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.
Who is creeping around your back door? #mariaveach
Who is creeping around your back door?
It might be Orono Council member Maria Veach. Seems she's been emailing and apparently lobbying for Orono Fire behind the scenes with various Fire Fighter wives. Is Ms. Veach lobbying for herself? Orono Fire is the same department her husband works for and will receive a pension from.
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/
Mayor Walsh's "Great Ride" at Taxpayer Expense
Mayor Walsh’s messages in the city newsletter boast of the last eight years being a “great ride”. Much of that "great ride” for him has come at the expense of increasing the city’s tax levy over 80% in those eight years. It's a great ride if one can spend, spend, spend.
Orono’s tax base and citizens' house assessments have never been higher in the city’s history. Inflated home values and new density developments have created the largest tax base from which to tax and spend. Repairing roads and maintaining parks is great but not creating a whole new fire department and going into debt to build a new supersized public works building when only a new outside storage area was needed. These new projects are costing the citizens over tens of millions of dollars. Instead of getting a break in tax rates when times are good, the Orono citizens are watching their property taxes rise and the city’s reserves dwindle.
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.)