Public commenter presses council on mayor's conduct, lawsuit negotiations and transparency

Resident Nate Ryan used the councils public-comment period on Aug. 5 to criticize what he described as inconsistent decorum and to urge the council to take a negotiating approach to a lawsuit involving the city. Ryan said council members should publicly distance themselves from offensive conduct he attributed to the mayor and said the council can negotiate even while a civil lawsuit is pending. "You can absolutely negotiate inside of a lawsuit," Ryan said, adding that civil litigation often leads to negotiation and that the city should consider negotiating to reduce attorney costs. He criticized what he called a lack of transparency about communications the city has exchanged regarding him and said he had asked the city attorney for those communications. Ryan questioned the scope of the city attorneys experience, saying, "She's not a civil litigator," and contrasted that with attorneys at the League of Minnesota Cities, who he said specialize in civil land matters. He said he had asked the city attorney for written communications and that some documents he believes exist were redacted. Ryan also addressed what he called inconsistent responses to offensive conduct, saying councilors who do not publicly speak against offensive comments are complicit. He urged the council to be transparent and to publicly repudiate offensive behavior when it occurs. Ryan concluded by saying he supports building data centers in the area and that he will continue to apply to serve on boards and commissions to promote transparency. His remarks came during the meetings citizen-comments period; the council did not engage in debate on those points during the session and made no recorded motion, vote or staff direction in response.