Leadership dispute erupts on Washington County board

The newest member of the Washington County Commission tried to block Bill Pulkrabek from being named chair of the five-member board Tuesday, contending he was missing too many committee meetings.

Lisa Weik, who represents Woodbury, delivered several pointed comments about Pulkrabek although she didn't name him during the meeting. Weik was elected to her first term in November 2008.

"These are very difficult times to govern," she said to several dozen people assembled in the board room, including students from a Stillwater Area High School government class. "We need principled people to lead."

Weik said after the meeting that she didn't want Pulkrabek in a position to "put that title on campaign literature" and said he had missed most meetings last year of the transit-oriented I-94 Corridor Commission, which he chaired.

"This was an election today," she said. "I did not see a list of his accomplishments or why he would be a good chair."

Pulkrabek, in an interview after the meeting, took offense to Weik's statements.

"The thing that's disheartening to me about her comments is that if you have an issue with somebody you don't drop a bomb on them at the meeting. That's just unprofessional," he said.

"I'm out there fighting for my meals like most Washington County residents are," he said.

Commissioners will be paid $52,713 apiece this year, the same as 2009.

Weik, by nominating commissioner Gary Kriesel for the leadership job, defied the board's traditional rotation that put Pulkrabek next in line to succeed Myra Peterson. Because Pulkrabek faces reelection this year, Weik said, Kriesel should chair the commission to "remove any perception of politics."

But Kriesel deferred, and Pulkrabek, who represents Oakdale, Lake Elmo and a small portion of Woodbury, was elevated to board chair on a 4-1 vote, with Weik dissenting. She said chair rotation was designed to avoid giving a commissioner an unfair advantage during an election year.

Pulkrabek, who was the board's vice chair last year, said his previous two rotating terms as board chair, in 2002 and 2006, also came during election years.

Weik described members of the I-94 commission as "dismayed, to put it mildly" at what she said was Pulkrabek's chronic absenteeism and said she was concerned that his other committee assignments are going unattended as well.

"I have a good working relationship with Bill, so this is not anger," Weik said. "We want him to be engaged."

Pulkrabek disputed Weik's assessment as inaccurate and said he had missed only two meetings -- once when he was sick and another scheduled after a big December snowfall when committee members decided it would be unsafe for members to travel.

Weik and Kriesel criticized Pulkrabek in December for missing budget workshops that help commissioners decide how they want to govern the county's financial performance. Peterson, whose term as board chair ended with Pulkrabek's selection, also had expressed concern.

Reinhardt named chair of Ramsey County board

She replaced Jan Parker as chairwoman.

In outgoing remarks, Parker thanked her colleagues and listed some of the county's accomplishments in 2009, from maintaining a high credit rating to purchasing the Union Depot head house to seeing 19,000 new residents sign up for library cards. She predicted another year of financial challenges.

When Reinhardt took her new seat, she echoed Parker's sentiment. "There's no end in sight to those challenges," she said. "One of our strengths is the ability to work together. We don't back away from challenges."

Tony Bennett will replace Reinhardt as the head of the budget committee. Jim McDonough retained his position as chairman of the Regional Rail Authority, and Janice Rettman will remain as chairwoman of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority.