Is Mayor Walsh's Orono now the metro's Wild West?

What has happened since Mayor Walsh has taken office? Has Orono become the Wild West?

Public Land Sold and/or Given away without Citizen Input

Public Access Property on Lake Minnetonka has been sold and given away to city officials and/or friends of the Mayor or special residents chosen by the Mayor.

Large Expenditures without Citizen Input

A handful of City Council members decided to take over the Long Lake Fire Department and did not hold a single public hearing for the $20-40 million expenditure.

Tens of millions of dollars in expenditures have been paid for the 65,000 square foot Public Works Building without a public hearing regarding the project build out details nor the growing budget. The initial bond hearing was for $13 million but Orono will be spending somewhere over $18 million before it is completed.

Discussing using Water & Sewer fees for other uses without Citizen Knowledge

It appears that Mayor Walsh is considering taking several million dollars from the sewer and water funds to help pay for the fire department takeover.

Confused Procedures

When asked about following Robert's Rules for a meeting framework, the Orono City Attorney explained that he didn’t think they applied for a smaller city such as Orono. Also employed are various subcommittees that work behind the scenes on issues without Citizen input.

Litigious Existence

Orono is nicknamed the “Lawsuit City” as there were 8 pending lawsuits at one time in 2023 against the City of Orono and some of its officials including Mayor Dennis Walsh. As of this posting there are at least 5 pending lawsuits - one federal and four civil. This still far exceeds any number a single city in our area has ever had pending at one time.

Citizen Suppression

Mayor Walsh changed the amount of time Citizens can speak at any meeting from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. He also moved the public comments section from the front of the meeting until the end, discouraging people from attending, He also has taken to publicly shaming certain Citizens, former City Officials and even a fellow City Council member.

Open Meeting Law Broken

On several occasions, open meeting laws appear to have been broken regarding Public notification, meeting scheduling and communication. Just in the past month a quorum of City Council members was present at a Fire Department ceremony without public notification.

Does it appear as though Orono has moved toward a somewhat lawless type of atmosphere? Are City Codes to be adhered to by all? Watch here as we update throughout this election season. Remember that Mayor Walsh and two city council seats - Crosby and Veach - are up for reelection in November.

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