MillvilleMa.net

Rumblings from Box Elder, SD....

2011-09-29T06:38:00.001-04:00

Stay tuned...

C.O.D. Heating Service - 508-336-6870

2010-12-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone...

Has been quiet...not much to share

I know a bunch of us in town buy oil via Kristin...cash on delivery

That leaves our heating systems not under a service contract...

Call Ed...the guy is awesome and knows his stuff and is honest !!

C.O.D. Heating Service
211 Providence St
Rehoboth, MA 02769
Ph 508-336-6870
401-569-1798

Adios Nincompoop !!

2010-11-02T16:10:00.000-04:00

Take Harry with you !!

Trail of Controversy Follows Chief to Town

2010-10-13T09:21:00.000-04:00

This was an article in the Box Elder paper back in July...it appears not all information was shared with Box Elder council members...certainly explains what most of us were wondering...if you click on the link below, there are comments posted...fyi

http://boxelderhorizon.com/2010/07/17/trail-of-controversy-follows-chief-to-town/
============================================================

¶ Box Elder’s new police chief was fired in April from his job as chief in Osseo, Minn., after he was accused of sexual harassment and his officers went public with a vote of no-confidence. He was on the job in Osseo less than a year.

Timothy P. Ryan’s previous post as chief of police in Millville, Mass., ended amid controversy in May of 2006 after 19 years on the job and 24 years in the department. That town’s board of selectmen struck a deal to accept Ryan’s resignation after the chief and two of the town’s officers where put on administrative leave amid charges of impropriety and misconduct.

Box Elder council members did not know the controversial parts of Ryan’s past before casting their unanimous vote on July 6 to approve his hire, one council member says. And it is unclear if members of the city’s search committee — other than mayor Al Dial — knew about Ryan’s troubles.

But Mayor Dial said he was aware of Ryan’s past when making the hire. And he stands by the decision, saying he believes the allegations trailing Ryan to South Dakota are unfounded.

Osseo Mayor Steven Menth sees things differently.

“Box Elder just opened a big can of worms,” Menth said when told Ryan had been hired as chief.
Menth said it took him a year to “get rid” of Ryan. Menth served on the Osseo City Council for the majority of Ryan’s time as chief. He became mayor of the small Minnesota town in January of this year.

Sexual harassment charges were leveled against Ryan by his administrative assistant, Sally Schmidt, and female police officer, Jane Szczepanik. Schmidt filed a lawsuit against the city. The status of that lawsuit is unclear.

Other complaints from the Osseo officers included that Ryan was indecisive and often unavailable to their radio communications, according to a report on the web site of television station WCCO in Minnesota.

But Ryan also had his supporters in Osseo. At one point city administrator Greg Withers told the council Ryan was doing an excellent job as chief.

In addition, an outside audit by Public Safety Consultant Donald Davis found no wrong-doing on Ryan’s part, but his report to the city did not mention specifics and indicates that the sexual harassment complaints were outside the scope of the audit.

And while Ryan refused to comment on his previous employment for this story, the audit says that: “In attempting to introduce change within the agency, conflicts with regard to the chief’s management and communication styles developed between he and the employees. He believes he was being overly challenged and criticized by the personnel with regard to rules, procedures and expectations … The situation deteriorated to the point that on Oct. 9, 2009 the officers passed a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the chief.

“The expectation of change which Chief Ryan believes he was directed to implement was not embraced by all agency personnel. Change of any type when introduced to an organization can have positive or negative outcomes. The most recent outcomes within the Osseo Police Department have been negative …”

Ryan was placed on paid administrative leave in Osseo in February and the town board voted in April not to renew Ryan’s employment agreement.

In Millville, Mass., where Ryan was named chief at age 25, he and two officers, including his brother Sgt. James Ryan, were placed on administrative leave and Chief Ryan’s resignation was eventually accepted. Charges against Ryan in Millville included complaints of impropriety and 21 disciplinary policy violations.

One former Millville officer, Donald R. Blanchette, told selectmen that he was routinely disparaged by Ryan in front of other officers and that the chief made ethnic slurs against him, according to a report on the hearing in the Worcester Telegram Gazette.

The deal to accept Ryan’s resignation was reached after two disciplinary hearings. Part of the deal being that Ryan be allowed to remain, technically, a police officer in the town for a short time so he could attend the FBI academy for municipal officers.

Diane McCutcheon, who was the president of the Millville Board of Selectmen, which is the same as a city council, said she could not talk much about the reasons for Ryan’s departure, but did say she believed the town did the right thing.

“I do wish him well in the future,” she said. “But the town has moved on. Things are good and positive (now). That’s the way it should be.”

A current member of the board, Roland Barrett, said he was not a selectman at the time Ryan was chief, but he didn’t have a problem with him. In fact, Barrett said, Ryan went above and beyond to help him out at least two or three times.

