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Resident urges Crookston council to address ‘disconnect’ and retaliation concerns
Summary
At open forum, Bishop Jensen, a downtown business owner, urged Crookston City Council to respond to residents’ reports of retaliation and a perceived disconnect between city offices and citizens, and said residents have noticed falling property sales and prices linked to local governance decisions.
Bishop Jensen, a Crookston resident and downtown business owner, told the City Council during the meeting’s open forum that residents have reported what he described as a "heavy disconnect between community and the offices that are held and the people in them." He said people who have raised concerns have faced retaliation or backlash and that many residents now avoid speaking publicly.
"We feel like there's this heavy disconnect between community and the offices that are held and the people in them," Jensen said, adding that constituents have reached out to him over several months about budget cuts and perceived funding priorities. He also told the council the community has observed a decline in property sales and prices he attributed to local decisions.
The comment came before the council’s consideration of several agenda items, including a housing incentive resolution and administrative bylaw revisions. Jensen said he would not go into details at the meeting but asked the council to "stay in tune with your community and your wards" and to consider outcomes of the council’s decisions on city programs and spending.
Council members did not provide a formal response during public comment beyond moving on to the next agenda item; the meeting proceeded to consider consent and regular agenda business.
