Maplewood council's choice for city manager has solid backing

James Antonen is slated to become the next city manager of Maplewood, assuming the position left vacant last year following the dismissal of controversial City Manager Greg Copeland.

The Maplewood City Council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday night to offer the job to Antonen, a city manager who has spent 25 years in city halls from Moorhead, Minn., to Davis, Calif., where he currently lives.

City leaders are hoping he can break the political polarization that has gripped this suburb, which has had a revolving door of city managers in recent years.

"This is the first time I can remember that anyone (city manager) has won by a 4 to 1 vote; it's always been 3 to 2" said Erik Hjelle, a City Council member. "That's a helluva accomplishment. Hopefully this ... will give him a boost coming in, as opposed to a firestorm."

Council member John Nephew, who has been on the opposite side of the voting block of Hjelle, agreed.

"Maplewood [City Council] has had a back-and-forth between political factions, which has ensnared the city managers with whatever side appointed them," said Nephew. "That has been a destructive element of the city.

"My hope that with two people from each faction on the council voting for Mr. Antonen, we'll see more consistency and stability for the city."

"I think I can provide a steady hand on the tiller and help guide the city during these troubled [economic] times," Antonen said. "You have to be fiscally conservative but also respond to the needs of the people."

Council member Kathy Juenemann was the sole dissenting vote against Antonen. It wasn't that she felt he was unqualified, she said, but rather she would have liked to interview more candidates.

The council authorized the city to begin contract negotiations with Antonen and will conduct background checks, said Chuck Ahl, acting city manager. If all goes as planned, he will be in his city hall office in March.

Maplewood has been without a permanent city manager since last January, when the council suspended then-manager Copeland. The council's new majority had argued Copeland lacked professional qualifications for the job and had been installed in 2006 by Maplewood Mayor Diana Longrie to further her political agenda.

Antonen has a long government resume. He graduated from Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., spent a year in Vietnam, and another three years as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. He earned a master's degree in public administration at American University in Washington, D.C., and then served as city manager in Sartell, Minn.; Vermillion, S.D., and 13 years in Moorhead before accepting a job in Davis.

Antonen has a son living in Minneapolis and another son attending graduate school in South Dakota. He said he looked forward to returning "home" to Minnesota, and to taking out his fishing rod again.

Said Antonen: "I miss Minnesota."