Might be in Maplewood, MN.
They delivered in spades, though not in the way voters had hoped. Holding three of the five seats on Maplewood’s City Council, they’ve effectively become a ruling troika, in the process earning the nickname “The Gang of Three.”
Since their rise to power, at least a dozen key municipal employees have resigned, been fired, or had their job eliminated.
I have been checking in on this Minneapolis suburb for a while now. I cannot summarize the malfeasance occurring in this city as well as this report. Please read it.
The news today is that in this town of 40,000 people there are 18 candidates for just three offices. The people who care about Maplewood are fed up with the gang that is in there now.
In recent years Maplewood has become notorious for its combustible politics, protracted city council meetings and personnel upheavals. The city is on its fourth city manager since the last mayoral election in 2005. In that span the burgeoning suburb of nearly 40,000 residents has also lost its human resources director, city attorney, finance director, assistant city manager, deputy police chief, deputy fire chief, and parks and recreation director. It’s also been sued at least five times, primarily over personnel disputes.
How serious are these new candidates?
“Julie Binko is another persistent critic of Maplewood politics and policies. Her city council campaign slogan is emblazoned on a placard attached to her car: “I’m thinking that it’s time for Maplewood to move out of the Jurassic age.” The sign includes a picture of a velociraptor.
I think things will be exciting. (Maybe not quite as much as our neighboring town mayor locking his new wife out of the house and then punching her in the face when she tried to come through a window. They were both in their 60s…But, hey, let’s keep an eye on what happens anyway.)
Small towns are always good for political intrigue and drama…sometimes moreso than the big cities.