Minn. Chief Says Tensions High After Return to Work

Jan. 02--Dana Waldron's laughter is a surprise, considering the year he's had.

He knew the phone calls were coming and was prepared as news organizations ran stories outlining 2011's top newsmakers.

Virginia's chief of police spent the past year facing off against the Virginia City Council and the Police Civil Service Commission after a grievance and a "no confidence" vote were filed by police officers in his department. It became the launching pad in a saga that roiled City Hall.

Today, Waldron, once suspended, is back on the job. And no one seems to be comfortable with that fact.

"It has not quit," Waldron said of efforts to oust him. "They are relentless."

He has officers who have openly said they don't think he's capable of running the department. He works at the behest of a City Council with members who don't accept the rulings that put him back in his job. He's been called a bully with an anger problem.

Bill Hanna, the editor of the Mesabi Daily News in Virginia, said the Waldron saga is "right at the top" when it comes to strange stories in his 26 years at the paper. He did the majority of the reporting on the story the past year. "It was odd. It was bizarre. It was weird," he said.

On Jan. 25, the City Council voted to put Waldron on paid administrative leave while it began an investigation into complaints against him within the Police Department. Eventually, there were 16 charges under consideration after officers questioned his leadership abilities and the workplace environment in general.

Waldron was to be tried by a three-person Police Civil Service Commission in June but settlement negotiations delayed things until July 13, after an offer for Waldron to resign fell through. By this time, the commission had been reduced to two people after the City Council removed Mike Zadra from the case. Members didn't appreciate comments Zadra made in one of Hanna's newspaper articles before the July proceeding. Zadra said the commission's findings didn't matter because the City Council had made up its mind.

The rescheduled trial lasted just one day as another settlement was worked out, offering $60,000 in severance pay with Waldron resigning. He had 15 days to mull over the offer.

A day before that period ended, Waldron rejected the settlement, saying his severance wasn't as much as it should have been. Another civil service trial was set for August.

Waldron's status and what he did and didn't do to put his job in jeopardy was only part of the story, Hanna said. He said he was surprised at the "collateral damage" from the case. At lot of dirty laundry about city officials came out, he said. "I knew some of what was happening," Hanna said. "I did not know it ran this deep. It was eye-opening."

City officials detailed angry exchanges with Waldron when dealing with department issues. Waldron did not deny using abrasive language and admitted after the hearings that he would rethink his leadership style. Part of the charges against him dealt with what council members and administration termed as insubordination.

Most city officials did not respond to requests last week for comment on Waldron and the Police Department.

On Aug. 31, the commission found Waldron guilty of just four of the 16 charges and said he could keep his job because his offenses were not reason enough for firing. Because the hearings did not result in any disciplinary charges, the findings were not made public. It was suggested that Waldron take anger management classes.

The fallout from the commissions' decision was stunning:

--The police officer's union stood by its "no confidence" vote with a public proclamation at a commission meeting in September. Officer Chad Nickila read a statement that blasted Waldron for his leadership style and treatment of officers. He asked his boss to "do the honorable thing and retire."

--At the same meeting, commission member Ralph Booker moved to rescind his vote to reinstate Waldron. Since fellow member Tammy Berglund would not second the motion, it died. Berglund resigned from the commission at the end of the meeting.

--Later in the month, the City Council dissolved the commission, in place since 1933, and formed a labor relations committee. The move, made by many communities since a 1999 state law allowed it, was seen as a way to move city labor issues into modern times.

--The City Council made clear that it would not sit easily with Waldron back on the job. Hanna said the past few months have only intensified that sentiment. "City officials have said it will be difficult to move on with this as the status quo," he said.

The fallout and reaction to Waldron's return to work is obvious, if not talked about openly. The City Council refused to allow Waldron to participate in year-end police contract negotiations. Financial requests from Waldron, such as funds to travel to Chicago or even Duluth for professional meetings, have been denied.

City Councilor Larry Cuffe said the city is working pragmatically to improve the atmosphere within the Police Department. He said some issues raised by officers were included in the new labor contract expected to be OKd by the council next week.

He said the annual reorganizational meeting would look at improvements in all city departments.

"We're trying to do the best we can to provide a healthy workforce," Cuffe said.

He said he's heard no complaints from the public on the job police are doing despite the turmoil in the department. "They have a difficult job to do and are maintaining a professional decorum," he said. "Anything that happens internally is not passed down to the general public."

Hanna said one thing is sure: Relations between the Police Department and city officials are "strained." Officials and officers have told him as much. "It's no better and it could be worse than before," he said.

If there was a seminal moment in the whole sordid saga, Hanna said, it was Officer Nickila's plea in September asking his boss to quit.

"That's pretty good drama in small-town politics," he said.

Waldron repeated this week what he said after he got his job back in August. He said he finds some relief in words from Virginia residents, who he says contact him regularly to offer encouragement. "They say, Dana, we support you."

He said that when the struggle to remain chief began, he vowed to not hold grudges, whether he lost his job or not. "It's important to not be bitter."

"I sure hope it gets better," Waldron said of 2012. "My goal is to stay employed the next 12 months."