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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — JANUARY 9, 2023 26 Councilmember Holden asked why Councilmember Fabel's running mate was not invited to several National Night Out parties after residents learned "the group" would give the County whatever they wanted. She expressed concern with whether or not the new Councilmembers would be able to negotiate with the best interests of the City in mind. Councilmember Monson called for a point of order. She believed the discussion was getting personal and was inappropriate for the motion on the floor. Mayor Grant stated Councilmember Monson was out of order. He explained this was a determination that was made by the Mayor and reiterated that he was running the meeting. He understood this was going to be a heated topic that had to be addressed. He stated Councilmember Holden had the floor. Councilmember Holden indicated she did not understand why the Council would not utilize someone who has institutional history on the TCAAP development. She anticipated the Council would not be balanced going forward and would not be able to work together. She congratulated the new Councilmembers for creating this situation. She feared the City of Arden Hills would become dysfunctional like Roseville and Maplewood and the City would lose its bonding rating as well as its League of Minnesota Cities' insurance coverage. Mayor Grant commented he was not able to make his Mayoral appointments to the JDA. He indicated he would have recommended himself, Brian Holmes and Councilmember Rousseau to the JDA. He discussed how important financial modeling would be for the TCAAP development and he understood Councilmember Rousseau had an MBA. He stated he was hoping to take these skills and put them to use on the JDA. He reported he was not able to make his recommendations because Item l0A was moved to the bottom of the agenda, which was a tactical move by the new Councilmembers. He asked if Councilmember Fabel had close ties to County Commissioners. Councilmember Fabel explained he has known the County in the past but he does not have any close ties. He reported in his acting career he performed with County Commissioner Reiner and her husband at the Landmark Center. Mayor Grant stated Councilmember Fabel does have a direct tie to one County Commissioner and her husband. He indicated for transparency purposes, as people as assigned to the JDA, he wanted to make the connections to the County clear. Councilmember Fabel commented there has been a lack of civility in the negotiations for years and perhaps he would be able to bring a level of civility to these negotiations. Mayor Grant encouraged Councilmember Fabel to not characterize discussions that he was not part of. Councilmember Holden asked when there were hostilities. Mayor Grant stated he could not recall any hostilities in the last three years, because the County has not shown up.