Thousands of Minnesotans will take to their porches and lawns Tuesday in the annual celebration that unites neighbors as a way to keep communities safe.

But several communities are not participating in the National Night Out event this year because of a controversy over how much the group's national leader, Matt Peskin, takes in -- $322,000 in salary and benefits.

In Golden Valley, officials have dubbed their new locally focused Tuesday event "Night to Unite." Minnetonka and Dakota County are launching their own efforts, and Blaine and South St. Paul plan to do so next year. The Minnesota Crime Prevention Association is meeting Aug. 8 to talk about whether to start a new state-based effort next year.

"It's all about fiscal irresponsibility," Deb Griffith, chairwoman of the Tuesday night event for the Minnesota association, said about Peskin's compensation, which is a third of the National Night Out organization's $1 million budget.

But Peskin said National Night Out participation is up this year in Minnesota and nationwide.

Peskin also said that his compensation is fair. Many communities, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and Burnsville, are sticking with his program.

"What on Earth does Matt Peskin's salary have to do with anything?" asked John Baumann, who manages Night Out activities for Minneapolis. He said 1,100 Minneapolis blocks are registered this year.

"The story here is lots and lots of people getting to know their neighbors better. ... It's about what are you going to do at the local level to get crime under control, and this is one of the pieces you can do," he said.

Comparing take home

But Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said Peskin's pay shouldn't be triple the salary of most county sheriffs or district attorneys. Backstrom said he and Sheriff Don Gudmundson decided, because of Peskin's pay and other issues, that their county wouldn't register this year with National Night Out and would instead opt for a weeklong local effort coinciding with the County Fair.

"Celebrating Safe Communities in Dakota County" will be promoted at the fair Aug. 4-10 and at libraries.

Cities within the county still can opt to sign on with the National Night Out program.

Griffith, in her role as community affairs liaison for South St. Paul, said she has had only positive comments from residents about the city's plan to opt out of National Night Out next year. "From what I am hearing from my community members -- residents in town, block party captains and just the general public -- is that they applaud the decision that we made for the change."

Minnetonka Police Chief Mark Raquet is among the law enforcement leaders who took note of Peskin's pay, as well as makeup of the board of directors, which until recently included Peskin's friends and relatives. "We just felt that we are philosophically different than what they're doing now," Raquet said, adding that Minnetonka may go back to Peskin's nonprofit if changes are made.

Defending the outlay

As executive director of National Night Out's umbrella organization-- National Association of Town Watch -- Peskin said this week that he earns $280,000, with $42,000 in benefits.

He defended his compensation, saying he worked 30 years to develop the anti-crime program and earned little in the early years. His nonprofit owns the trademark name National Night Out and sells an array of products for block parties, from balloons to banners.

"My compensation is just one measure of NATW," Peskin said from Wynnewood, Pa., where the organization is based. "The real measure is what National Night Out accomplishes. This year, National Night Out will bring together 36 million Americans, in 12,000 communities, including the 1,243 Minnesota communities, who will be participating this year. It's one night when people across the country celebrate being neighbors."

He said his organization works all year to help community organizers and police departments prepare for their Night Out, as well as with yearlong, community-based crime prevention efforts.

But Kim Kiley, the Night Out liaison for Blaine, is among those who question Peskin's numbers, and how he defines a "community."

Peskin responded that a community "is defined by the coordinator that signs up for a specified area, which can equate to one or multiple blocks, streets, neighborhoods or cities."

Sheriff Gudmundson noted his unease knowing that the National Association of Town Watch board included some of Peskin's friends and relatives. "When you see that, it sends up a red flag," the sheriff said.

Last week, Peskin said that no family members now serve on the board and that he has been working with a consultant recommended by a sponsor, Target Corp., to assess the governance and related issues involved with the National Association of Town Watch.

For at least some, though, Peskin's compensation can't be overlooked.

"When he's making over $300,000 a year, that's a lot of money for a nonprofit organization," said Griffith, of the Minnesota Crime Prevention Association, a statewide nonprofit organization of citizens, law enforcement officers and crime-prevention specialists.

When the group meets this week, she said, it will talk about creating a new package of information for coordinators of such night-out programs in Minnesota communities, much like the packet Peskin's group now mails out free.

Monica Jensen, spokeswoman for the Dakota County attorney's office and former vice president of the association, said that the bottom line is Peskin's income.

"I look at this as one night -- or one time frame of an activity -- versus the chiefs of police, the cops, the deputies, who are out there day in and day out, and who make a fraction of that," she said.

"We're done with National Association of Town Watch, so I wish him well."

Joy Powell • 952-882-9017