Northfield Mayor Lee Lansing said Tuesday that he has no plans to step aside after an investigator's report found that he abused his power by working behind the scenes to promote personal and family interests.

The mayor said that he was "dumbfounded" by the findings, which were presented to the City Council on Monday night, and that if he did act improperly, it was "certainly not intentionally."

The findings are the latest troubling news for the college town, where the mayor sued the City Council this fall and the police chief shocked residents this summer by telling them that hundreds of young people might be on heroin.

Monday's report fueled frustrations and raised questions about whether a shake-up at City Hall is on the horizon.

"I'm hearing my constituents complain, 'Why hasn't the mayor resigned?'" said City Council Member Jon Denison.

And John Hertogs, a Northfield resident for 24 years who lives just down the street from the mayor, said the whole thing is "out of control."

"I think we should wipe the slate clean," he said Tuesday night. "The mayor, the City Council and the city administrator. We need to start over."

Lansing, 61, a longtime resident of Northfield and local businessman, was elected in 2004 and will be up for reelection next fall along with three of the City Council members.

What the investigation found

William Everett, an attorney from Buffalo, Minn., who was hired by the council earlier in the fall, presented his findings Monday night.

The 61-page report said the mayor acted unethically when he:

• Lobbied the city to move its municipal liquor store to property owned by his son, David Lansing, in downtown Northfield.

• Successfully pushed the city to reduce -- by more than $20,000 -- a park dedication fee that the city considered charging his son and a development partner.

• Used his position to try to affect the outcome of a personal business dispute with a development company that bought the building that houses his family's hardware store.

The report described incidents when the mayor tried to influence city staff members even as he expressed concern about a "perceived" conflict of interest and recused himself from council discussions about the liquor store site.

Among other things, Lansing told City Administrator Al Roder not to release the results of a 2006 council-commissioned study of six liquor store sites that listed his son's site as the city's least profitable option, the report said. Roder also told the investigator that the mayor tied conversations about the outcome of the liquor store project with Roder's pay and future at City Hall.

Evidence in the report also suggests that, while Lansing did not have a financial stake in helping his son secure the liquor store site, he orchestrated negotiations with the city, attended meetings with his son and sometimes spoke on behalf of David Lansing.

The report was based on about two dozen interviews with Northfield city staff members, officials and others, as well as a review of public records.

Everett looked into several other issues related to city business but found no evidence of wrongdoing. One part of the report, an examination of the city's relationship with its engineer, is not yet complete.

In a three-page addendum to the report, Everett also dismissed two allegations that the mayor made against Roder. Lansing accused the administrator of receiving special treatment from city staff when he remodeled his house. He also claimed that Roder violated the city's charter by appointing department heads without council approval -- an issue that the council had already addressed, Everett pointed out.

Roder investigation continues

The report does not, however, shed light on an ongoing criminal investigation that Northfield police had initiated of Roder. The investigation, details of which have never been made public, was turned over to the Goodhue County attorney's office earlier this year, and Everett's investigation did not examine issues within the scope of that probe, according to Cliff Greene, an attorney for the city.

Everett's findings come after months of strife between Lansing and the City Council. After memos documenting the mayor's lobbying came before the council in July, the council included questions related to the liquor store site selection process and Lansing family property on a list of potential city problems meriting investigation.

In October, Lansing and his son sued the city, three council members and Roder over alleged open-meeting and data-practices violations in discussions about his family's property. Lansing has since removed himself as a plaintiff in the suit, though he has continued to speak on behalf of his son in discussions with the city about the litigation.

Everett did not examine issues brought up in the lawsuit, saying in the report that the facts would likely emerge through the legal process.

The council agreed this fall to undergo mediation to help smooth its relations, but has not yet hired a facilitator.

Northfield resident Susan Beeby said the mediation was a good step. "It is unfortunate that they have to spend all this money and time learning how to get along when there is all this city business to get accomplished," she said.

Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016