Orono Fire Chief James VanEyll Appears to Brush off Safety
Orono’s Chief #VanEyll brushes off Citizen SAFETY right before one of the biggest accident weekends of the year on Lake Minnetonka - 4th of July.
If you have a water related emergency, who is coming to rescue you? NOT Orono Fire because they didn’t plan short term or long term to cover their taxpaying public with service.
And yet, Orono is charging more than $11.800+ per service call. Stop #overspendydenny Stop #unsafeofd and renegotiate with Long Lake please - our Citizen’s health and wellbeing is more important than the #walsh #empire and control.
Long Lake Fire Department to provide water response this summer amid dispute with Orono
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/long-lake-fire-department-to-provide-water-response-this-summer-amid-dispute-with-orono/
Were Citizens asked about the Duplicate Fire Service?
Orono Citizens want to know why they haven't been asked if they want a fire department. At costs estimated in the tens of millions, many residents are saying no to duplicate fire service.
Please attend City Council meetings and make your voices heard on the public record.
#togetherwearebetter @friendsoforono
Chief Van Eyll blocks Citizens on Social Media
Please see the official Orono City Council remarks with the count here: https://youtu.be/Ri4eozm-jL8?si=4QZks2lmt0MFnVVa This information has been available to all for quite some time.
Maria and Mistrust: Why Citizens Are Finding Orono Council member Maria Veach untrustworthy?
Maria and Mistrust: Why Citizens Are Finding Orono Council member Maria Veach untrustworthy?
During the 4/22/24 City Council meeting, Ms. Veach brought up how she is trying to build trust with the community. One must earn trust, and when a relationship is so damaged by several factors, it may be an impossible hill to climb.
Since #mariaveach was appointed to the city council without a public interview, many factors keep building mistrust with the reasons she was selected.
Why has Maria Veach flip flopped on her opinion of Orono Fire?
Is Maria Veach Misleading the Public?
When Orono Council member Maria Veach spoke on 4/8/24 at the Orono City Council meeting she read a document that we now have up on our website here: https://www.friendsoforono.org/maria-veach-1 There are many misnomers and several misleading statements that we will highlight throughout the coming weeks.
How can Ms. Veach advocate spending several times more for service that is essentially the same or that may be even less safe?
4/10/24 Coffee with Mayor: Shame&Blame LL, Citizens; Misquotes, Misinformation, Meanness, &Dating??
More Unbelievable Conversation with Orono City Officials
Listen to Mayor Walsh and Orono Planning Commissioner Dennis Libby deflect, distract and appear to blame and shame not only a Citizen at the meeting, but the City of Long Lake public officials as well.
Listen to Orono/Long Lake Firefighter apparently misquote Long Lake Mayor Miner, and then disparage the City of Long Lake.
Listen to Orono City Council member Maria Veach compare the process of fire service negotiations to her own experience of “dating in high school.” She is also taking credit for bringing the two “sides” together apparently against open meeting law.
The Citizen attending the meeting did point out that the Orono City Council does vote against Staff recommendations regularly, so if there is a plan from the two City Administrators/Fire Chiefs put forth, what will stop Walsh from block-voting against it? (Great point and this entire exercise may be a complete waste of time as the earlier Seals/Johnson negotiations were. And remember, Walsh cut the cord on communication just as there appeared to be an agreement.)
Breaking News: The Laker & Pioneer story on Orono's 2nd Contempt of Court ruling
The Key takeaway? "Orono Mayor Dennis Walsh said Orono would continue to pursue the creation of the Orono Fire Department."
Even though the vast majority of Citizens do not want it.
Even though no budget has been given to the Citizens (because it's somewhere around 10X what is being paid now).
The Fire Service Solution is Easy Peasy!
Lawlessness in Orono: Read Between the Lines
This week, Mayor Walsh released a single page document commenting on the second contempt of court against Orono. Is Mayor Walsh really refuting Hennepin County Court Judge Miller? Is the City of Orono really refuting two Contempt of Court judgements? Is Mayor Walsh appealing these two judgements? If so, when?
How unusual is it for a Minnesota City to defy a court order? Highly unusual and the City of Orono may be the only city to have ever done so in Minnesota’s history. Now we’ve had two Contempt of Court judgements before the actual breach of contract trial. This is very poor leadership and takes Orono Citizens into a legal abyss. And Mayor Walsh single-handily chooses to put the future of Orono’s fire service in complete disarray.
Long Lake Fire Service has always been the answer!
The Simple, Low Cost Answer = Safe Service with #LLFD
Let’s not tinker with public safety. Let’s not try to fix something that isn’t broken. Let’s not spend tens of millions for a fire fiefdom for #OronoMayorDennyWalsh and Orono Council Member #mariaveach
There isn’t one single reason to move away from Long Lake Fire according to the Orono City Council. Orono City Council members admit that there is nothing wrong with the #longakefiredepartment service.
Is a lean-to garage really safe as a Fire Station in Navarre?
Orono is setting up its new fire department on a hope and a prayer
At Monday night’s meeting, Orono City Council will be discussing whether they are able to start their own controversial fire department slated for the Navarre service area this July 1st.
The hope is that they can park their equipment in a yet-to-be-built garage next to the Navarre water tower.
Breaking News: Spend, Spend, Spend
Breaking News: Spend, Spend, Spend
Yet another Orono City project is squandering more taxpayers dollars, and running over the initial estimate by over 46%. During the Monday February 26th, Mayor Walsh and his council majority will ask city council to vote for a temporary fire shelter next to the Navarre Station #2.
Heal our Community by making Your Voices Heard!
Please don’t assume these expensive proposals such as spending millions for another fire service can't be undone. Now that Orono Mayor Walsh has finally publicly written in the city newsletter about his go-it-alone approach to start up a fire department, the Orono citizens can speak up. Citizens can finally see how the economics and risk to public safety of this proposal doesn’t add up.
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.
Mayor Walsh Spends More and More on Failed LLFD Take Over
Mayor Dennis Walsh sure likes to spend taxpayer dollars on his pet projects doesn't he? Now he wants a temporary fire station apparently because his hostile attempt at taking over Long Lake Fire Department failed. He's hoping you don't notice that he's spending more and more funding on a duplicate fire department we don't need.
Orono Council member Richard F. Crosby II - Denying Long Lake Fire Department Legacy?
How does Mr. Crosby come up with these statements? He said during the 7/24/23 Orono City Council Work Session, “...that doesn’t even cover the lack of support and equipment the department needs…” Who voted to underfund and under capitalize the Long Lake Fire Department since you came into office Mr. Crosby? You did. Please take responsibility for your own actions instead of cowardly blaming the City of Long Lake. #integritymatters
Walsh wants to spend $15-$20 Million Dollars Extra on Fire
Why do we need to spend $15-$20 Million or more Extra Dollars on a Duplicate Fire Department? That’s the fiscally prudent question that Mayor Walsh could not answer in the Coffee for the Mayor meeting held on 8/16/23. You can watch the entire meeting here: https://youtu.be/Rcu8c23X8qg