Osseo Council fires embattled chief amid political turmoil

The Osseo City Council has decided to fire its controversial police chief less than a year after he was hired and to also look at possibly eliminating the department.

Tim Ryan, who took over last April and was accused of sexual harassment in December, has been on paid administrative leave since February.

Ryan's leave and dismissal have caused an uproar online and at meetings in the small Hennepin County community. There have been allegations of open-meeting-law violations by council members, friction between the City Council and city administrator, and claims that Ryan's firing was motivated by politics.

Ryan was notified on April 12 that his contract would not be renewed and that he would be let go on May 15. He was not available for comment.

In December some women in the department, including one officer, accused Ryan of sexual harassment. His former secretary has filed a federal suit against the city over her firing. Following the harassment allegations, his sworn officers issued a vote of no-confidence in Ryan.

The municipal turmoil has council members and the city administrator tangling publicly over use of time and insubordination issues. Also, a former city official has questioned whether phone calls between some council members constituted violations of open-meeting laws.

It all has some residents making references to Greenfield, another western suburb with notoriety for political infighting and dysfunction.

That sentiment has been expressed publicly at City Council meetings and on Internet blogs as the situation surrounding Ryan has played out.

Mark Schulz, a new council member who voted not to renew Ryan's contract, agrees that Osseo's reputation could be hurt by the turmoil. "It's on the minds of a lot of people," Schulz said.

No reason was given at the time Ryan was placed on leave. A letter from City Administrator Greg Withers made public this month said he put the chief on leave "to remove him from a volatile political situation that has erupted since the majority of the City Council changed in January this year."

Last year the city began an audit of the department. That report is done and the City Council will discuss it at its next meeting on Monday. Less certain is whether the report's findings will be made public.

The future of the department itself, which has four sworn officers and a few part-timers, also is expected to be discussed. Among the possibilities is contracting with Hennepin County to take over policing duties.

The source of the friction between Ryan and the City Council majority has not been made public. In his letter, Withers said that Ryan "is not the subject of any ongoing investigation initiated by the city. The focus of the audit is not Tim Ryan."

Withers wrote that Ryan has created some initiatives in the city, but that the current City Council majority, which was not in place when he was hired, "is more concerned with having a working chief. That concept has yet to be defined. While it is being discussed, I determined it was best to place the chief on paid leave. I trust that you can understand the numerous reasons why lawsuits may be filed by individuals against their boss or former boss, and why, as city administrator, I am not at liberty to comment on them."

Withers addressed the letter "To whom it may concern" and ended it with support for Ryan "in any law enforcement position he is seeking."