Grove City, Minn., Council fires city clerk
July 26, 2012 at 7:00 pm in West Central Tribune
GROVE CITY The Grove City clerk was fired and the city’s maintenance supervisor was formally reprimanded Thursday for actions following the Father’s Day storm that left the town without power for three days.
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Looks like some “Bad Blood” circulating in Grove City! Too bad.
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Sounds a little like a witchhunt? I concur with her concern about turning on power right away seeing that without assessing the entire cities situation there was concern for the work crews and for the people in town. These issues can become pretty personal especially if you have been singled out earlier for entirely something else. The bad blood can just boil to the point where any kind of controversy could be grounds to terminate someone once and for all.
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Since all f the city council members names are public how about identifying which are Democrat and which are Republican? Shouldn’t take you long since, by your coment, you already know who the Republicans.
Waiting.
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Jimmy Daniels, you are 100% correct!
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I believe the “true issues” you speak of are indeed corrupt.
1. The reporters did not report the city clerk cussing out Karl Nelson after the meeting because it didn’t happen.
2. The power lines between Grove City and Meeker Coop are not the same as they were over seven years ago when Grove City purchased power from Meeker Coop. In fact, after Grove City became its own independent utility, Meeker Coop stated that over $500,000 of improvements would need to be made to the line in order to back feed. The Council did not approve that. The offer to back feed came from a business man. The reluctance to back feed came from an engineer, the expert in the field.
3. The city engineer did indeed communicate with the electrical engineer who stated the line has not been engineered for back feeding and would not be safe.
4. It was obvious to many people attending the meeting that there wasn’t adequate proof to terminate the city clerk over this power outage issue. This council has had no other agenda than to terminate the city clerk from its beginnings. This council saw this power outage issue as a controversy in which to terminate the city clerk. The written reprimand that Brad Jans got didn’t even match the allegations he had against him.
5. I have been attending council meetings for approximately 2 years and have never witnessed the city clerk cussing, throwing mics, and bad mouthing or belittling employees. Ironically, some of this behavior has been noted of the council members.
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It could not of been said better. Thank you.
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I have been to all the council meetings and I have never seen the mikes being thrown or cussing at our council ( til she was dismissed and no longer an employee) Where are the complaints??? only concerned citizens —who are they?? a true mystery no name faces, Some concerned citizens did not like the union and decided to get rid of it legally instead of talking together about it . (oh yeah the council was lying) so he sues the city, the union and the council …Who hired the lawyers in the first place? It wasn’t the union. It was the no name concerned citizens of Grove City which by the way how come mailers only go to a select few? Let’s see, a coop employee with no degree or an engineer, I think I would listen to the engineer not the coop.
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You are right – it is far from over and what this council has put her through , even being counseled by the League of MN Cities numerous times, they could still not get off their personal agenda and move forward. You see this “group of concerned citizens” is all about living in the the past, and not moving forward towards the future.. It is shameful how they so blatantly catered to a few people in town forgetting about the community as a whole. I hate to see it, but yes ,if , no when my taxes go up, it is because of the foolishness of this council and their “group” Sad,sad,sad….. it is not 2001.
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Grove City is trying its hardest to dethrone Willmar as the pit hole of Minnesota!!
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I’ve been peripherally following this from miles and miles away, but as a long-time area resident, I have a pretty good idea of what this entire situation resulted in, especially since I was home visiting family when the storm happened. I personally spent days clearing trees and making sure my family and in-laws had generated power to ensure that things such as sump-pumps and freezers were working. I am of the belief that anyone who prohibited an earlier return of power should meet some sort of questioning at the very least. That being said, reading the posts here is absolutely comical. In a town of 600 people in the middle of nowhere, why would anyone believe that someone would be fired or hold their job based on political stance? Is anyone dumb enough to think that people run for city council in Grove City, MN on the republican or democrat bill? I’m honestly laughing in Detroit, MI even thinking about it. In Atwater, or Grove City, or Cosmos, (insert any other small town here – Howard Lake, Darwin, Kandiyohi, Cokato) there is no political backing. People run for city council for the sole reason to help out their community. There is little or no money in it for anyone, and honestly, it’s a thankless job that is nowhere near worth the trouble for the people who are nice enough to do it. That being said, I see plenty of ridiculous posts here by people who not only can’t spell, but have awful grammar. If you think you can do a better job, feel free to run for city council (under whatever political party you think will support you – don’t hold your breath), but make sure someone proof reads your billboards.
