Council accepts Else’s resignation, rescinds Gallagher motion

The Brandon City Council accepted Lt. Wade Else’s resignation from the Brandon Police Department at Monday’s meeting. 

In a letter to councilors and the city, Else stated he was retiring and thanked the department for 28 years of service.

Chief Dave Kull, who is retiring himself next month, said Else’s position will be filled under his successor, Joe Weir. Weir was recently offered the position of police chief over Else.

Much of the March 18 council meeting was devoted to city employees – specifically, discussion of Brandon’s insurance agent of record.

The council had been poised to enter into an agreement with Gallagher Benefit Services at Monday’s meeting. However, after hearing at length from the city’s agent of 21 years, Casey Sonju, the council made a motion to rescind its March 4 motion naming Lisa Maka from Gallagher Benefit Services as the city’s new agent of record and accepting Gallagher’s RFP for insurance services. 

Alderwoman Barb Fish made the motion to rescind the previous motion, and was seconded by Tim Wakefield. The motion passed 4-2, with councilors Dana Clark and Chuck Parsons voting “nay.”

Sonju questioned why the council wanted to change agents when he’d never been contacted about a problem with his service or products. Clark stated that she supported an insurance agent who could offer more options. Both Sonju and Maka, who spoke later, assured the council they could provide options.

In rescinding the motion, the city council deferred the matter to the personnel committee. The committee will interview Sonju and Maka before making their recommendation to council. 

Sonju’s father, Gary, took the podium during the public comment portion of the meeting to supply the council with his family’s history in Brandon and to ask councilors to reconsider. 

Kim Cerwick with the Brandon Valley Chamber of Commerce also took to the podium, but with a very different concern.

Cerwick point blank asked Wakefield if he knew who administrates the Facebook page City of Brandon, S.D. The Dirt.

Wakefield said he didn’t.

Cerwick said she had received a private message from the page administrator, who is anonymous, attacking her character. In the message, Cerwick said, the individual said the page was going to reveal an illicit relationship involving Cerwick, and offered her the chance to “tell her side of the story.”

Cerwick was visibly agitated as she relayed that a friend of Wakefield’s had sent a similar text message to the person she was accused of having an affair with. That person, she said, had voiced his support for Mayor Paul Lundberg over Wakefield in the April 9 mayoral election. 

She again asked Wakefield if he knew who ran The Dirt, and he again denied it. 

Cerwick said she was glad his denial was on public record for when “the truth comes to light.”

“I’m not involved,” Wakefield said.

The next meeting of the Brandon City Council is 6 p.m. Monday, April 1, in council chambers.