“My feelings about him are positive,” said Barrett. “I know there are a lot of mixed emotions about him, but my dealings with him were pleasant. I didn’t have a personal relationship with him, so I’m not saying it to stick up for him. I just can’t say anything bad about Timmy.”

In a prepared statement at the time, published in the Telegram Gazette , Ryan said: “The town and I have agreed to resolve our outstanding differences. As part of this agreement, I will be leaving the Department effective December 31, 2006. During the interim period, I will be pursuing other professional opportunities and will not be involved in Police Department affairs. I wish to express my regret that the town, the Millville Police Department and those persons who filed complaints had to endure this trying period. It is my hope that my departure and this apology will serve to heal rifts caused by these incidents, and I pledge to support the town’s desire to move forward.”

Ryan arrived in Box Elder shortly after leaving Osseo, Minn., where he served as the chief of police for 9 months before being placed on leave and eventually fired.

Box Elder had been without a chief since Feb. 17, when Dial fired John Keegan from the position for alleged insubordination and misuse of city property. The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office handled supervisory duties for the Box Elder police department until Ryan was hired.

Dial told the Box Elder Horizon that an extensive investigation into Ryan’s background was performed by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office prior to his hiring. The allegations against Ryan are unfounded, Dial said.

Dial, during an interview at city hall alongside Ryan, refused to discuss the issue further on the record. Ryan also declined to discuss his past troubles.

Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Brian Mueller said his office checked into criminal, employment and credit histories, interviewed references provided by Ryan, and found independent references. If anything came up in that process, it was looked into, Mueller said.

As to the extensiveness of the background check, Mueller said, “We check what we check. As far as the thoroughness of it, I can’t speak to that.”

Mueller also served on the hiring committee in charge of finding the new chief of police, but neither he nor the sheriff’s office gave recommendations as to who the city should hire, Mueller said.

Box Elder City Council President Jane Maine was also on the search committee. She said she was not willing to give out information on the new chief and added she would not commit to whether she knew about Ryan’s past.

One councilman who definitely did not know about Ryan’s past when the city hired him is Bill Griffiths.

A surprised Griffiths found out about Ryan’s past when he was contacted by the Box Elder Horizon. When Griffiths cast a “yes” vote to hire the chief, a vote which was unanimous after an executive session, Griffiths said he had no idea.

That was something that should have been brought out in executive session, Griffiths said.

“If the city council knew about it, it may not be such a big deal, but they should’ve been honest about it,” Griffiths said. “That is what I don’t like. Why was it not brought up? If it’s true, I think the people of Box Elder should know who their new chief is.”

According to Griffiths, the council members, who include himself, Maine, Charles Wood, Barb Frerichs, Terry Wenrick and Al Labine, went along with what was recommended by the hiring committee. He added the council members hired Ryan based on what they knew. Griffiths added he hadn’t even seen a resume.

“I would’ve thought if they knew about it, they would share it,” he said. “They told us what a good guy he was. That he answered their questions, some before they even asked them. If I would’ve known about this, I would’ve wanted to know more. What if he’s innocent? I want to know the facts. Now, nobody is saying nothing.”

Phone calls to Frerichs, Wenrick and Labine were not returned. The Box Elder Horizon was unable to reach Wood.

Lana Bradstream can be reached at lana@boxelderhorizon.com or 605-381-6699

You can't make it up

2010-07-16T08:11:00.000-04:00

Apparently the folks in Box Elder, SD do not have access to the internet...

The over/under is 180 days until the 1st incident...

======================================================================

New Chief, Tim Ryan,

on the Job in Box Elder

¶ Timothy P. Ryan showed up in Box Elder during the evening hours of Monday, July 5, and was going strong on the job as Box Elder’s new police chief on Wednesday, July 7.

“I saw growth potential here,” said Timothy P. Ryan when asked why he took the job in Box Elder. “I saw the opportunity to work with different agencies — the sheriff’s office, the military base. Those opportunities were never available (before). This town is growing. I think this town is getting ready to boom. It has a vision of moving forward and I want to be in a town like that. It’s a win, win for me and the town.”

Ryan, 48, drove the 1,950 miles to Box Elder from Millville, Mass. where he served as chief of police for 20 years. Ryan had the distinction of being the youngest chief of police in Massachusetts at the age of 25. Ryan also served as chief of police in Osseo, Minn.

The new chief was officially appointed to the position in Box Elder at the Tuesday, July 6, city council meeting. He said he was pleased to have all of the staff at the police department and their families show up at the meeting in support of him.

His first priority is getting to know the staff. Ryan said he wants to meet with each person individually.

“I think we have a dynamic crew here,” Ryan said. “It’s a good group of people. I think this department can manage on it’s own.”

Next, he said he wants to go out into the community and meet with the business owners and get an idea of what they would like to see from the police department. He added he will incorporate that knowledge into a visionary statement.

Ryan described Massachusetts as more liberal than South Dakota, but overall the policing is still the same. And Ryan brings his own philosophy to Box Elder. He said he believes in education before enforcement. During the entirety of his career, Ryan said he has listened to both sides of the story.

