Tim O’Keefe has expressed his gratitude and appreciation of the overwhelming positive response to his candidacy announcement to run in the 2012 Chisago County District 5 Commissioner race. Over 1500 generous offers of help and support have flooded in from Rush City to the City of Harris, and Nessel and Fish Lake Townships. Many well-wishers offered kind words of encouragement to persevere in the lofty pursuit to change “politics as usual.”
A Chisago County District 5 Commissioner candidacy kickoff event for Tim O’Keefe on Saturday, 10/15/11, drew a crowd of over 200 supporters. Held at a rural Fish Lake Township farm, the grass roots movement was seeking change in “politics as usual.” Many supporters expressed their anger over continued increases in local taxation while their roads crumbled and fell into ruin. They also discussed two failed attempts by Fish Lake Township supervisor Bob Carter to unseat the current 5th district commissioner. Supporters believed that Bob Carter was further “tainted” by the Fish Lake Township political corruption scandal and that he lacked the honesty and integrity to run a viable 2012 campaign.
Tim O’Keefe was highly commended for his courage and endurance to expose political corruption and institute honest, open government in Fish Lake Township. Although several supporters agreed that the current district 5 commissioner had “caused no harm” during his eleven year tenure, he failed to manage government spending or propose innovative solutions to resolve ongoing county issues. If elected, Tim O’Keefe agreed that he would also work to bring integrity and dignity to the county board on behalf of district 5. Supporters were encouraged and motivated to rally behind Tim O’Keefe, calling him a “harbinger of change.”
Tim O’Keefe announces his candidacy today for the 5th district Chisago county commissioner race in 2012. He states that he is looking forward to the challenges ahead and welcomes voter input. Tim O’Keefe can be reached at npnf@ecenet.com or at 763-689-3335.
The Fish Lake Karpa is dedicated to bringing important local government issues to the public and will provide more candidate information as it becomes available.
Thank you for your continued readership.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
The Fish Lake Township official web site www.fishlaketownship.com has once again disappeared. When this previously occurred in May 2009, the web site re-emerged after major reconstruction which included the removal of all official meeting minutes prior to 2008. As with many secret proceedings at Fish Lake Township, one can only surmise the nature of the current web site disappearance. Perhaps the inability to access the township website is simply another management oversight to timely pay the Internet service invoice as apparently happened on at least one other occasion. Then again, are Fish Lake Township supervisors demonstrating their “solidarity” to the current Minnesota State government shutdown?
This year Fish Lake Township (FLT) held its annual meeting on Tuesday, March 8th, as required by law. The annual meeting provides township residents the opportunity to participate in local government by voicing their concerns, proposing resolutions and collectively voting to give direction to the town board for the upcoming year.
Traditionally, most Fish Lake Township supervisors have discouraged or attempted to limit and control annual meeting attendance so that they could freely promote their own personal agendas. Township supervisors have also resisted voter attempts to move the township elections from March to coincide with the general elections in November because such a change would allow the annual March meeting to begin at an earlier time of day when more residents could attend. Currently, the annual meeting begins about 8:10 p.m. on a Tuesday, following the annual township elections held the same day. Township supervisors such as Bob Carter have even gone so far as to single out, chastise and bully annual meeting participants who did not support their personal agendas. Other supervisors have orchestrated dealings behind the scenes to insure their supporters were prepared and organized to attend and dominate the annual meeting.
This year, in an unusual fashion, the annual meeting did not conclude after “burning the midnight oil” the night of March 8th. The Fish Lake Township web site indicates that a re-convened annual meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. to “approve the budget for 2012.” Short of ever publishing an agenda prior to any annual meeting, there may be other unfinished business as well.
The annual township meeting is the only meeting whereby area residents can collectively vote and direct the town board each year. Annual township meeting matters should be available and accessible to anyone seeking such information. For a web site that boasts it was “created as a public service for the residents of Fish Lake Township,” why aren’t annual meeting minutes or agendas ever posted?
Next Tuesday, March 8th, Fish Lake Township will have the opportunity to elect the first African-American township supervisor, John L. CookNext Tuesday, March 8th, is the local election day for Fish Lake Township. In addition to selecting a township supervisor and treasurer, voters will need to decide on a ballot question initiated by Supervisors Carter and Larkin; “Shall the position of Treasurer of Fish Lake Township be changed from an elected to an appointed position?”
Since the December 20th decision to add the treasurer question to the ballot, Supervisors Carter and Larkin have actively promoted the plan to hire instead of elect a township treasurer. The township web site currently describes the “need” to change as follows; “Due to the complexity of the duties of Treasurer the board is asking residents for their approval to appoint/hire the Treasurer. If approved, the position will no longer be an elected term.” Supervisors Carter and Larkin have also spent taxpayer money to publish and distribute a “Township Newsletter” to further describe and promote their perceived need to implement change.
At the December 20th re-convened meeting in 2010, minutes indicate that in the absence of Supervisor Cupit, Supervisors Carter and Larkin discussed “new business” to hire/appoint a township treasurer instead of elect one. Meeting minutes state “the Treasurer position is much more involved with today’s technology and requires the knowledge of computers, bookkeeping programs, internet and online banking that not everyone voter is qualified for.” (If the clerical skills of the hired township clerk are any indication of the financial competence voters can expect from a hired treasurer, perhaps the treasurer position should best remain an elected one.) Shortly thereafter, the meeting minutes state, “The current Treasurer, Sharon McAndrew, has indicated that she will accept the appointed position if the questions passes.”
Why would Supervisors Carter and Larkin instigate and actively promote a hired treasurer position under the guise of retaining qualified help, then assure the public that the current treasurer has agreed to re-assume the position if the ballot question is approved?
Furthermore; why would Fish Lake Township residents vote to approve such a ballot question thereby forfeiting their future rights to choose?
Fish Lake Township (FLT) has finally updated its web site to provide information about the upcoming March 9th local election. In addition to listing the candidates running for township supervisor and treasurer, a seemingly untimely ballot question has also been included.
At an unusual re-convened meeting on Monday morning, December 20th, Supervisors Carter and Larkin implemented several sweeping changes in Supervisor Cupit’s absence. One such sweeping change was to include the following ballot question on March 9th; “Shall the position of Treasurer of Fish Lake Township be changed from an elected to an appointed position?”
At a time when Fish Lake Township is being sued for misappropriation of funds and official misconduct, and Supervisor Cupit has mysteriously disappeared from township meetings, why now to pose the elected versus hired treasurer question?
In an unusual move, Fish Lake Township posted an upcoming election notice on the township web site in December. One Township Supervisor position (currently held by Robert Cupit) and the Township Treasurer position (currently held by Sharon McAndrew) are up for election in March 2011.
Although affidavits of candidacy had to be filed by January 11th, Fish Lake Township has not posted the candidates for the upcoming election.
After finally making a step in the right direction, why the mystery to post the candidates?
