JIM McDONOUGH Chair Board of Ramsey County Commissioners Joann Ellis, Assistant TEL. (651) 266-8357 220 Courthouse 15 West Kellogg Boulevard Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 TEL. (651) 266-8350 January 4,2018 Saint Paul STRONG Steering Committee: Thank you for your letter of January 3 and your ongoing efforts to promote open and transparent processes in local government. Please know that this is a goal we commonly share and aspire to. When Sheriff Bostrom announced his retirement on December 6,2016, the board reviewed several potential courses of action to fill the partial term for the remaining two years. We consulted with our County Attorney's Office and reviewed the County Charter. We studied what other Minnesota counties have done when faced with the situation of replacing a Sheriff - an elected official who also leads a large and critical operational department. We held two open meetings (Dec. 13 and20,2016) where residents could learn the law and recent history relevant to this situation right along with us and then witness the board's deliberations as they happened. We consulted with the suburban communities that contract directly with the Sheriff s Office for law enforcement services as well as other community stakeholders. Residents and stakeholders were invited to share their thoughts with commissioners throughout the process, which included an interview of Chief Deputy Jack Serier in a public session on January 3,2017 and concluded with his public appointment as Sheriff and swearing in on January 10. The entirety of this process led us to the conclusion that sustaining the strong work, reputation and relationships that our communities, county organization and board came to value and trust during six years of the Ramsey County Sherifls Office under the leadership of Sheriff Bostrom and his command staff was paramount. Without an option to call a special election in2017, but secure in the knowledge that the voters of Ramsey County have the responsibility of determining who is Sheriff through General Election on November 6,2018, our board unanimously voted to appoint the Sheriff s Second-inCommand for the remainder of the term. This decision we arrived at is the same as 1l of 12 other Minnesota counties in recent history. We disagree with the suggestion that Jack Serier or any person who would have received this two-year appointment would have a 'leg-up' that was in any way greater than the will of Ramsey County voters on Election Day. Saint Paul STRONG Steering Committee January 4,2018 Page2 We acknowledge and respect that members of Saint Paul STRONG and members of our communities may disagree with the process and/or the result the Ramsey County Board chose. However, we contest the criticism that our process of appointing a Sheriff under these circumstances was not sufhciently transparent. I reached out to, heard from and had good, substantive conversations with several residents and stakeholders (including members of Saint Paul STRONG) as did other commissioners. We commturicated invitation to our public meetings and encouraged people to contact us. The process was covered well by local news media at each step. Although you may disagree with the outcome, the board sought these opportunities for feedback and received significant and valuable input. Prior to the public interview, Jack Serier confirmed to the board in writing that he met the legal requirements to be appointed Sheriff which include residing in Ramsey County. What statutorily constitutes residency is not a determination for a county board to make. The question was answered to the board's satisfaction at the time and remains so, and we will not be investigating the matter. As to your request to clearly state how the public can have input into commissioners' decision-making processes: Please connect with us. Ramsey County Commissioners welcome engagement with our constituents on any topic - whether at a public meeting, in-person one-on-one, via phone, email - whatever is most convenient. All board meetings are live-streamed.in real-time and video archived at www.ramseycounty.us. Agendas of our meetings and workshops for the upcoming week are also posted online Thursdays, and one can also subscribe to receive these notices each week via email. As Board Chair, I appreciate and will consider your suggestion to conduct an internal evaluation with the goal of making our decision-making process more transparent. I look forward to continue meeting with members of Saint Paul STRONG, and I am more than happy to engage with your full advisory board as you may like. Please contact me anytime via email or at65l-266-8365. Thank you again for sharing your concems and your ongoing commitment to transparency in government. Sincerely, ,L * 7.-' /'/- Jim McDonough, Chair Ramsey County Commissioner District 6 Saint Paul STRONG Steering Committee January 4,2018 Page 3 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Toni Carter Blake Huffman Mary Jo McGuire Rafael Ortega Victoria Reinhardt Janice Rettman