by April Scheinoha
Reporter
The battle lines have been drawn between Thief River Falls City Council members Rachel Prudhomme and Don Sollom. Their verbal skirmishes were on full display at the Thief River Falls City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 4.
The battle culminated with Prudhomme telling Sollom that she wouldn’t give up her council seat, so Sollom could move into his vacation home by Thursday, Aug. 1.
“Who said I wanted your job?” Sollom replied.
Sollom, who represents Ward 2, recently purchased a property in Prudhomme’s Ward 5. At the last council meeting, Sollom said he still lives in Ward 2. He noted that he lives four nights a week in Ward 2 and goes on a “vacation” three nights a week at the Fern Road property that he and a friend purchased.
Sollom has told city officials that he spends the majority of his time at an apartment over Diamonds & Designs, which is located in Ward 2. He has indicated that he is keeping a journal of where he is spending his evenings. Prudhomme, who serves as an assistant Mahnomen County attorney, was absent from that council meeting since she was involved in a bench trial there.
Sollom’s Ward 2 seat is up for election this fall whereas Prudhomme’s Ward 5 seat isn’t up for election until 2022.
Shortly after the council meeting began Feb. 4, Prudhomme asked to add a monthly verification of Sollom’s residence to the council agenda. Sollom then proceeded to joke that he had an ankle monitor and lifted up his leg to show her the imaginary ankle monitor.
A short time later, Sollom asked to add something onto the council agenda. He asked to add the monitoring of Prudhomme’s attendance at all committee and council meetings.
Verification of Sollom’s address
During Prudhomme’s portion of the council agenda, she said, “It’s not my job to police you, Don.”
Prudhomme added that she doesn’t want to continously receive pictures depicting Sollom’s Ward 5 house with lights in operation inside the home or pictures of lit reindeer decorations outside of the home.
Prudhomme noted Sollom should give information pertaining to his whereabouts to City Administrator Angie Philipp. Prudhomme said people would then be able to direct their complaints to Philipp, who would have something to verify Sollom’s whereabouts.
Sollom replied that he was keeping a calendar with the dates he was spending at each of his properties.
Council member Steve Narverud replied that he has known Sollom for a number of years. He said he trusts Sollom and that Sollom will tell the council if he moves. Narverud noted that he doesn’t know how else the council can look at the situation. “His tenure is almost up anyway,” Narverud said.
Prudhomme missing committee meetings
During his portion of the council agenda, Sollom said it has been brought to his attention that Prudhomme has been missing an excessive amount of committee meetings. He said she is also missing council meetings once in a while. “She’s not fulfilling her duties as a council person,” Sollom said.
Prudhomme replied that she notified the council as of the second week in August that there would be a conflict with her attendance at Public Safety Committee meetings. At that time, she accepted a position teaching a class at the University of North Dakota Law School as an adjunct professor. The class ends at 4:25 p.m. in Grand Forks. The committee meets at 4:30 p.m. the second Monday of each month in Thief River Falls.
During a special council meeting Dec. 30 and again at a regular council meeting Jan. 7, Prudhomme asked to make arrangements for someone to switch committee assignments with her. However, during those meetings, no one switched with her and no offers were made to change the timing of the Public Safety Committee meetings. The committee assignments were then unanimously approved at the Jan. 7 meeting.
Prudhomme had offered to sit in on the committee meetings through interactive TV in Grand Forks. She said she was denied that option.
If that option were allowed, her fellow committee members would be attending the committee meetings in Thief River Falls. There are several requirements that need to be met in order for interactive TV to be used. According to the League of Minnesota Cities Handbook, there needs to be public notice of Prudhomme’s use of interactive TV and Prudhomme needs to use interactive TV at a place accessible to the public. Committee members and the public also need to be able to hear her, among other requirements.
Prudhomme said she wasn’t allowed to appear via interactive TV even though Sollom was allowed to appear via phone at at least one committee meeting.
Regarding appearances via phone, the LGMC Handbook noted that it is allowed if it has been determined that “an in-person meeting or a meeting conducted through interactive television is not practical or prudent because of a health pandemic or an emergency declared under chapter 12 of the Minnesota Statutes.”
Other requirements need to be met, including that committee members need to be able to hear one another and the public needs to be able to hear comments unless the public is precluded from doing so due to a health pandemic or emergency declaration. It is also required that “at least one member of the governing body, chief legal counsel, or chief administrative officer is physically present at the regular meeting location, unless unfeasible due to the health pandemic or emergency declaration.” Roll call votes are also required in that instance.
“You should not have to be retired to be on City Council,” said Prudhomme, who added that she has forgone a lot to fulfill her council duties.
Regarding her absences, Prudhomme was accepted for a special training offered through the National Advocacy Center operated by the U.S. Department of Justice. She said she was unable to attend a committee meeting since she was attending that special training on sexual assault in “Indian Country.”
Prudhomme, who serves as an assistant Mahnomen County attorney, was unable to attend the council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 21. She said she notified Philipp at 3 p.m. that Mahnomen County District Court wasn’t even halfway through the 9 a.m. court calendar at that time. She said she was forced to start a bench trial, where she represented Mahnomen County, starting at 5:30 p.m. that day. Prudhomme added that, under Minnesota state statue, she is unable to ask the court to reschedule her court hearings in order to attend council meetings.
Prudhomme’s explanation apparently wasn’t enough for Sollom. He noted council members are volunteering their time to run the city, and sacrifices must be made.
“If you cannot make meetings – which you know before you went out and campaigned and before you were sworn in, then you should not be here because you have obliged yourself to your constituents, and you must represent them in a fair way,” Sollom said. He conceded there were times when a council member will miss a city meeting due to a vacation, sickness or an important meeting.
Holmer’s response
In Thief River Falls, committee assignments are annually approved by the council, not the mayor, said Mayor Brian Holmer. He indicated that he made his committee recommendations based on the expertise held by each council member, and the council has had the same committee assignments over the past two years. Holmer noted he made the recommendations due to city staffing changes and the work that the council has had to handle over the past couple of years.
When Holmer began serving in his current position, council meetings were switched from 5 to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate those who are working. The Utilities Committee meetings have been moved to 7 a.m. on the second Monday of the month. Other committee meetings are typically held at 4:30 p.m. on the second Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the month. Holmer indicated that committee meetings are also no longer held on Thursdays.
Holmer indicated that Prudhomme’s conflict was possibly short-term. He added that Prudhomme, like the other council members, would continue to receive her committee paperwork three days before the committee meetings. Holmer noted Prudhomme may give input after receiving that paperwork.
Committee system explained
The council operates with four committees and two ad-hoc committees (the latter meeting on an as-needed basis). Four council members sit on each committee. The other four council members typically learn about what has transpired at a particular meeting at either their assigned committees or at the full council, when recommendations are usually made. The council then formally votes on that particular topic at its meetings.
The committees were established to save some time; however, the council also occasionally meets as the Committee of the Whole. In those instances, the full council meets, but it is unable to officially vote on matters.
City Attorney Delray Sparby said the real action occurs at council meetings. He noted that as long as council members are informed on the issues, they can make adequate decisions. There is no requirement pertaining to council members attending a certain number of committee meetings. Sparby said he believed there was a provision regarding chronic absenteeism from council meetings for a certain period of time. In those instances, a council member may be removed from office. However, Sparby said he didn’t believe that was the issue in this circumstance.