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Speaker urges Dakota County to adopt written ethics policy after alleged staff conduct
Summary
A resident who appealed a library decision alleged a senior county employee conducted an unwarranted search and circulated findings; he urged the board to adopt a written ethics policy and training to protect citizens who disagree with county decisions.
Andrew Kirsch addressed the board during public comment to describe what he called breaches of ethical conduct tied to a 2025 library appeal. Kirsch said a county employee forwarded his appeal beyond the intended advisory group and that a senior staffer circulated search results and information to other employees, including the county attorney’s office.
"I was subjected to what were clearly unethical actions by a senior member of our Dakota County staff simply because I happened to write an email appealing a decision made by our library system," Kirsch said, and asked the board to "establish a written ethics policy to address the treatment of citizens who choose to express disagreement with a county decision and make it part of required training." He said he obtained records under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act but is not naming the staff member in public comments.
Kirsch asked the board to adopt a policy and training so constituents can contribute to county decision-making without fear that personal information will be searched or circulated for unrelated reasons. The board received the comment during its public-comment period and did not take immediate action on the request.
