| Council approves separation agreement |
By: By SUZANNE ROOK, Senior Reporter
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Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 9:40 am
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The council Monday approved 5-1 an agreement, which hasn't yet been crafted, in which the city administrator indemnifies the city against future lawsuits provided Mayor Lee Lansing agrees to apologize.
Discussion about the agreement took more than an hour and a half and was, at times, heated, with Lansing saying he felt "boxed in" by the council's decision.
Councilor Jim Pokorney, who helped negotiate the agreement with Councilor Kris Vohs, said Administrator Al Roder preferred the apology as Roder believed it would help restore his reputation.
For the last year, Roder has been under fire, with an apparent criminal investigation of him, charges of wrongdoing by the mayor and news that he allowed a Christian group to pray in his office during council meetings.
The relationship between Lansing and Roder was excellent when Roder first came to Northfield in March 2006, said Vohs. But once Roder refused to help the mayor push for his pet projects, Lansing became increasingly difficult, said the councilor.
A independent investigation last December found no wrongdoing on Roder's part, but reported Lansing had been unethical in pushing family and business interests with the administrator. That review, along with the investigation of Roder, is in the hands of the Goodhue County Sheriff's Department and is expected to wrap up by summer's end.
A second option to offer Roder $10,000 at his Friday departure and another $25,000 if the alleged criminal investigation exonerates him was set aside.
The agreement won't become valid until Roder receives an apology. That must occur by 5 p.m. Friday.
Lansing said he was ready to aid in the process however he could, yet voted against the proposed agreement.
Roder's last day in Northfield is Friday. He's accepted a similar position in Norfolk, Neb. |
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