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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – JANUARY 9, 2023 9 <br /> <br />of discord. He understood governing and leadership were difficult. He urged the Councilmembers <br />to balance their own personal interests with what they know is right. He stated silencing an <br />official that was elected by the majority of the voters was not right. He believed all of the Council <br />understood this, but he questioned if the Council had the integrity to do what they knew was right. <br /> <br />Mark Kelliher, 3712 Chatham Court, stated he has lived in Arden Hills for the past 30 years. He <br />noted he was a member of the Parks and Trails Commission. He explained he was in attendance <br />to see the swearing in ceremony and get an idea of what the next steps were for the Council. He <br />has since learned that Councilmember Fabel has sent out a memo calling for a cabal, which was <br />defined as contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot to overturn a <br />government. He stated Mayor Grant was the Mayor. He indicated Councilmember Fabel was <br />guilty of causing a commotion and noted his memo was absolutely disruptive. He explained he <br />tried to get to know the new Councilmembers prior to the election and what they were going to do <br />for the residents of Arden Hills. He wanted to see TCAAP developed, but wanted to see this done <br />properly. He feared the County has been remiss in its duties. He hoped that by electing some new <br />members, this project would move forward. He indicated he tried to learn from the Advance <br />Arden Hills what their answer was regarding density and has yet to understand their goal or <br />purpose. He stated he has since learned that Councilmember Fabel was bypassing the spirit of the <br />open meeting law and that he has a cabal in place. He expressed frustration with the fact these <br />three new members were working to remove Mayor Grant’s power. He discussed how sour grapes <br />in elections doesn’t do anybody any good. He stated he was shocked by the behavior of <br />Councilmember Fabel and how complicit the Councilmembers were behaving. He reported he <br />was so disappointed the new Councilmembers would be place for the next four years representing <br />Arden Hills when they were not open with their true thoughts, intentions or motives. He asked <br />that the new Councilmembers publish their intentions in order to make the public aware of their <br />plan. He reiterated again, that he was so disappointed in Councilmember Fabel’s actions. He <br />recommended Councilmember Fabel remove his ideas from consideration. He recommended <br />instead that the Council work together for the betterment of the community and not just based on <br />the thoughts of the three new Councilmembers. <br /> <br />Lisa Holzemer, 3531 Ridgewood Court, stated she thought this meeting would go very different. <br />She read part of Tom’s memo because she believed there was a misunderstanding. She read the <br />proposed motions one through seven aloud for the record. It was her understanding this memo <br />was given to the Mayor and Councilmember Holden prior to this meeting to give them a heads up, <br />and it was not a hostile takeover. She explained she appreciated the new Councilmembers and she <br />hoped they would be able to do great things to move Arden Hills forward. <br /> <br />Lynn Diaz, 1143 Ingerson Road, reported she was displeased that the previous Councilmembers <br />tried to railroad appointments before the elected Council took office. She was glad the new <br />members were taking initiative and were being active. She believed the City needed new faces and <br />ideas on the JDA. She indicated her son was a planner and he discussed how sunk cost and <br />cognitive bias were impacting the JDA and TCAAP development. She stated it may be best for <br />personal attachments to be dropped from the project. She commented the inflexible attitudes of <br />previous members and their troubled relationships with the County were not working. She <br />supported the City appointing new members to the JDA for a fresh start. She discussed what <br />projection bias was and noted how it interferes with imagining a new future. She commented on <br />how housing and work needs have changed since 2016. She supported new members working on