Residents point to firing of Roger Pohlman along with open meeting violation as reason for signing petitions. 12:00 pm, Apr. 20, 2021 ×
Ron and Cathy Goggin, with the Recall City Hall Committee, canvass a neighborhood asking residents to sign petitions to recall city council members Monday, April 19, 2021, in Red Wing. (Joe Ahlquist / jahlquist@postbulletin.com)
RED WING Marching up Finrud Avenue and back, Cathy and Ron Goggin had a lot of conversations, fielded a bunch of questions, and collected enough signatures to call it a good day. Cathy and I got 18 for Dean (Hove), 19 for Laurel (Stinson) and six for Kim (Beise), said Ron Goggin, after adding up the night s haul of signatures from Finrud Avenue and Hickory Street as well as a few other spots in their Ward 1 neighborhood. I talked to two other volunteers that had just done Fern Avenue. They had 16 for Dean and Laurel. I don t know how many they had for Kim.
Firing of Police Chief Roger Pohlman ignites recall effort, but many steps need to happen. 2:29 pm, Mar. 2, 2021 ×
Becky Norton
RED WING If you talk to George Hintz, you ll hear a litany of disagreements with the Red Wing City Council.
Hintz, a member of the city s Advisory Planning Commission, isn t happy with the pedestrian bridge proposal. He disagrees with aspects of the Advisory Team on Government Policies and Practices, a group started to deal with issues of race and policing.
But, like many in town, he was willing to let processes play out until Feb. 19, when the city council voted 6-1 to fire Police Chief Roger Pohlman, citing a lack of trust, defensiveness on his part and poor communication with council members and city residents.
After Deadline: A Friday night party that was totally lame
When the Red Wing City Council decided to fire their police chief, I was holding off on a weekend adult beverage to bring you the news. 6:30 am, Feb. 25, 2021 ×
My first clue should have been that the meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. on a Friday.
Somewhere in the past, I read that if you re going to fire someone, you should do it late on Friday so they have the weekend to get over it.
Still, when the Red Wing City Council gaveled its meeting to order about the same time most folks are ordering that first round at happy hour, I still thought this was going to end up being a slap on the wrist for then-Police Chief Roger Pohlman.
Red Wing community has questions about firing Police Chief Roger Pohlman
A letter from the city to Roger Pohlman stated a lack of trust and communication as major factors in his being fired on Friday night. 5:44 pm, Feb. 23, 2021 ×
Red Wing Police Chief Roger Pohlman, shown in this Feb. 20, 2018, file photo, was placed on paid administrative leave Monday while the city investigates allegations of misconduct.
RED WING After digesting the firing of Red Wing Police Chief Roger Pohlman, residents in the city have been left with a bad taste in their mouths. This decision by the council does not pass the smell test, said Liz Rickert, who identified herself as a resident of Goodhue County, during Monday s Red Wing City Council meeting.