Last week, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea announced that she would step away from the role of Chief Justice and would retire from the Supreme Court.
Gildea has led the court since she was appointed Chief Justice by then Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2010. Speaking on his monthly KYMN Show, Legal Talk, Supreme Court Associate Justice Gordon Moore praised Gildea’s leadership and work ethic. Moore credited her with bringing the court into the digital age and using available technology to make the court’s work more efficient, which proved extremely important as she guided the entire state judicial system through the Covid-19 pandemic. Moore said the way she goes about her work is inspirational to people working throughout the state court system, especially, given the sheer amount of responsibility tied to her position, when one considers that she has been the longest serving Minnesota Chief Justice in a century.
Through it all, though, he said, Gildea, a native of Plummer, Minnesota, population 276, has remained down-to-earth, and has worked to keep her colleagues on the court in the same state of mind.
“She talks about the, you know, the Plummer VFW test, how is this case going to sell if you were sitting on a bar stool in the Plummer VFW? Trying to explain to somebody what this case is about and what it means. How would this sound? Would this pass that test?”
With her retirement, Governor Tim Walz will now have the responsibility to appoint a new Chief Justice, and a new member of the Supreme Court. He could appoint a sitting member of the court to the Chief Justice position, and a new Associate Justice, or he could appoint a brand-new member of the court as Chief Justice. While he believes Governor Walz will begin to talk about the selection process in the coming weeks, there are not many parameters on who he selects, or how he will go about making his decision. When it comes to appointing people to the Supreme Court, he said, the Governor is allowed to proceed as he sees fit.
“The governor’s prerogative is the governor’s prerogative. I mean, he could have an announcement in the next couple of weeks about somebody he wants to put in that position. It’s entirely up to him.”
Moore, who was appointed by Walz to the court in 2020, said this will be the first time he has seen the process from the vantage point of Associate Justice, but he has been told by his colleagues that any shift in court personnel can change the personality of the court, but when the change comes at the top, everything changes.
“Every time a new member of the court comes in, we have a new court. There are new relationships, new dynamics, new configurations. And when that person is the Chief Justice, that’s going to be a big change.”
Chief Justice Gildea said in her retirement statement that she intends to remain active in the legal field after her retirement. Her last day on the Court will be October 1st.
Justice Gordon Moore’s latest edition of Legal Talk can be heard here
City audit reveals few surprises
The Northfield City Council was given a presentation last week on the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2022. Mr. Layne Kockelman of the Abdo Solutions financial firm said the city finances had received a clean audit with very few concerns, but there were anomalies in the finances for 2022 that could produce some irregularities in the 2023 finances.
City Administrator Ben Martig said the city’s expenses were 2.5% higher than had been expected, however that was offset by city revenues, which were 3.7% higher than had been expected. The General Fund was left, initially, with about $188,000 at the end of the year. Much of that money was transferred to various city funds, leaving $13,00 left at the end of the year. Martig pointed out that the city has a $60 million budget, so he said, $13,000 left over was pretty close to being right on target.
The city received a little more than $1.1 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2022, as it had in 2021. It is important to note, Kockelman said during his presentation, that those distributions will skew things slightly when the 2023 audit is prepared.
Another aspect of the audit that Martig pointed to is the comparative taxes. With a population of just over 20,000 people, the tax rate is higher than other peer cities, however the total amount of taxes paid is about even with those same peer cities. Martig said that is a function of having a smaller tax base, which is something the city is working diligently to grow.
“It goes back to who’s paying. We don’t have as much tax base in Northfield, so if we can grow some of that tax base, that will bring that tax rate down. Certainly, spending is a component of that, but we do know that we provide a lot of similar services, which people look for in communities our size, for quality community. And that is why we’re right on par with some of those other communities on the expense side.”
This was a draft of the Annual report, as the Northfield Hospital + Clinics audit is just being finalized. The Council is expected to accept the report during its regular meeting on July 18th.
Jeff Johnson’s conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
City Council meets tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
Among several items on the Council agenda this evening will be the first reading of an amendment to the ordinance governing local sales of THC infused products, and a vote on whether the Municipal Liquor Store will be allowed to sell cannabinoids, and a discussion about a new ice arena, potential partnerships, and the tax impact of such a project.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
