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.
Orono Citizens! And especially Navarre Residents!
How many Fire Forums has Orono held for You? ZERO.
How many Fire Forums has Long Lake held for You? TWO!!
In other news documented in the attached article we find out that OFD doesn't have boat nor a tanker truck. Did they forget? or Omit? Or?
Does this all seem unplanned and rushed? After all, they are charging tens of millions of dollars for Orono Fire that seems to be missing equipment, a fire house and a full team to do the job.
Orono Citizen writes concern about Orono's Fire Services
10 Reasons why everyone should be paying attention to this issue and the lack of process, lawsuit, extraordinary expenditures without Citizen input and the clear taxpayer opposition to such a move.
If you have concerns, please comment below and share this article with fellow residents. It's never too late for Safety in our community.
Special Notice to Orono Citizens! Ethics Matter
Here is another example of block voting by three Orono City Council member to push through spending more taxpayer funds on the Orono Fire Department the residents clearly do not want.
Calling all those who Boat on Lake Minnetonka! And those living in and around Navarre!
During last night's City Council meeting, Orono's Lake Minnetonka Conservation District (LMCD) Representative said that Orono doesn't need a rescue boat - because the private marinas would rescue Citizens.
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
Navarre and Surrounding Residents Should be Concerned
With the new Orono Fire Department July 1st start just a month away, a concerned Orono Citizen asked the biggest questions of all - "Who is going to show up if I call the Fire Department?"
Little information from the City of Orono is cited and fear of lack of Fire Department training also mentioned for this Navarre and surrounding area Orono Fire Department zone.
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?
Cutting Service? Understaffed? Temp Firehouses? Are they Serious?
Are Orono residents getting the whole fire service story?
Orono’s new fire chief Van Eyll never hired one other paid on-call firefighter during their recruitment campaign other than those from the Long Lake Fire Department (LLFD).
Why is that? Because other departments and cities know about working with Mayor Walsh? Or was it because Walsh was trying to take over the LLFD? Or did outside firefighters not want to work with Van Eyll?
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.)
Read #denniswalshformayor latest post:
Read #denniswalshformayor latest post:
1) Orono is clearly not proud #dennywalshformayor
2) July 1st is the day that Citizens may be in danger with an unproven and slapped together Orono fire service in Navarre
3) Only four people in Orono made this "long term decision" for their own short term gain:
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?
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.
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.