New Albertville Mayor Appoints Rob Olson to City Council Monday After Split Vote

The council had a split vote between Olson and Mark Barthel. New mayor Jillian Hendrickson, who was just sworn in, then appointed Olson.

In an Albertville City Council meeting full of change Monday, new mayor Jillian Hendrickson was sworn in to office Monday shortly before she appointed Rob Olson to city council after a split vote left the seat undecided. With Hendrickson leaving her council seat for mayor, there was an open seat on the council to be filled by appointment. Olson served as the chairman of the city's planning and zoning commission and received two votes from the council. The other two votes were for Mark Barthel. "The council will vote based on the letters of interest and if there is a tie vote, the mayor will appoint," city attorney Mike Couri explained. The city received two letters of interest for the remaining council seat from Olson and Barthel. Both men…

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Scotty O

11:04 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013

So with it being a split vote that backs my point even more, very simple to look who had the most votes. So your saying because he has a common last name he should not be considered. Maybe it was because he is local and a larger population knows who he is and felt he should get the position. There is a reason we have a right to vote, and if one person is not going to take that in consideration …   more ›

Election 2012

Larry Sorensen Seeks Re-Election to Albertville Council

Sorensen, a 16-year resident of Albertville, is seeking his second term.

Name : Larry Sorensen Age : 48 Place of residence : Albertville Attended college : Yes College : University of Wisconsin-Stout Degree : Bachelor of Science Year of graduation : 1986 Job titles held : Have held various Marketing positions over the years Employers:  Fingerhut, The Lacek Group, Christopher & Banks, and currently Merrill Corporation. Running for a: Local office Running for position: Albertville City Council Chamber/district: Incumbent: Yes First elected: 04 November 2008 Previous elective offices : Elected to Albertville City Council, November of 2008. Term started January of 2009. Unsuccessful bids for elective offices : None Address Facebook : www.facebook.com/Larry.Sorensen.Albertville I was elected to City Council four …

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St. Michael's Schumm to See Duluth Devastation Firsthand

St. Michael council member Chris Schumm is on the ground in Duluth as he visits the League of Minnesota Cities conference this week. Meanwhile, Two Harbors naive Larry Sorensen, Albertville council member, is trying to keep tabs on people back home.

Beyond the sinkholes and seals in the middle of the road, there are many facets to the devastation left behind by flash flooding in Duluth.  First, it's the inconvenience factor. Chris Schumm, St. Michael City Council member, and fellow city representatives felt that firsthand yesterday when they were told to stay home, as a League of Minnesota Cities conference in Duluth was postponed.  Calling from Duluth today (Thursday), Schumm said there is damage almost anywhere you look.  "We went down Highway 61 in one area and there was water up to the middle wall of one restaurant that we saw," Schumm said. "We also were on a stretch of highway where you could tell the water had just receded. We'll get a tour later today. It's going to be pretty …

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Albertville Continues Rebuiliding

Albertville continues to look forward as the city council looks at filling the city clerk and city administrator positions.

As the Albertville City Council continues the difficult task of filling the city clerk and city administrator positions, Mayor Mark Meehan came to the group with the idea to send out a public notice regarding the transitional time within city hall. The cost for this to be sent out would be $563 unless it was included with utility bills that go out around May 23 or in the next newsletter which would be July. Council member Larry Sorenson asked for clarification on who the notice would be from and what it would say. "My fear is it will be more political than informational," he said Monday night. "My hope is to move forward instead of backward," Meehan said. John Vetsch agreed that an introduction to the new city clerk, new front desk person …

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Dieter

6:05 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012

Nothing against Mr. Nafstad, but they fire the Administrator because they were not happy with how he conducted himself, (I would call this professionalism), but now they are contemplating replacing him with someone with ZERO experience as a City Administrator. Really?   more ›

St. Michael, Businesses React to Albertville Council's Decision

While many were surprised by the council's whirlwind decision to fire its city administrator, they agree the biggest question is what happens next.

In the hallway outside of the city council chambers at Albertville City Hall Monday night, emotions were still running fairly high. Elmer Eichelberg, Wright County Commissioner, credited Kruse for bringing the Interstate 94 ramp for the Albertville Premium Outlets to fruition. Kruse, he said, held countless meetings with adminstrators and the county commission to explain the merits of the ramp. Former mayor Ron Klecker, who came to the podium for Kruse, was speechless, and asked to wait to comment. Outgoing City Administrator Bob Derus of St. Michael said the incident was a reminder of one of the aspects of the job. "We enjoyed working with Larry [Kruse]. In this line of work, sometimes things change and you can wind up on the short end of…

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Mayor, Majority Unhappy with Albertville Administrator "for Months"

Mayor Mark Meehan said in Monday's meeting the issue with Albertville City Administrator Larry Kruse had been "festering" for months, and he took action when confronted by another council member.

It didn't take long to delve into the issues at Monday's Albertville City Council meeting, as the public comment period became the only segment of the night where the dozens in attendance could weigh in on the city's latest controversy. Mayor Mark Meehan opened up the floor for public comment minutes after 7 p.m., and the first speaker-former mayor Ron Klecker-asked that Meehan wait. "I'd like to speak on Item 10A [City Administrator Performance Review], but I would like to save my comments until then," Klecker requested. However, Meehan didn't allow residents to wait, and referred to the rules of order for the meeting. He said all public comment would be taken at the outset. Council member Larry Sorenson asked for a motion to allow public…

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Albertville Mayor Asks for Administrator's Resignation

The City of Albertville is in flux after Mayor Mark Meehan asked for Larry Kruse's resignation earlier this week.

In what city staff and a council member are calling a "shocking" development this week, the mayor of Albertville has asked for that city's top staff person to step down from his position. According to members of the council and staff members from the City of Albertville, Mayor Mark Meehan visited Albertville City Hall Monday and asked City Administrator Larry Kruse to resign as Albertville's top staff person. Kruse told Meehan he would not resign from his post. Neither party involved in that meeting returned St. Michael Patch's requests for comment. City staff was notified of the meeting and resignation request by Kruse Wednesday morning. Albertville Fire Chief Tate Mills, who reports directly to Kruse, said he was "surprised." "Larry …

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Ryan

1:06 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012

I will be looking for a new mayor next election. I believe Mark has done a poor job keeping us informed.   more ›