FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Tensions rose between Commissioner Michelle Turnberg and Mayor Tim Mahoney Tuesday night as the Commission got an update from the Communications Department.
The Tuesday night update comes following the resignation of four top officials within Fargo’s Communications Department.
The City Administrator and HR Department say they want to make things easier for the two employees who remain with the department.
An outside investigator was hired to look into the matter more thoroughly. An investigator whom commissioners are pushing back against.
“We lost four incredible workers that I think could’ve saved the city $30,000 by just having a meeting with them and communicating,” said Commissioner Michelle Turnberg. “Instead, we hired this very biased investigator, spent $30,000, which we may have a lawsuit coming against us for a department that we could have handled internally. When we’ve had way more complaints about the police department than the comms department. So why hasn’t an external investigator been used for the PD?”
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Denise Kolpack and Commissioner John Strand were showing more compassion for the employees rather than disagreement with the private investigator.
“This entire period of criticism along with a lack of transparency in my opinion, and communication in the last five minutes with some of the people who have left have been demoralizing and chilling across the board. Not just to the communication team and the employees we have lost, but across all departments,” said Deputy Mayor Kolpack.
The city hopes they can create a more supportive environment as they work to fill some of these roles.