“You work in a town and you get to know the people,” he said. “You know what they’re going through. An arrest is the last thing you want to do. There’s intervention and counseling. I think everybody needs to be treated as a human being, no matter who they are.”

However, that will not stop Ryan from making arrests. When the public is in danger, Ryan said the handcuffs will be slapped on some wrists.

Ryan has served as a police officer for 25 years. He received his undergraduate degree from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. and his master’s degree from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass. He was also in the 0.001 percent of law enforcement officials in the country selected to attend the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Virginia. The only way to attend the academy is through invitation.

“It’s very prestigious,” said Ryan. “There’s not many people and I was happy I was selected to go.”

During his experience as a chief of police in Massachusetts, Ryan managed a volunteer crew that hand built a new police station. After two years of work, the price tag on the facility was $80,000 but was valued at more than $1 million.

He issued a search warrant on someone who was housing alligators in their home. According to Ryan, the person involved strongly resembled Steve Irwin, the former “Crocodile Hunter.” He also busted a 32-year-old school teacher and basketball coach for having sex with a 13-year-old student. Ryan said the perpetrator received a sentence of 30 years in the state penitentiary.

“I want to provide the best law enforcement service that I can,” said Ryan. “Everyone has been very welcoming in helping me find a place to live and get set up. I’m very thankful the city council hired me. I’d like to thank the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office for helping out in this transition and for helping me.”

Ryan said he can’t wait to get out and meet the people of Box Elder. He will be attending various community events, such as the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce mixers and the movies in the park at Bandit Ball Field.

Lana Bradstream can be reached at lana@boxelderhorizon.com or 605-381-6699

Questions about new payment in town

2010-06-24T08:51:00.000-04:00

Webmaster how can i get you to start a new topic? - Consider it done...

What is with this second class pavement job we are getting in town. Sure it saves money. Lets see just how much after the town has to pay for cracked windshields and pinged paint jobs. Two days down and I already have a broken windshield. I have an expensive sports car with very few miles on it and it will not leave my garage until this mess is taken care of. This stuff is also extremely dusty and noisy. I pay a lot in taxes, This is just not right! Town officials , prepare to hear alot of complaints.

Game 6...can't wait

2010-06-15T08:35:00.001-04:00

Shrek and Donkey

2010-06-11T07:04:00.000-04:00

Holloway Suspect Sought In Peru Slaying - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston

2010-06-02T16:09:00.000-04:00

Holloway Suspect Sought In Peru Slaying - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston

News from Osseo

2010-05-24T12:59:00.002-04:00

Mr. Ryan. And yes, he is no longer CHIEF RYAN, was seen leaving the Osseo Caribou Coffee shop today in a U-Haul truck. I think it is safe to say Millville, that he is on his way home.

Sorry you have to deal with him again! Good luck!

Dave's Good Stuff - Onnie's & Nonnie's

2010-05-03T08:54:00.000-04:00

Looking for good take out ? Give Dave a try...uses all fresh ingredients...he'll make you whatever kind of sandwich you want...he also has specialty sandwiches....try a NY Special - hot pastrami & corn beef piled high on a grilled marble rye with swiss cheese and 1000 Island Dressing...to die for...

He makes pizzas with whole wheat crust...tell him how you like it and he'll get it done...(I like thin crust well done...cook that pie !!)

He also has Homemade Entrees...Steak Tip dinner, Meatloaf dinner, Roastr Pork Loin, Turkey Dinner & Shepherd's Pie...

Also has pasta dishes...

Don't feel like cooking..?? Call Dave...have a home made meal delivered...

Osseo votes 4-1 to terminate Chief Ryan's employment; Council asks staff to obtain quotes for police services

2010-04-15T08:07:00.000-04:00

Osseo votes 4-1 to terminate Chief Ryan's employment; Council asks staff to obtain quotes for police services

by Alicia Miller

(Created: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 3:03 PM CDT)
The Osseo City Council decided to give Tim Ryan notice that his employment agreement with the city would be terminated May 15.
The council also directed the city administrator to outline current police services and talk about shared police services. The council went into a closed session to consider personnel action for officer Joe Zerwas during its meeting Monday, April 12.

A separate story will appear in next week's paper regarding other council items from this meeting.

POLICE CHIEF

TERMINATION

Mayor Steve Menth allowed the public to speak during matters from the floor, as no other public comments would be taken during the rest of the meeting.

Douglas Lee said he didn't know what the final resolution would be regarding the chief, but hoped it would be resolved soon. "I hope that the members of the community... will be able to move on and perhaps regenerate a kind of respect we have had for each other in the past."

Claire Coughlin said he couldn't remember a time in the last 45 years when the Osseo resident's comments were so bitter and angry. He said he had heard that residents feel some of the actions of the council are driven by personal actions, personal friendships and revenge. He added there was an internal audit of the police department that hadn't been released and lawsuits in the process.

