
1/11/2009
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We are an informal group of citizens united in holding City Officials accountable for their actions. All residents of Centerville are welcome to speak out and be heard here. Centerville consistently ranks in the top three highest taxed cities in Minnesota, there is no dedicated road maintenance fund and the assessments keep coming! “I don’t think there’s any way we could ever budget enough to not assess people for improvements.” Council Member Jeff Paar. Council Meeting July 10, 2008
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Centennial Lakes police rank-and-file are going public with gripes about their boss.
The patrol and sergeants unions are demanding action from community leaders after earlier passing a unanimous vote of no confidence in Chief Bob Makela, calling him a poor leader since he took the job three years ago. The department serves Centerville, Circle Pines and Lexington.
"The commission makes directives, and the chief follows those directives. Some ... might not be well-received," Capra said. "Change is hard."
Officers said problem-oriented policing was not a factor in their no-confidence vote.
They spelled out concerns about Makela in a letter to the police board two weeks ago:
He is indecisive.
He does a bad job of communicating.
He delegates his work.
He doesn't instill confidence in others, and union members avoid interacting with himm.
He has created a hostile work environment.
The letter asks the board to address the problems but does not seek the chief's ouster or suggest solutions.
Several members of the department have grown so frustrated that they have begun to look for other jobs. The unions warned the governing board — which includes the mayor and a city council member from each city the department serves — last month it could lose its trained officers.
The governing board shouldn't dismiss the no-confidence vote, suggested Dennis Flaherty, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
"I think it signals in a very loud way to the city's policymakers or elected officials and the community at large that there are problems in the Police Department that bear very close attention," Flaherty said.
The unions notified the board of their no-confidence vote in October and requested a meeting. But the board responded a month later with a closed meeting. The unions were not invited.