By Rich Larson, KYMN News
Farmington Mayor Joshua Hoyt stepped down from office Wednesday, Feb. 4, resigning effective immediately after a volatile City Council meeting earlier in the week drew significant public scrutiny.
Hoyt’s departure follows the rapid spread of online video showing the mayor engaged in sharp, profanity-laced exchanges with residents during the Feb. 2 meeting. The confrontations unfolded as community members challenged the city’s decision to strictly enforce a five-minute cap on public comments.
City leaders recently introduced a digital timer to track each speaker’s allotted time. When the five-minute threshold was reached, microphones were automatically shut off and an audible tone signaled the end of the comment period. According to Hoyt, the time restriction has long been part of council procedure but had not always been consistently applied.
“We have implemented a timer to ensure that we have consistency for all speakers,” Hoyt said at the meeting.
Several residents objected to the change, arguing the system unfairly disadvantages slower speakers and potentially infringes on free speech protections. While public comment limits are standard practice at many Minnesota council meetings, elected officials typically refrain from responding directly during those sessions.
Emotions intensified after one resident continued speaking — despite the microphone cutoff — while voicing opposition to both the timer and a controversial data center proposal that has generated ongoing debate in the city. Hoyt warned the speaker that failure to yield could result in removal from the chamber. During the exchange, the mayor told the resident, “Walk into an airport and yell bomb and see what happens,” and later remarked that without proper decorum, meetings risk becoming “an [expletive] circus.”
The disagreement continued despite a called recess, where Hoyt and a prior speaker argued about an alleged racist insult the mayor said had been directed at him off-microphone. Even amid the clash, Hoyt emphasized that he supports the public’s right to hold elected officials accountable.
In a resignation letter shared on the city’s website and social media channels, Hoyt cited the need to focus on his mental health.
“This was not an easy conclusion to reach, but it is a necessary one,” he wrote. “I believe that leadership requires clarity, presence and wellbeing, and at this time, I need to prioritize my health in order to heal and regain balance.”
Hoyt was elected mayor in 2020 and secured a second term last year by a margin of roughly five percentage points. Following his resignation, the city announced that Council Member Nick Lien will assume mayoral duties on an interim basis. The City Council is expected to address the process for filling the vacancy during a work session scheduled for March 2.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