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wow the Grove City clerk is also running the power company– she must of been making some serious $$$.
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Serious bucks…$23.84 an hour.
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reasonable pay- for running the city and the power company.
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Amen!
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Littlebit there is nepostism, and politics even in a town of 600, especially if people are fed the wrong perception of ones job performances or their decisions. It matters to me one way or another, but when you have seen it before it seems the same common denomanators tend to appear. If this women is cussing and using foul language at town meetings a reprimand and warning should have been given. So my next question is why was it even allowed to continue after the first incident? Should a possible safety issue be ignored, and someone who was taking precautions punished for making the decision? This could have been handled simply by having an emergency visit by someone from the electric company which should be provided especially during storms, where there is obvious wind damage, power lines down, or structural damage. Maybe some people figured this woman had too much power in the eyes of some?
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jimmy daniels- Ms Johnson has not been cussing and using foul language at meetings. Check her record. She has absolutely no reprimands or any disciplinary action against her, not now nor has she in the past. This indeed has been a witch hunt. It is all about the city employees joining the Union. Wait and see. they will be going after Mr. Jans next.
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I believe you Jean and couldn’t understand when another person commented on her cussing at town meetings. Sounds to me like a witchhunt and some were just looking for reasons to justify their actions, even if it means giving false and misleading information.
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Yep but what about David??? Is he not in the union and why didn’t he get into any trouble as far as letting the raw sewage go all over the park and volleyball field and dangerously close to our well head? He waited way too long to get a generator and the council knew it and didn’t even mention it. Talk about endangering our lives….
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I guess the firing of Ms Johnson was the lesser of two evils. Can you imagine if Ms Johnson and Mr. Jans would have gone AGAINST the advice of THEIR own city engineer and THEIR own power company and back-fed the city with electricity from Meeker Coop and someone would have been killed by a power surge?? They would both be in jail right now. It would have put the lives of the linemen crew AND the people of the city in jeopardy. As for the concern of the council about people with health issues, the rescue squad did welfare checks on the elderly, brought them ice and did what they could, as did Ms Johnson.
Where was Mayor Melissa Drange, the leader and major decision maker of the community during these hours? Yes, she did check in with Ms Johnson, someone she does not trust, and then said she was going to the lake. As Mayor, during a disaster, she should never have left town and should have been checking with the power company herself. Ms Johnson fielded 350 calls herself on her personal cell phone.
At the Thursday night (July 26) meeting councilman Terry Miller called Grove Citys OWN power company (Heartland Consumer Power District), who by the way, is Grove Citys cash cow, a BULLY.He took the word of a competing power company (AND a company who wants to purchase Heartland) over the word of the power company of the city he represents. No studies have been conducted since 2005 to substantiate that back-feeding would be safe.
And if we are going to talk about immaturity, At that same meeting (July 26), as Mr. Jans was handing out a document he wanted to share with the council members, he stumbled over a power cord lying on the floor. Councilman Karl Nelson could be heard saying, “Don”t electrocute yourself.” Don’t believe me? Listen to a recording of the meeting. It’s on tape.
Clearly, Ms Johnson is not the only one frustrated by this city council. Last January, council member Bill Houselog resigned and in February, city attorney, Steve Besser, resigned because of actions by this city council. I guess Bill Houselog said it best when he stated,”Duct tape can’t fix stupid.”
