Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— City Manager Lynn Rutkowski said she would remain in her job for at least 30 days while she reconsiders the verbal resignation she made during an earlier council meeting.
Rutkowski updated her status during the city council’s March 7 meeting.
During Monday night’s session, the mayor and council members took a more conciliatory tone than that of the Feb. 7 meeting, where Vice Mayor Steve hart and Council Member Tony Brown asked Mayor Karen Lake to resign over what they said were harassing emails from Lake to Rutkowski about city matters.
During Monday night’s meeting, Lake apologized for allowing the Feb. 7 session to devolve into personal issues and drama.
“I wish as mayor that I had kept us better focused on the issues that really matter to our citizens,” she said. “Regardless of our disagreements and policy differences, we all love the City of Keystone and want to do everything we can to keep it a great place to live.”
Lake added that she hoped personal attacks made during council meetings would cease.
Hart thanked Lake for her comments and indicated that he considers the acrimony expressed during the February meeting as closed. He further indicated that council members, the mayor and the city manager can patch things up.
“All families have disagreements,” he said. “I think we have now aired the issues. I don’t think we need to air the specific issues any further. We know they are there, but I think that that any situation can be rehabilitated for the good of the city.”
Both Hart, Tony Brown and outgoing council member Marion Kelly said they thought Rutkowski should stay on.
Lake did not comment on the current or future status of the city manager and Council Member Bobby Brown was noncommittal on the issue.
“It’s a tough one,” he said to Rutkowski. “You’re doing great work, but you’ve got to have guidelines, rules, qualifications that have to be met. I’m still doing a lot of thinking on this, but I don’t know what to say.”
Mayor praises outgoing council member
Lake expressed gratitude to outgoing council member Marion Kelly who did not seek an additional term on the council and was attending her final meeting as a city official.
“You’ve been a lady of grace up here in this chair,” Lake told Kelly. “I didn’t want this evening to pass without saying thank you. You’ve been a meaningful member of this council. We’re really proud of the work you’ve done here.”
