Cold Spring
Mayor resigns because of change in residency
The mayor of Cold Spring unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday for a pretty good reason: He no longer lives in Cold Spring.
Bob Thelen had been renting an apartment in the Stearns County city, but his family moved to Bloomington. Thelen was unable to renew his lease and announced his resignation to follow the laws on residency, City Administrator Brigid Murphy said.
Council Member Fran Ramler was appointed to fill the office until a new mayor takes office in January. Murphy said city officials hope to appoint another council member for the remainder of the year to round out the five-member council.
Thelen, who did not run for re-election, was a longtime council member before taking over as mayor in 2014.
Mark Brunswick
@markabrunswick
MONTEVIDEO
School district settles for $50,000 in bias case
A female custodial worker will receive $50,000 to settle a claim that she did the work of a custodian but was classified and paid as a custodial aide.
The settlement was announced by the Minneapolis office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the agency, an investigation revealed that the Montevideo School District failed to pay the female custodial aide wages equal to that of a custodian, the position held by her male co-worker, even though the two performed job duties that were the same or equivalent in skill, effort and responsibility.