"I think it is a big mistake that the item on the firing of the chief is tonight," Coughlin said. "I don't think that should be acted upon until some of these other things become more clear."

Coughlin added he was concerned with the audits and lawsuits and not knowing what was in those. He wanted the council to wait to make a decision to be fair.

John Hall said there was a police audit going on, which hadn't been discussed yet. He added there were also lawsuits and wanted the city to let them play out and then terminate the chief if he was guilty. "You are trying to ruin this guy's career," he said. "You are convicting this man before it's even going to trial."

Hall also said he hoped the city doesn't lose it's insurance like the city of Greenfield did because of all its lawsuits. He said some ran for office wanting transparency in government, and then asked the council to bring forth their phone records to show there is no serial calling, which is an open meeting law violation. Councilor Steve Parks was the only one to say he would. Hall also asked if the council would check out all the police officers and see where they each were in the past.

He also asked which salaried employee would be next because he felt no employee was safe in the community.

Susan Hanson said whatever decision was made she hoped it would include more the community's input.

Peter Stanton said one was safe. He went on to say that most employees are constantly being scrutinized. "I have to perform to get my paycheck. We've got an employee that it took nine, almost 10 months ... to get on a computer. That would not work [in the private sector]," he said.

Rollie Jones said if the chief did something wrong then why was he placed on administrative leave and not just let go. "You take a man's life and put him in limbo, and I guess if you really want to rake him over the coals that's a nice way to do it," he said. He added that in the city newsletter, the city administrator said Ryan was doing a good job and that no one tells the residents what's going on.

The council then talked about this item further into the meeting. Councilor Parks said everything began with the police officers' vote of no confidence in Ryan. He went to say that he went to speak with the officers to find out what was going on. He said he spoke with one officer, who the other three officers said he needed to talk with. He said of the one officer that spoke with him, "The discussion, my opinion, went in a circle. It really never got to the core where I can say that at point number five this was the problem."

Parks added that the audit came in so the council could figure out what was going in the department. He said the hard copy of the findings of the audit were at city hall. Currently, the results of the police audit are not public yet. The council will go over the results at a special meeting April 26, at 5 p.m. This meeting will be closed to the public. The council will then decide if the results will be public.

Parks said he wanted to see the audit before making a decision. "We paid a lot of good money for it," he added. "How do I make a make a decision when I don't know the information."

Councilor Rick Weber said he didn't know specific dates, "but what we do know is that the chief was told to start using the computer to sign on and was told to radio sign on and carry it. And we know that it was less than two weeks before his review time again that he finally started doing it."

Parks said he went to the police department to obtain logs of the officers. These are public information. He said he found that some of the officers signed into the computers, but never properly logged off. He said logging in or logging off is not a capital crime.

Weber said a person has got to work to keep a job.

Councilor Mark Schulz said he had concerns that Parks had the log information and he hadn't seen it.

Parks said he brought the information to Mayor Menth's attention. Mayor Menth said he knew what Parks was doing.

Schulz said the only thing the council was concerning itself with were the aspects of the chief's performance. "I, quite frankly, feel offended," he added about the log information.

The council's full motion was to give Timothy P. Ryan notice that his employment agreement with the city will terminate May 15, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, with termination benefits as provided in the agreement. The vote was 4 to 1, with councilor Parks voting against.

QUOTES FOR
POLICE SERVICES

In other police related matters, city administrator Greg Withers said he had spoken with members of the council about looking into using the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office or a neighboring community to provide police services for the city of Osseo.

Withers said he wouldn't bring up the item again unless a councilor put the topic on an agenda, which councilor Duane Poppe did.

There was nothing specifically written up about the topic by Withers. He said some cities in the northwest metro area are talking about sharing police services. "Now would be a very appropriate time to put out an official request to them to find out how much they would provide of services to the city of Osseo," he added.

Withers said if the council decided to go that route, he would come back with a detailed summary of services to send out to the sheriff's office and neighboring cities.

Councilor Schulz said it was prudent to look into numbers, with the city losing Local Government Aid and having to decrease revenues. "I think it's important for the citizens of Osseo to understand what our services are and to be able to make an important decision when we come into budgetary time," he added.

Councilor Weber wondered what the parameters would be and the pricing for one year or the second year. "Would there be a car in town at all times?" he asked.

Withers said he could put a summary together of the city's current police services and quotes for three years or five years. He said he would come back with exact details.

"I think it's a good direction," Schulz said. He added that residents are paying for the services and they should have the ultimate say.

The information Withers obtained would be presented at the May 10 council meeting.

The council voted to put a preliminary outline of the city's current police services and to talk about shared police services.

CLOSED SESSION

FOR ZERWAS

The council also went into a closed session to discuss the consideration of personnel action for employee police officer Joe Zerwas.

After a short closed session, city attorney Loren Magsam said the council took no action.

A motion was made to readdress the item at the next council meeting.

