here is like I
[58:35] said, we have 31 families who have
bought into the program out of 33 and
[58:40] that's not those are just families that
we identified at a school level. That
[58:43] doesn't include homeschooling students
or other students who might attend
[58:46] outside of our district church. So
anybody, this is open to anybody who
[58:50] lives in New Leon. They can um contact
me. They can contact the police
[58:54] department and we will get them in this
binder if they choose to. So we
[58:59] made a map of the 31 students who are
participating. This map is an
[59:04] interactive Google map and it dropped a
pen at each of their addresses. So our
[59:09] police department will have the map and
Each student has an ID card and Harry
[59:16] Cameron's mom convented to show you
guys, but we have all 31 students in
[59:21] here. They each have an ID card and that
is a picture of the student, their name,
[59:27] their address, the parents name, parents
phone number, and then three things that
[59:32] the child likes or enjoys. So, this is
just to help our police and fire if they
[59:37] come up and see Cameron here. He loves
cars. So if he's um escalated or if
[59:42] there's they need to distract him in
some way, they can say, "Oh, I hear you
[59:46] like cars, or I hear you like drawing,
or can you draw me something?"
[59:51] And then our third tab
is just um it's about our program. It's
[59:56] the annual initiative plan. So parents,
if they, like I said, if there's a
[1:00:00] homeschool family or somebody who's not
participating and they would like to
[1:00:04] participate in this program, they can
give them a copy of our program or
[1:00:07] goals. And then um a letter to the
parent just explaining what all we need
[1:00:13] from them. And then there's also a
consent form where the parent fills out
[1:00:17] the student's name, the grade, teacher
address, um, and just three things that
[1:00:22] they like.
And then the last part, like I said,
[1:00:25] we're going to do a training with our
first responders and we are implementing
[1:00:30] this on April 1st.
And it piggybacks off of the blue
[1:00:35] envelope program like he had said, those
are for drivers, but these 31 students
[1:00:40] that we identified are non-drivers. So,
how can we meet the needs of these
[1:00:44] children as well? So, supporting them
when they do get to driving age.
[1:00:49] Anybody
have anything? Any questions on that?
[1:00:54] » I think it's a great idea. Super great
idea. Thanks for doing this. Super
[1:00:59] great. I do have a request. Can we get a
binder, a complete binder to have here
[1:01:04] as a reference for the village here just
in case somebody should stop by and want
[1:01:08] to see or talk or
>> Yes. So, we have eight Well, we have
[1:01:12] nine binders total. Um, eight for eight
cruisers and then one for the fire, but
[1:01:16] we can make another one. I just the
cement.