Please go to this website and read the article that was in the MMUA (Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association) newsletter about Ms Johnson and Mr Jans and the work they have done for the good of Grove City. Pages 1,6 and 7. http://www.mmua.org/news/May%202012%20MMUA%20resource%20web.pdf
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I think Mayor Drange forgot to read the Emergency Operations Policy she approved in August 2011. “in the City of Grove City, the Mayor is responsible for providing overall direction and control of city government resources involved in a disaster.” The employees doing their very best without any direction are now being punished and taking the fall for someone else not doing their job.
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As the clerk/treasurer who was the one fired, I feel I need to comment as to the truth of the matter.
When I was told by the engineer it was NOT safe to back feed power, I had my answer. Safety and the residents I represent come first. I want you to all think about the discussion at the meeting. Not one council member mentioned the safety for the residents. Not one word was mentioned if Meeker Cooperative even knew the extent of our damage and to set the record straight, they did not. No one from Meeker Cooperative talked to our linemen, engineer or myself, but they seemed to know they could power us up in 30 minutes?
As for ME cussing out anyone at a meeting or anywhere else while employed for the City of Grove City is false. I have all the meeting recordings, it is certain members of the council that felt they could use this language, not me. I have been the professional one through these past 2 years, and as a term referred previously, “witch hunt”, has described the exact actions that have taken place. I have had 8 very successful years with Grove City, working with past council members, taking that community from near bankruptcy to being solvent. It has been the past 19 months of a vengeful council that has brought this community to it’s present state. Please know that Grove City has some wonderful people, the current council is not a representation of the majority of the citizens. I have loved my job in the past and always kept the best interest of the citizens, my employers, first. May God bless the good people in that community and may everyone remember who makes our final judgement.
Respectfully,
Janell T. Johnson
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nothing wrong with workers wanting to join a union…..do it the right way…..their city attorney at that time never seen or heard they were joining the union…..so who you want to run the city…….no one protected the citizen of Grove City then! My friend is in the union and they have had a freeze on the wages for over 2+ years, and the employees of the city get and 3.00 raise the first year with a 3% increase, and a dollar an hour more for the next two years with a % in increase…..I am NOT jealous of what these people make, believe me…. but come on…..the economy the way it is…..Grove City is an elder community and this union that was put together in such short of time, should at least got some legal advice from their attorney……should of gone to a vote to the people, they are the ones paying their wages…
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Urabully, I suggest you get your facts straight on the matter. Due to an increase in responsibility for the employees there was an increase but not $3, it was $2. It was the councils responsibility to take it to an attorney and the majority felt comfortable with it. Please don’t rip on something you don’t know much about or understand with out getting the facts and background first.
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Everybody here is democrat
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Good luck, hire a good attorney and lets hope the people in Grove City wake up.
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Janell it was great to hear from the party involved. Thank you for taking the time to write. I wish you the best.
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I hope you have your evidence locked up somewhere safe. According to a delivery guy who stops at the Grove City offices before stopping at ours, there were a number of people in there the day after you were fired who were cleaning out stuff like mad. Hope there aren’t any missing records….
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maybe they were saving evidence…..
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I beg to differ with your statement -” As for ME cussing out anyone at a meeting or anywhere else while employed for the City of Grove City is false”….WRONG ask the witnesses at the station in town where you went to confront the previous fire chief how you chew him out at his place of business….I recall a meeting in the office where you chewed out 2 people from past Augustfest committee in front of the past mayor and slamming the door when you left…..the list goes on, so don’t tell the people on here things you say are false….
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The fire chief , the one that never came to the council meetings…the one who blamed Janell for not getting his reports done… to the fire marshall. that one? How do you think Janell felt when he accused her of not doing her job?
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I was on the council for 2 years myself and my Dad was on for 19 years. Niether one of us can ever recall a meeting where Janell supposedly threw microphones or “cussed out” people. In fact, Janell was always very professional and well prepared. Janell is not the problem in Grove City. Also, we had a storm in 2001 very similiar to this storm. We were without power for 4 or 5 days. Nobody got fired over that. Rather, everyone pitched in and worked to put the town back together again which is what should have happened here. If the current city council would have spent HALF the time they spent trying to get rid of Janell on productive things Grove City could be a pretty nice town again.