Ryan has been voted out

2010-04-13T08:19:00.000-04:00

Osseo has made the decision to move on. I did hear from Dragon and he will send details later...I know they gave Ryan 30 more paid days and then he's done.

News from Osseo

2010-04-11T07:12:00.000-04:00

Major News Update

It appears quite solid (although not absolutely positive yet) that at the City Council meeting on April 12, 7PM, Osseo City Hall, the City Council will be discussing a "resolution" to the situation with "Mr. Ryan". It is an item on the official agenda. This agenda can be seen at:

http://nwsccc-osseo.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=83

The full "City Council Meeting Packet", which is the collection of documents that are given to each council member a few days or more before each meeting, is available at:

http://www.discoverosseo.com/docs/agendas/04_12_2010_cc_pkt.pdf

Item 10k n the agenda describes the action to be taken regarding Mr. Ryan. Word on the street is that the council is going to decide, and announce, that "Mr. Ryan" will be kept on "Administrative Leave" through approximately May 17, which would be the end of his first one year contract. At that time, his employment would not be continued. He would be removed from Suspension (oops, I mean "Administrative Leave"), and removed from the payroll, and be wished "Good Luck" by the City.

Mr. Ryan's contract has a clause that says something about having to pay him 3 months pay if he were "fired" without substantive cause. So, it would be cheaper and easier to just keep him on pay through the next 5 weeks or so, then simply let him not "continue employment" with the city.

In Mr. Ryan's absence, we currently have a long term member of the force acting as the department supervisor. He actually should have been selected as the Chief at the time Mr. Ryan was hired, but because of some internal power struggles within the city government, he was not hired. He has worked here for many years, he has an amazing feel of the "pulse of the community", and he knows who the local "bad guys" are (not that we have very many), and to the best of my knowledge, has an impeccable record. He has also shown a great deal of leadership in the department, and has been the Field Training Officer for some time. He was mentored by the previous chief to become the next Chief. I believe, but do not actually know, that the previous chief (who was excellent), would have been in favor of this officer becoming chief, and I believe he probably recommended him to the city, although I don't have direct knowledge of that either.

We have a VERY professional, effective, modern and reputable police department. It is not "politicized" like so many departments are. This is one of the many reasons why some many citizens want Mr Ryan to be gone. We want the department to be professional and independent. If there is ever any

wrong doing in the department (which I doubt there ever would be), that could and would be dealt with in a different venue, rather than through the City Administration.

Our police department is very "community oriented". "Community Policing" has been a common "new strategy" here in Minnesota for a number of years, but the Osseo force has been doing this for many years, even before it became "popular".

Considering everything he has done here, a strong case for outright "firing" Mr. Ryan could probably be made, but it would probably involve court fights, which would cost way more than just doing as described above.

We have two ongoing lawsuits against the city, both caused by Mr. Ryan's sexual harassment patterns and sexual discrimination, both of which I believe will be resolved in favor of the plaintiffs, against the city. I believe there will be large monetary settlements, which the city and/or their insurers will have to pay. So, this can be added to the long list of great accomplishments of Mr. Ryan in the 9 month period he carried a badge here.

Again, word on the street is that this is almost certainly what is going to happen. I will post again as soon as I know for certain. That will probably be either Monday night or sometime on Tuesday.

I have been told that "Mr. Ryan will never be hired as a police officer again". Not just in Minnesota, but probably anywhere. Good deal.

Oh, and I don't remember if I mentioned this little tidbit in any earlier posting. But recently (and this is documented in official newspapers), Mr. Ryan applied for a job as a Deputy Sheriff in Owatonna, Minnesota. He filed the paperwork with them, and expressed strong interest in the job there. I believe he was one of the two "top candidates". God, what a show this mutt must be able to put on. The only problem was, he somehow "forgot" to mention during his application process, that he was currently on Suspension (oops, I mean "Administrative Leave") from the position of Police Chief in Osseo.

When the Owatonna Sheriff's department found out about this, they sent Mr. Ryan a letter saying, "Thanks but no Thanks".

So, it looks like we will know the essential outcome of this long nightmare by the end of Monday night, April 12.

The City Council meetings are streamed live over the Net, but I don't have the URL in front of me at the moment. If you do some googling and find the Osseo MN website, you can find the find stream address.

I really doubt that there has been any actual "deal cut" with Mr. Ryan. The majority of the City Council is not disposed to making ANY "deals" with this "man". I believe that they simply analyzed the situation carefully, and decided this would be the easiest, cleanest, fastest, and least expensive way to permanently resolve this issue.

You all may very likely see Mr. Ryan back in your community soon. Best wishes with that.

And a final very personal note to the citizens and residents of Millville and surrounding communities who have posted information here about Mr' Ryan's past history, and who have provided information in any other ways: The information that has flowed out of MIllville has been very helpful in helping the residents and population of the City of Osseo, along with the City Leadership and the City Councilk understand the "context" in which Mr. Ryan's lifelong patterns of behavior can be viewed. So Thank You to all of you who have helped provide both anecdotal and specific publicly known information to us here.

