| 11/14/2007 | Email this article • Print this article | Maplewood residents oust Cave for Nephew in city council race
Rossbach survives heated race
Alex Davy
staff writer
Sea change. That's what residents ushered in Nov. 6 when they replaced incumbent Rebecca Cave with first-time candidate John Nephew, bringing the fierce battle for two Maplewood city council seats to a close.
Council Member Will Rossbach successfully defended his seat against Cave and newcomer DelRay "Rocky" Rokke.
"It's still strange to believe it's over," Nephew says. "But we have a lot of work to do if we're going to restore pride in Maplewood."
Nephew's victory breaks a two-year political alliance between Cave, Mayor Diana Longrie and Council Member Erik Hjelle.
The 3-2 majority shook up Maplewood's status quo, eliminating a number of jobs in the 2006 city reorganization and folding the parks and recreation department into public works. Critics accused the council majority of mismanagement and claim the job cuts were a response to unionization efforts.
"This was a victory for the citizens of Maplewood," Rossbach says. "They took back their city."
Nephew and Rossbach, who ran a joint campaign, received a combined 60 percent of the 12,535 votes cast.
Cave says she felt outmaneuvered and outgunned. "They went for party endorsements," she says. "They had quite a bit of money, and they very successfully clouded the issues. But anyone who deals with dirty politics is going to suffer the consequences eventually. What goes around comes around."
Nephew raised nearly $12,000, more than the other three candidates combined, and both he and Rossbach were endorsed by the DFL, even though the Maplewood council races are nonpartisan.
Candidates raised an average of nearly $7,000 each, almost double individual averages from the 2005 and 2001 city council campaigns - and that's factoring in statistics-skewing phenomenon DelRay Rokke.
Rokke accepted no campaign contributions, save for a $50 check a neighbor literally pressed into his hand. "It was important to run as a true independent," he says. "I didn't want to feel like I had any ties to anybody."
Rokke financed his own run, even turning his summer vacation into a campaign opportunity. "My 10-year-old daughter was my campaign manager," he says. "I went out meeting people and door-knocking for about three weeks, and my kids loved it. It was more educational than Yellowstone."
A long, hard campaign
It was a race that certainly stood out from others in the northeast metro. Controversies ranged from serious (Cave says she plans to appeal a $1,000 campaign practices violation fine from the Office of Administrative Hearings) to petty (stolen lawn signs) to downright surreal - like the postcard mailed to Nephew and Rossbach that features a picture of a smiling Saddam Hussein over the words "Your hero!" and another mailer claiming the two are "close friends" with the likes of Louis Farrakhan and the long-dead feminist Bella Abzug.
In the aftermath of such a highly-charged campaign, what kind of working relationship can residents expect from the city council in 2008?
"Being in office isn't about getting payback," Nephew says. "I have the ability to negotiate past personal feelings to solve the real problems facing Maplewood. I'm confident that we'll be able to work out our differences."
Rossbach echoed the sentiment. "I'd like to return to a government process where the entire council is listened to openly and honestly," he says. "We need to try to bring Maplewood back together."
A new divide?
3-2. That's a number Maplewood residents are used to hearing. On key issues over the past two years (from staff cuts and budget decisions to the hiring of City Manager Greg Copeland), Mayor Longrie and Council Members Hjelle and Cave frequently voted in a block.
With Cave out and Nephew in, many foresee another 3-2 majority, only with a new cast of characters.
Nephew worked closely with Rossbach to coordinate their joint city-council campaign, and Rossbach and Council Member Kathy Juenemann typically found themselves on the losing side of the former 3-2 split.
"I certainly will be hoping to change that trend," Rossbach says. "We undoubtedly will have issues where that type of split will occur, but at the least everybody's views will be represented through real and solid input into the discussions."
Hjelle was unconvinced. "Do I have any expectation that it's not going to be another 3-2 majority? Not even remotely," he says. "They can pretend otherwise, but it comes down to having the votes."
Longrie was more optimistic. "Nephew is just another new council person. He'll have to get up to speed on various issues and learn a few things about being on the council, but other than that it's business as usual," she says. "I look forward to working with him in the future and I'm sure there will be many opportunities to work together for the benefit of Maplewood."
Nephew agreed. "I don't think it's going to be as great a divide as people would expect," he says. "There have been many issues I would have voted against [Rossbach and Juenemann] on. Beyond that we're just going to look at each issue as it comes."
City-manager debate
One issue that's likely to remain divisive is the retention of Copeland as city manager. Rossbach and Juenemann voted against his upgrade from interim to permanent manager on Nov. 14 last year, and Nephew has long been a vocal critic, noting he was the only citizen left in council chambers when the vote was cast at 2 a.m.
"I've been clear from the beginning of my campaign that replacing Copeland is essential for the city in moving forward," Nephew says.
The critical element, Nephew says, will be to utilize a legitimate process to select a new city manager, including a citizen search committee and possibly a consulting firm. "You can't short-circuit the process."
Council Member Erik Hjelle says hiring a consultant to aid in the selection of a city manager is "a waste of time and resources."
"These whiners want to spend tens of thousands of dollars so they can feel good about the process," Hjelle says. "Just to hire someone who will sit there doing nothing for a year and a half because he's afraid."
Rossbach says any action will have to wait. "I am very concerned that the city has good management," he says. "That's a big priority, but I'm not going to predict how that might turn out."
Will she run again?
"That's not really my intention," Cave says. "I'm not ruling it out, but there are plenty of other opportunities to do good work out there. I'm going to be as deeply involved with the community as ever."
Cave says she's disappointed not to have had more time on the council. "Two years is just enough time to go a little beyond getting your feet wet. I'm proud to have had the opportunity to work with citizens and be an advocate for my community - but I'm concerned that everything that was done right is going to be undone."
Alex Davy can be reached at adavy@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7825.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, January 06, 2008
Article comment by:
Mike Webster
I am disappointed in the language used by Councilman Hjelle. He was elected to work for the better good of our community but his language is insensitive and demeaning. Our city has had very good employees that do their very best under very difficult circumstances many of which are forced upon them by well meaning electeds. It is my sincere hope that the electeds understand that they serve at the community's will and they should take it to heart. Bob Orth, former Ramsey County Commissioner, I asked him how civil servants could work better with electeds. He said that "elected officials have the right to be ignorant" and that "information from civil servants had to be timely and accurate". From the staff I knew from Maplewood they were "timely and accurate" information providers.
Posted: Sunday, November 18, 2007
Article comment by:
wfrost
I agree with Erik. It seems the John Nephew has already broken his first promise, to be fiscally responsible.
I grant his this, it didn't take him long to show is true colors.
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