During Tuesday night’s Crookston Ways & Means Committee (Crookston City Council, department heads and staff) meeting former councilwoman Dana Johnson accused City Administrator Shannon Stassen of being a liar and he was hired by the City illegally and called his conduct into question regarding emails she has seen.
Johnson said she wasn’t going to bring anything up but felt the need to follow a comment from the council meeting. “When the council passed the resolution to give CHEDA the money, [Stassen] didn’t really state that he knew what the
money was for,” said Johnson. “I know that the council as a whole has directed Stassen is supposed to be having weekly meetings with Craig and where is team Crookston when we have a City Administrator that refuses to meet with our CHEDA director [Craig Hoiseth]. It’s been 183 days since he was supposed to have a 90-day review and a month ago he flat out lied to [Councilman] Tom Vedbraaten when he was asked a direct question at the council meeting.”
Both Councilman Dale Stainbrook and Mayor Wayne Melbye interrupted Johnson with Stainbrook stating, “it’s a two-way street” and Melbye asking for clarification on who lied to who. “Tom asked about the documents that CHEDA was requesting,” clarified Johnson. “[Stassen] said he just found out about the documents they [Hoiseth/CHEDA] were requesting that day or the day before and it’s been at least six months. I talked to [Vedbraaten] and [Vedbraaten] agreed he knew [Stassen] lied to him.”
Stassen addressed Johnson’s accusations during the meeting, “Dana, I need to address that. Being called a liar in public, I can’t stand for that I’m sorry. There were requests to get everything sent to Hoiseth and I did relay that to staff and to my knowledge it was.” Shannon continued, “Rather than calling me, he had other people call for him and ask are you sure he’s getting everything, and I said yes, to my knowledge. As it turned out there was one document that wasn’t.”
Stassen also stated Hoiseth was receiving 99 percent but there was one thing he wasn’t. “I was standing next to Tina(Trostad) one time when Councilman Steve Erickson called, and we pulled up the email and Hoiseth’s name was in there,” said Stassen. “He was getting 99 percent of it and there was one thing he wasn’t, and we were not aware that he wasn’t. It can’t be spun the other way, there was no lie told, there never has been that. That’s just not accurate and I can’t just sit here and take that.”
Vedbraaten stated he had brought up one time to have it sent out to him and he brought it up again later but never said anyone lied. Vedbraaten said “I didn’t say he lied, I talked to him about getting the packets on there. I didn’t say he lied.”
Johnson, who ran an unsuccessful bid for mayor in the recent election, then said she was appalled by some of the documents she had been provided with during her campaign by multiple people, including, “emails sent from Stassen to certain people that I can’t believe haven’t been addressed, that it’s allowed to have this kind of conduct.”
Melbye said the council has addressed a lot of things, including trying to get a full meeting between council and the CHEDA board that hasn’t worked out yet. He also questioned whether Johnson was asking real questions or just trying to stir the pot before attempting to adjourn the meeting. Before he could, Stainbrook added, “Just a little information, I asked the chair of CHEDA to come down and have a cup of coffee with Stassen. He said the only way I’m coming down to have a cup of coffee with Stassen is if it’s related to city business and I won’t have a cup of coffee with Stassen alone, someone else will have to be there and it won’t be the mayor.” He continued, “if our chair of CHEDA won’t even meet with our City Administrator I think there is something wrong there too.”
“We had issues with Stassen while I was still on the council,” said Johnson after stating she wasn’t trying to stir the pot then added, “Stassen was hired illegally.” It should be noted that Johnson voted no to Stassen being offered the position of City Administrator during a special meeting November 13, 2013, but the motion to enter an employment agreement with Stassen during the November 25, 2013 meeting shows the motion was duly carried with no noted objections.
After the meeting, Melbye commented, “We had some citizens wondering about the relationship between the City Administrator and the Economic Development person. It’s an ongoing battle and there is some conflict we understand we have been dealing with.” He added “They are both A-type characters, but when it comes right down to it we’re all working for the betterment of Crookston. The City Council and CHEDA board are overseeing that and you can see projects are coming through, we’re getting things done.”
Melbye added he would meet individually over concerns and has always been open hearing both sides to get things resolved. Stassen had no comment after the meeting.
