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Fairmont council hires new firm to probe City Hall

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont City Council met Monday for the sole purpose of selecting a new investigator to delve into city staff’s awareness of criminal cases allowed to expire under the statute of limitations during the tenure of former City Attorney Elizabeth Bloomquist.

The investigator also will be charged with identifying any individuals officially involved in the matter and the extent of the involvement and awareness from January 2012 to May 2019.

The firm selected by the council at its Sept. 23 meeting — Jardine Logan and O’Brien — was unable to start an investigation until November, and Councilor Tom Hawkins and Mayor Debbie Foster, who have been working with the city’s interim legal counsel, Flaherty & Hood, in the matter, believed that the delay was too long.

Flaherty & Hood had provided the council with the names of four firms it had worked with in the past, but provided no specific recommendation.

“We put them on the list because we think they are all good,” said attorney Brandon Fitzsimmons of Flaherty & Hood.

The law firm also listed the availability of each of the firms and their hourly rates, which range from $155 per hour to $220 per hour.

At the council’s Sept. 9 meeting, Haw-kins had proposed hiring the firm of Madden Galanter Hansen from the Twin Cities, a firm he contacted of his own volition without the required approval of the rest of the council.

On Monday, Hawkins said he would not be against hiring any of the other firms on the list, but he had the most information on Madden, which he said he learned about through “a referral from a referral.”

Councilor Bruce Peters moved to hire Michelle Soldo of Soldo Consulting at $155 per hour, the lowest hourly rate of the four suggested firms, and Councilor Wayne Hasek seconded the motion.

Councilor Randy Lubenow polled the council to see if anyone knew Soldo or had any personal connection with her. All denied any connection, and Fitzsimmons said he had checked with all four firms on the list. Other than Joseph Flynn, the investigator for Jardine Logan and O’Brien, the council’s original selection, no one had any personal knowledge of Fairmont. Fitzsimmons said Flynn had ties to Fairmont and had been following the council’s actions.

Ironically, Peters and Hasek both voted against their motion, which passed by a 3-2 vote with Hawkins, Lubenow and Ruth Cyphers supporting the Soldo hiring.

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