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You got it!
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I don’t think so
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Without making personal attacks, it appears that one poster is very hung up on political parties, which seems silly and if nothing else, not really pertinent to the discussion (Hence a heavy number of dislikes) Nevertheless, unless I didn’t pay attention in social studies, isn’t it the left side that tends to endorse government dependence of the public?
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Again, you make no sense and are way off topic. Republican or Democrat, it’s helpful to convey pertinent thoughts in an understandable manner.
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Darla where do you get your political information? I know one of the council members being an Independent. Need to ask before you speak.
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Darla, if it wasn’t silly before, it’s now downright stupid. Are there any children in your home? If so, do the following:
1) Grab any children ages 5-12
2) Have them read what you want to post before you hit send
3) Let them delete it if it doesn’t make sense to them
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I know 2 that are Democrats….
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don’t always believe what you read…..
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He said she said…. It does not matter….. It is not done by far….Janelle will continue until the coffers are empty……Janelle is trying to get her job back as we speak…. the lady that went out the door stating she is free, and giving a hi-five to another employee, the one that created a lot of mischief in the office….. is this the person that Grove City wants as an employee? I do not think so……If you could take away friendships for a moment, and see the true issues, there are some major issues going on in Grove City……I do not know Janelle or for that matter really anybody in town….. I see what I see, I hear what I hear….. There should be NO sides, all of us should be going for one goal and that is for Grove City……..Not the Council, and not the employees…..Grove City is the one thing we all have in common, lets be adults and quit fighting over he said she said….
and Darla all I can say to you is “Wow”
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Grove City is the one thing we all have in common, lets be adults and quit fighting over he said she said, HUMMM Adults generally don’t run someone down, then get on the high horse and pat themselves on the back and tell people to quit fighting. Someone needs to become an adult before they spew wisdom!!
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Wow, how do you know I am trying to get my job back? More rumors?
I wish someone would explain the “true issues” going on in truth and not the rumors that you hear what you hear.
Me stating “I am free” because the grasps of untruths and rumors have held me hostage for 19 months? I am free, God has set me free from the grasp the council held on me.
Mischief by another employee? Are you kidding? The only people with a key are the Mayor, cleaning lady and now I presume Sharon Larsen and Karl Nelson. Mischief in the office? Who was in the office still at a documented 10:41 p.m. on Thursday night going through every file and in the storage room, more than 2 hours after the meeting? Council member Karl Nelson along with 2 others. We know where the mischief was created so please do not point fingers at a very trusted, educated and valued employee. It is clear that the next plan is Mr. Jans.
What is your stake in this? Truth? Then please do the research and you will find it. It is all in the documents, if they still exist.
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Littlebit71,
Not only was it he said, she said statements that got Grove City into a lot of this mess, but also judgemental statements such as the one in which you claim another city employee “created a lot of mischief in the office.”. I’m not sure what you are inferring by that, but it has been judgements made from hearsay and speculation that are most concerning. Such judgements have resulted in this absurd mess. People need to carefully and thoughtfully consider the spirit by which they judge.
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What is truth ? There are always two sides to an issue, and the one being talked about, is not talked to.
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Don’t really know what the whole story is, always two sides to every ordeal, but the bad thing is this sounds like it will only cost the taxpayers of Grove City the most and likely divide alot of people there also which is sad because that’s not what small town America is about…..
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Yes the only winners in this battle are the lawyers. They have played this council right into their hands. So sad.
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Wow – I feel Like my IQ dropped 30 points after reading this. Couple things -
1) I now know what reasonable republicans think when they read Ed/Harold/Carl’s rambling, nonsensical posts. Darla, you are an embarrassment to Democrats. Please, just stop.
2) Janell, coming on here and getting in an Internet pissing match is about the worst thing you could do right, especially if a lawsuit is planned. What were you thinking?!?
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Brett,
I am not here to get into a pissing match. I am not afraid to let the truth be known either. However, I do respect your opinion on the matter and will not stoop to some of the levels portrayed here.
Thanks
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