by Dennis Dalman
A Sartell resident, John Ellis, called for the resignation of some Sartell City Council members, accusing them of conflict-of-interest issues in voting for the sale by the city of golf-course land to a private developer.
At the May 22 council meeting, council members voted 3-2 to sell that land. Members Tim Elness, Alex Lewandowski and Jill Smith voted yes. Member Jed Meyer and Mayor Ryan Fitzthum voted no. (see related story).
Ellis addressed the council during the “Open Forum” part of the meeting, during which anyone may speak for up to three minutes at the very start of a council meeting. Under the rules, council members do not respond during or after Open Forum speakers make comments or ask questions.
Ellis said the buyer of that land had an unlimited amount of time to convince the council to sell that land and yet Sartell residents, who were the owners of that land, were allowed only three minutes (the Open Forum sessions) to express their opposition to the sale.
“Why is it so difficult to do the right thing?” he asked.
Ellis said there was an appraisal of that 84-acre parcel of land that determined its value at $800,000. Why was not a second appraisal done?, Ellis asked, adding why was there not a public hearing about the land-sale proposal?
Ellis said he has talked with many people about the land sale, and they agreed with him that the deal was an example of “fiduciary misconduct.”
The land was sold for $426,000, which Ellis said would net the city only $365,000 after all is said and done.
Ellis said two of the three council members who voted in favor of the sale are “close friends” of the buyer, Sartell business owner Brandon Testa, chief manager of Three Tees LLC. Ellis did not specify which of the three council members who voted for the sale are “close friends” of Testa.
Those two should have recused themselves from voting, Ellis said, because there was quite possibly a conflict of interest on their parts. Ellis added he is not inferring anything nefarious went on or any ill intent, but that many might conclude there was.
The sale will have a lasting negative effect on the community for generations, Ellis maintained.
“Where’s your honesty and integrity?” he asked, calling the sale a “breach of trust” and an act of misconduct. Ellis said he believes the council members’ objectivity was compromised and that personal feelings may have unduly influenced their judgment.
“It looks like you gave a friend one heckuva screaming deal on a bunch of land in the middle of our city,” Ellis said.
He concluded his three-minute talk with the following:
“I’m in strong support of nothing less than your resignations tonight.”
