Overflow Crowd At St. Cloud Council Meeting On Important Resolutions

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- There was an overflow crowd at Monday night's St. Cloud City Council meeting.

Get our free mobile app

Hundreds of residents were at City Hall to hear the council's discussion on two resolutions.  They could watch and listen, but the discussion was limited to just council members.  Because both of the resolutions were under the "New Business" section of the agenda, there was no open comment period.

Resolution Reaffirming Support for a Just and Welcoming Community

Councilmember Hudda Ibrahim brought the resolution forward, which reaffirmed a similar resolution passed by the council in 2017.

Councilmember Mark Johnson asked for an amendment adding the language "to all law-abiding residents who are here legally".  He says, "welcoming all" language could be interpreted as welcoming criminals. That amendment failed four-to-three, with members Karen Larson, Tami Calhoun, Dave Masters, and Hudda Ibrahim voting against the amendment, and members Scott Brodeen, Mark Johnson, and Mike Conway voting for it.

Councilmember Scott Brodeen asked for another amendment that dropped the language about 'law-abiding', and kept the language 'residents who are here legally'.  He says residents who are here legally are a key part of safety.

That amendment also failed on the same four-to-three vote.

Several of the councilmembers voiced concerns that language about being law-abiding could be a grey area for the city, which could also include things like speeding and other minor violations.

Council President Mike Conway says 2017 was very different than 2026. The mood of the country is very different.  He believed it is doing the citizens a disservice by not specifically defining what they mean in the resolution.

Councilmember Tami Calhoun says she worked on the original 2005 Community Policing Agreement, where the group specifically worked on the language regarding ICE operations in the city, and is pleased with the work the St. Cloud City Council does to stick to the Police Agreement.

The original amendment was eventually passed on a six-to-one vote, with Brodeen the lone dissenting vote. He says he agrees with the spirit of the resolution, but wanted the additional clarity in the language.

Resolution Affirming Support for Law Enforcement and the Rule of Law

Councilmember Scott Brodeen brought the resolution forward.  He says there has been a lot of misunderstanding in the community about his reasons for introducing the resolution.  He says it was not to counteract Ibrahim's resolution.

He also recognizes tensions are high in the community and in the state, right now, regarding policing.  So, while he still believes the resolution is needed, he asked to postpone the resolution until the city council meeting on March 23rd.

The vote to postpone the discussion passed six-to-one, with the lone vote against it being Calhoun