The Crookston City Council had a special meeting on Monday evening in the Crookston City Hall Council Chambers.
JOSEPH SHOSTELL TO FILL WARD 1 COUNCIL OPENING
The first item on the agenda was to approve Joseph Shostell to fill the opening in the City Council Ward 1 spot. Two people applied to fill the opening after Kristie Jerde moved out of the ward and had to resign. The council unanimously approved the appointment of Shostell, and they will have a full council at the next meeting. The council interviewed two candidates during the process to fill the at-large position and decided not to interview them again, as they were the only applicants for the Ward 1 position, to save time.
The other applicant for the opening, Bishop Jenson, didn’t take the vote to have Shostell instead of him very well, as he went on a three-plus-minute speech telling the council they should resign and their authoritarianism poses a general threat to our democracy locally, and also nationally. “I attended the Ways and Means Committee meeting, and the agenda was pushed through very fast without interviews. I think Ward 1 has the right to know that the affidavits brought before were not reinterviewed even though a new council lady was seated,” said Jenson. “During the first affidavit for the at-large position, where you guys are classifying our interviews to count for this ward positioning of ward one being completely separate.”
Jenson’s disdain for the council not picking him only got worse. ” I feel like the council has really lacked fair process here, which is a further example of this council as a whole as of late. There’s a lot that is being worked on and being done, but nothing to show for it. And most of the city has come forth in agreeance to communicate not only to the council directly in the past at other council meetings, but to people looking to run and try to seat themselves to help better.”
Jenson kept going, saying the council should quit if they don’t want to do their jobs. “The authoritarianism that is witnessed here in our small council in Crookston is beyond what I have seen in even larger communities. And it poses a general threat to our democracy, not only here locally, but as a nation. The authoritarianism in which we see here on this council is shameful. And I ask that you guys go back and follow due process. Re-interview any affidavit that comes forward. And I also ask that maybe you consider stepping down yourselves if you’ve sat either too long or don’t want to take the time to understand.“
Jenson didn’t phase the council, which unanimously approved Shostell to fill the opening in Ward 1.
SHOOBRIDGE RESIGNATION AND NEW SEARCH APPROVED
The council unanimously approved the resignation of City Administrator Jeff Shoobridge. They also approved moving forward with the search process for a new administrator by using the League of Minnesota Cities. The City of Crookston is a member of the League so the service is included in the membership. “Right now, the council’s consensus was to start with the League of Minnesota Cities. It doesn’t cost us anything. They can help us work through the steps we need to do to get this out there,” said Crookston Mayor Dale Stainbrook. “We’re looking at kind of a regional, run it through the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin. We will set, probably, a 30-day deadline, and then we can always open it up again.”
The salary range for the new administrator was discussed after they had a range of what administrators in similar communities make, like Thief River Falls, East Grand Forks, Detroit Lakes, Fosston, and Grand Rapids. The range was $119,000 to $158,000. It was mentioned that Bemidji’s new administrator made $158,868 in 2024 and will make $175,200 in 2025. Mayor Stainbrook said they should set the salary range at $140,000 to $160,000, and after some discussion, the council agreed. “We’re looking at comparable cities around here. I think where we’re at, we should be able to find the right person and the right fit for our community,” said Mayor Stainbrook, who added. “This community has been through quite a few city administrators over the years, and I can’t even give you the count. I’d have to do the math. But hopefully we can get one that wants to put roots down here and be involved with the community, and let’s move Crookston along.”
The council discussed possibly talking to search firms if the search for a new administrator doesn’t go well.
INTERIM CITY ADMINISTRATOR SELECTED
The council approved having Crookston Police Chief Darin Selzler as the interim City Administrator. Selzler has been with the city for 23 years and has been in an administrative role for 12 years. “I’m thankful to Darren for stepping up. He was kind of on the fence with it and has many years of experience under the lieutenant or our previous chief. And he stepped up to the plate, being chief, and he’s got a very good department,” said Mayor Stainbrook. “And he’s been around city government a long time. He knows the ins and outs. I mean, we got an excellent finance director. He’s not going to be the numbers guy, which I don’t expect him to be, but just to make sure the ship is running smoothly. And he’s got a pretty good crew at the police department as well.”
The Crookston City Council will meet on Tuesday, September 2, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council chambers. A budget workshop will follow the council meeting.