I do not know if my own activities have had any impact in what has developed here over the past 5 moths. I would like to believe that they have, but I don't know for sure. After Mr. Ryan is gone from here, my involvement in this issue will cease, and I will go back to my "normal" quiet life. I have been very vocal, but I honestly believe that my views are in line with the vast majority of the residents of Osseo.

One thing I have learned through this process is that local community politics can get extremely "slimy" and "dirty" and "creepy". I never knew how bad that could be. I am very disappointed that even in a quiet peaceful community, with very little serious crime, that such "power fights" can occur. Pretty disgusting.

I have personally been slandered publicly, serious outright "lies" have been told about me, and I am a mere citizen, not even involved in politics or government.

Updates to come.

Sincerely,
Dragon In Osseo

April 10, 2010

Saturday

Obamacare Humor

2010-03-31T14:33:00.000-04:00

The phone rings and the lady of the house answers,

"Hello."
"Mrs. Anderson, please."
"Speaking."
"Mrs. Anderson, this is Doctor Jones at the UMass Laboratory. When your doctor sent your husband's biopsy to the lab yesterday, a biopsy from another Mr. Anderson arrived as well, and we are now uncertain which one is your husband's. Frankly the results are either bad or terrible."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Anderson asks nervously.
"Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's and the other one tested positive for AIDS. We can't tell which is your husband's."
"That's dreadful! Can't you do the test again?" questioned Mrs. Anderson.
"Normally we can, but under Obamacare the CMS will only pay for these expensive tests one time."
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"
"The people at Medicare have checked with the Department of Health and Human Services, who checked with the White House. Their collective recommendation is that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him."

The Mighty Blackstone

2010-03-30T19:30:00.001-04:00

It was time for a makeover

2010-03-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

Figured it was time to freshen the site up a little bit...

Glad I didn't put the firewood away for the year...looks like it will come into play this weekend...

Opening Day for the Sox is next week...

Of course I'm watching it snow right now which is a little troubling...

Correspondence from Osseo

2010-03-22T10:21:00.000-04:00

We have a report from the Dragon...you will find it under the March 9th Post below "No Word from Osseo"....check it out

Appears Onnie's & Nonnie's will be getting a little more sunshine

2010-03-11T09:41:00.001-05:00

Apparently the bank who owned this building decided it was time for it to come down...only problem is they didn't bother to tell anybody...Chief Landry & Chief Mullaly were a little taken back...as was John Dean...demolision is happening right now (9:42am Thurs)...go down and check it out

No word from Osseo as of yet

2010-03-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if it happened...

I've said my piece

2010-03-04T19:24:00.002-05:00

Former Millville Chief faces turmoil in Minnesota

2010-03-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Mar 04, 2010 @ 12:49 AM
Last update Mar 04, 2010 @ 01:57 PM

Timothy Ryan left Millville in 2006 after a tumultuous stint as police chief, and controversy is dogging him now that he's the top cop in a small Minnesota city.

Ryan agreed to resign from the Millville Police Department in 2006 to end disciplinary hearings against him over complaints of impropriety. The Board of Selectmen alleged he violated the town's disciplinary policy 21 times. Ryan went on from Millville to train at the FBI Academy and ended up beating out a pool of other candidates to become chief in Osseo, Minn., last May. Ten months later, he's facing pressure to resign amid political chaos in that city of fewer than 2,500 residents.

Unrest is being fueled by a vote of no confidence by the local police force took and claims Ryan sexually harassed female employees.

The city's administrator and mayor met last Friday and decided to suspend Ryan with pay as city leaders decide whether to take other action against him. "The status of it being on paid administrative leave is not a disciplinary action and shouldn't be construed to be a disciplinary action," Osseo city lawyer Loren Magsam stressed yesterday.

A part-time female patrolwoman on the Osseo force has filed sexual harassment complaint against Ryan and said she intends to file a lawsuit, her lawyer said. A similar suit is pending in federal court, filed by a woman who worked as the department's administrative assistant when Ryan was hired. The claim filed by part-time officer Jane Szczepanik accuses Ryan of showing her pornography, making sexual jokes and references and regularly directing her to "chauffeur him around."

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by former police administrative assistant Sally Schmidt claims Ryan began sexually harassing her even before he officially started the job. When she filed a sexual harassment complaint with City Administrator Gregory Withers in July, it was Schmidt who was placed on administrative leave by the city. The city fired her in August.At the Osseo City Council's last meeting, on Feb. 22, its five members were at odds over what to do about Ryan.

During the recorded meeting, which is available online, Withers shared a positive review of Ryan's last three months on the job. He even recommended a raise based on what he called "tremendously improved" performance by Ryan over evaluations last year.

Withers admitted he "was not happy" with the job Ryan was doing last fall and said the chief clearly got off "on the wrong foot" with the community and with his force.

