Orono Mayor Denny Walsh appears to Break Open Meeting Law
Orono’s Mayor Walsh breaks Open Meeting Law 4/29/24
Authors Uncivil comments to Citizen
Once again, we see the flagrant disregard for process and procedure by Mayor Walsh. He decided to blast an email to the entire City Council in response to a very kind request from a Citizen. By sending an email to more than one council member, Mayor Walsh is in effect creating a quorum, and therefore subject to a violation of the Open Meeting Law according to MN Statute 13D.015.
Isn't Mayor Walsh Greenwashing Orono? #callhimonit
What is Greenwashing?
That’s when a person or entity releases and/or promotes environmentally friendly messaging to help them look like they are helping and/or care about the environment. In reality they are not helping, and in fact, may be harming the environment.
Isn't it interesting that Mayor Walsh chose Earth Day, Week and Month to start his own apparent greenwashing campaign for himself and the City of Orono?
Orono and Mayor Walsh mixed Social Media Messaging
Is Mayor Walsh employing Confusion? Control? Why is he reposting Orono City business posts with his own comments? Why not do that on the Orono City Facebook page? Or the Orono Fire page? As a public official is he misusing social media?
Is this further Citizen Suppression that Mayor Walsh seems to have a track record of implementing?
Remember when he changed Citizen comments from 5 minutes to 3 minutes? (contrary to #matthewjohnson's recent comments this move was due to Citizen unrest)
And then placed the Citizen comments at the very end of the meeting?
And in spite, he often schedules a 5 minute recess before the comment period so citizens have to wait that much longer?
A Quote for Mayor Walsh
How can a couple of council members and Mayor Walsh think spending millions to create an entirely new fire department makes any sense? Where is their responsibility to the Orono taxpayers who would have to fund this?
Mayor Walsh Disrespects Citizen Views, Again
Here's a fascinating exchange where Mayor Walsh has apparently blocked certain Citizens from commenting. Well we have far more views here than the Mayor's facebook page anyway. Please do comment below! Orono Fire Long Lake Fire Department #denniswalshformayor Thank you Shane for pointing out the obvious - Mayor Walsh apparently refuses to negotiate on any front and that is what will get him voted out this November. #togetherwearebetter Friends of Orono
Why would Mayor Walsh Make up a Quote for Rep. Andrew Myers?
With numerous lawsuits pending and many misstatements in his own Orono Happenings Newsletter, perhaps Mayor Walsh needs a fact checker to correct his mistruths.
$2.66 Million from Utilities is paying for other Orono Projects?
It’s a Budget Shell Game isn’t it? Are Orono Utility Rates so high they are funding other projects?
Under Mayor Walsh, the usage rates for Orono’s sewer and water has increased to the point that it has created a large surplus. Instead of reducing fees, Walsh is proposing taking $1.66 million from the sewer fund and $1 million from the water fund to make up budget deficits he has created with his oversized public works building and startup fire department.
The Taj is now $11+M Over Budget?
Orono’s “Taj Mahal” Public Works Facility
Why so BIG Orono? Why add on an additional 30,000 square feet when our population hasn’t grown but 1% a year?
Why so BIG Orono? Having to bond for this has created interest payments of $6 million over 25 years.
Is Orono's New Public Works Building running 30% over budget?
Orono has designed a Giant Public Works building that is double the size of the existing Public Works facility. Why build double the space with virtually no increase in population or no justification in analysis?
These are good questions, and now we see the budget for this project has grown nearly 30%? This brand new building was bonded at $13 million. Then apparently bid at $16 million, and now looks like it will cost somewhere around $21+ million including interest.
Is Mayor Walsh Pushing T-Ball out of Orono with Youth Sports Orgs?
Is #MayorWalsh is wiping out T-ball fields in Orono so that he can put another nonregulation sized Soccer field in? Looks like this is an inside deal with #MariaVeach (Orono Westonka Treasurer) again.
The Hackberry Hill neighborhood and the Baseball Association want two T-ball fields. Orono Parks Superintendent #JoshLemons says that he is not going to follow the neighborhood's wishes because there are others out there that want a substandard another sized soccer field? Weren't you just complaining about Bederwood's substandard sized soccer field in a recent meeting Mr. Lemons?
Who is Maria Veach? What are her motivations?
Something just isn’t right with Orono City Council member Maria Veach. She has two more conflicts of interest added to her list of seven.
The Orono City Council is hiring her Long Lake Firefighter husband on Monday, October 9, 2023. Why is she not recusing herself from all Fire related voting and negotiation?
Where is all the Orono Park Funding? Why isn't Orono saving?
If Mayor Walsh is borrowing from bond debt payments and leasing equipment, something has to be up with Orono's cash flow. It appears that Orono is struggling to pay for Park maintenance and Park projects as well.
Mediation fails to end lawsuit between Long Lake and Orono
The mediation between the City of Orono and the City of Long Lake did not bring our two cities closer together 9/26/23. Sadly, the Orono/Long Lake Citizens and the Long Lake Council want to come together and bring resolution to the contentious situation with three Orono City Council members. Please ask #mayordenniswalsh #councilmemberrichardcrosby and #councilmembermattjohnson to stop fighting with the overwhelming majority of constituents - stop spending tens of millions of dollars on a Stand Alone Fire Department we do not need.
Why doesn't Maria Veach Recuse herself from all Fire Related Matters?
What is a conflict of interest?
A conflict of interest is a situation in which a person or organization has two or more competing interests. When a conflict of interest occurs, the person or team can't perform their duties appropriately because it could mean betraying their interests to one of the parties within the situation. When such a situation arises, it's often a legal requirement for the primary party to remove themselves.
Where is the Revised Hackberry Park Plan? Why isn't it part of the Grant Packet for 9/25/23?
Once again we are discussing lack of process with the #OronoCityCouncil and #mayorwalsh
Apparently Mayor Walsh has been communicating with only one resident to revise the last publicly shared Hackberry Park Plan. Where is the new revised plan for Hackberry Park? This plan is part of a grant application that is up for approval tomorrow Monday, September 25 at the Orono City Council meeting.
Why is Mayor Walsh Paving over T-Ball?
It's almost Hackberry Park's 50th Anniversary and look what's happening. The City of Orono wants to pave over one of the T-ball fields for a parking lot. How about parking on the Willow side and two T-ball fields so that next year can be a celebration and not a sad event with more hardcover?
How is Mayor Walsh Funding his Pet Projects?
Our Orono taxes are proposed to rise again this year. The city council wants to approve a 12% increase in property taxes for next year and this is on top of increased utility fees. Our Sewer rates are the 2nd highest in the West Metro. Our Water rates are higher than needed.
Mayor Walsh Eliminates T-Ball In Orono: Dozens of Residents Speaking Out
Due to the City of Orono’s desire to develop the park, they have decided to apply for grants for a softball field. Their plan is to eliminate both T-ball fields presumably because they can’t get grant money to redevelop those fields for T-ball.
Why is Walsh Eliminating T-Ball from Orono?
Why would Mayor #DennisWalsh want to take away historic T-ball away from Orono? Is it because he needs funds to develop Hackberry Park? What this means is that T-ball will be wiped away from play in Orono all together. There are no other T-ball fields in Orono.
Stop Orono Grant Funding for Parks We Don't Want
Orono City Council and Park Commission are trying to railroad through a Park Plan without Citizen input for grant applications. Once these applications are funded, the Park must include those features to which the grant applies i.e. Softball Field and yet another Soccer field.