Two letters of reprimand alleging violations of county policy, one each from the Winona County Attorney to a different member of the County Board, brought a longstanding dividing line in county government more sharply into focus. One commissioner, Steve Jacob, responded to the allegations with his own allegations that county officials were trying to silence him and his constituents.
The conflict’s backstory is that of the Daley Farm case, where the county’s denial of the farm’s expansion request resulted in a lawsuit. Leading up to the denial, three Winona County Commissioners — Chris Meyer, Marie Kovesci and Greg Olson — coordinated with the environmental group Land Stewardship Project to appoint decision-makers that, a judge ruled, the commissioners knew in advance would oppose the Daley Farm expansion. “The rules were clearly broken,” Olmsted County District Court Judge Kevin Mark declared. Marcia Ward and Jacob, conversely, backed Daley Farm and supported the expansion.