Mayor Steven Menth was critical of Ryan and asked him point blank if he had thought of resigning. "No," replied Ryan, who attended the meeting but said little.

A motion was later made to fire Ryan, but the city's attorney said the chief would have to be notified ahead of time if the council wanted to talk about taking disciplinary action. No action was taken.

Ryan could not be reached yesterday and did not respond to an e-mail.

The administrative assistant who answered the phone at the Police Department referred questions to Withers' office. Neither Withers nor Menth could be reached.

Jackie Lima, chairwoman of Millville's Board of Selectmen, said she would not discuss the former chief.

Ryan, who was hired to lead his hometown department in 1987, was put on paid administrative leave in March 2006 along with his brother, Millville Sgt. James Ryan and another officer.

The chief was accused of improper involvement in a neighborhood dispute, inappropriately discussing a child welfare case tied to a former Millville officer and lying about having rules and regulations for his department, among other complaints.

Without department leadership, state police had to temporarily oversee police activity in town before Ryan resigned and selectmen appointed Ronald Landry the new chief.

Osseo Police Chief Put on Administrative Leave

2010-02-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

Reporting Bill Hudson (WCCO)

After just 9 months on the job, Ryan was placed on paid administrative leave while the complaints are investigated.

When Timothy Ryan was sworn in to lead the Osseo police department last May he came with some impressive credentials. Ryan was the chief of police in Millville, Mass. for 19 years. He is also a graduate of the FBI Academy and holds a master's degree in criminal justice.

But for Ryan, it's been a rocky road leading a small police force in the northern Twin Cities suburb.

After just nine months on the job, efforts are being made to force the chief from the department and Friday he was put on paid administrative leave.

Loren Magsam, Osseo's City Attorney, said Ryan was hired with an open ended contract.

"The chief's contract is not for a specific term. It's just a contract, that until its terminated, he's under contract," said Magsam.

Some Osseo city council members and officers of the police department are unimpressed with Ryan's credentials.

In December, 10 members of the department circulated a letter of "no confidence" in the chief at a city council meeting. They alleged in the letter that Chief Ryan is both indecisive and often unavailable to their radio communications.

"Some of the council members expressed that they were concerned that the officers, in an emergency, wouldn't be able to get a hold of the chief fast enough because of not having his radio on him or not being on mobile data terminal or whatever," said Osseo city administrator, Gregory Withers.

On Friday, the chief's patrol car was taken away and brought back to the police department parking lot. A fellow police officer had removed Ryan's service weapon from the squad and brought it into the police station.

After just 9 months on the job, Ryan was placed on paid administrative leave while the complaints are investigated.

"Now depending upon what I come up with over the next couple weeks and ... how the council wants to address the performance evaluation and what they feel is his performance," said Withers.

That will be discussed at the council's next scheduled meeting on March 8.

The Osseo City Council's discussion got a little intense Monday, Feb. 22, during Police Chief Tim Ryan's performance evaluation, but in the end no action was taken.

2010-02-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

by Alicia Miller

(Created: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:37 PM CST)
Chief Ryan chose to have the review open and not during a closed session.
A separate story on other council matters from this meeting will appear in next week's paper.

The chief's review of his nine-month performance evaluation item started with city administrator Greg Withers reading a memo to the council and audience.

Withers stated, "At the Chief's six-month performance evaluation I had some positive things to say about the chief, but I also had many negative things to say."

He also said, "I have been told by a number of council members that a more open and transparent style of government is desired in Osseo. Let me assure the council, that policy suits the (department chairs) team and the staff just fine. We want the public to know what we are working on and how much work we are doing."

The employee job performance reviews are new to Osseo. Withers said the concept was written into his own employment agreement.

"The words 'probationary period' do not appear anywhere in the employment agreement. Chief Ryan does not have a 'probationary period,' " Withers stated. "He is not on probation. I say this even though the term was used at his last evaluation review when it was said to extend his probation period for another six month and not give him a pay increase at that time. It is my recommendation the council no longer discusses Tim Ryan's employment as being 'probationary.' "

When Withers performed the chief's six month evaluation last November, he did a 360 degree evaluation, which included asking the people the chief works with, works for and supervises, how they would evaluate the chief's performance.

"I was not happy with the Chief's performance Nov. 20, 2009, nor was I happy with the state of affairs in the Police Department and the attitude that was starting to spread throughout the city organization. I did not express this publicly, but I did express it to the council in a closed session as we reviewed the chief's performance evaluation," Withers said.

Withers stated the employee performance evaluation form has two sections - a points rating and an open comment section. In November Withers said his evaluation gave the chief 44 points on a 100-point scale. The 360 degree review gave him 66 points. Withers said the chief's performance for the past three months "awarded him 75 points. That is a 70 percent increase. In February, I am very pleased with his performance."

There are four groups that have influence on the chief's performance, according to Withers. He said these are the City Council/interview committee, city management, supervised police employees and the business owners and community members. "Please do not misunderstand, Timothy Ryan carries the largest share of responsibility for his performance," Withers said. "I have not heard any negative comments on the chief's performance from the business community."

The council appointed the interview committee, which the committee did unanimously recommend Timothy Ryan for the position. The council did unanimously vote to offer the chief's position to Ryan. "The 'unanimous' council decision did not last long as the minority quickly let their views be known. Thus the chief was 'welcomed' into an atmosphere of turmoil," Withers said.

Withers went on the say that two members of the Osseo Police Department were interviewed for the chief position, but where sent letters of rejection just like others not selected. "We could have and we should have done more. I have apologized to the entire department for that mistake. However, one of the candidates still has that letter of rejection hanging on his locker. He is still not over the rejection," Withers said.

Mayor Steve Menth stated, "Hey," but allowed Withers to continue.

"Three members of the department told me that when the former chief was here the three of them ran the department. One of them had been trained by the former chief to take over upon his retirement. These three were now facing an unknown police supervisor from out of state who would become their boss. This had to be stressful," Withers said.

Withers said he believed Ryan was a very qualified, professional police chief. "I report he has had much education and training and relates that to his experiences. Detractors say he is constantly building himself up and putting himself on a pedestal. The fact is he has much more education, training and years of experience than the total Osseo Police Department. That is not bragging. That is a fact," he added.

The police department is currently in the process of having a consultant audit it. Withers said, "The audit will make a very positive impact on the police department and will benefit the city organization immensely. Chief Ryan will then have additional support to implement new or to continue some police practices."

Withers then recommended on the improvement of the chief's performance evaluation that the chief be given the pay increase recommended in the chief's employment agreement.

"I believe his most recent performance evaluation has been terrific," he said. "Performance has greatly improved. The department needs to know the chief is here and in place, that his performance is satisfactory, and the police officers need to know Chief Ryan is in control of the department and has the support of the City Council. Without this there will never be peace in the department and the city organization will continue in unrest."

Councilor Mark Schulz asked previously to have the chief's prior evaluations included for the meeting. Withers said the information was private and he could only look at it if the chief wanted him to.

"You are entitled to have access to it, if you need it to make your decision on this performance evaluation," city attorney Loren Magsam said. "But the access to it has to be private."

Schulz said, "I guess I'm looking for a yes or no answer."

Magsam said Schulz could look at previous evaluation, but he would not be able to make any information public.

Mayor Menth asked if the chief had met all his performance issues since the November evaluation, and Wither said the chief had.

Mayor Menth said it sounded like the chief was killing dead time from November to February. Withers said part of the time he was on vacation break.

Chief Ryan asked if could address that issue.

"In a second," Mayor Menth said.

Mayor Menth said that after six months of employment, the chief took a month of vacation.

Withers said the chief has paid time off, not vacation, and that he approved the chief's PTO.

Schulz asked if the chief had any objections to him looking at his evaluation. Chief Ryan did object, because the council was looking at his past three months.

Councilor Steve Parks said the chief had a positive review and had followed the rules.

Councilor Rick Weber asked why the chief had not logged onto a squad car computer, while on patrol, until Feb. 10.Chief Ryan said officer Mike Smith is in charge of the computers.

"And you are supposed to supervise people that are using this computer?" councilor Weber said.

Councilor Parks said, "He is not a patrol officer. He is a working chief."

Ryan brought forth the performance summary of his evaluation in November. The summary was dated Dec. 16, 2009. The chief left on vacation a few days after to head out of state for two weeks.

Mayor Menth said the chief was at the last evaluation and heard what the council wanted him to do. "Have you thought about resigning," he asked the chief.

Ryan responded no.

Councilor Weber started to make a motion to terminate Chief Ryan, when councilor Parks objected. "If you want to terminate a city employee, you need to give notice to the city. This is a performance evaluation ... it is not a disciplinary hearing," Parks said.

Attorney Magsam said that was correct, the council couldn't fire the chief at this meeting.

Councilor Schulz asked if the council was asked to receive or reject the evaluation. Withers said the council didn't have to do anything if it didn't want to.

Councilor Parks made a motion to accept Withers' evaluation of Chief Ryan and approve the pay increase. No one seconded the motion and it failed.

Councilor Schulz made a motion to adjourn, which overrides any and all previous motions, and the motion was approved.

After the meeting was adjourned, members of the audience and council raised concerns and voices at each other. The words "disgrace" and "embarrassment" from the audience were directed to the council.

Because the meeting was adjourned without more council discussion, no further action or direction was taken by the council for city staff regarding this item.

Maybe it's me

2010-02-16T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in my home office watching the folks, who the town contracts, take care of our roads and I have some observations...

And for the record, I have never plowed or sanded a street in my life...

But as I watched this morning you start to wonder...why in the world would you sand before you plow ? If you do that don't you just plow the sand to the side of the road ? Do we pay them by how much sand they use ? Just wonderin