Chief fights bad review

Silence has been finally broken in the on-going battle between the City of Blooming Prairie and its police chief.
Last week, attorney Richard Wylie of Minneapolis provided to the Steele County Times a copy of Police Chief Greg Skillestad’s most recent evaluation completed by the city earlier this summer.
The Times received three documents, including the city’s performance evaluation of Skillestad, a written reprimand and Performance Improvement Plan. 
Chief Skillestad appealed the evaluation, written reprimand and Performance Improvement Plan at a closed hearing on Sept. 14. At that hearing, Skillestad outlined his objection to a written reprimand from City Administrator Andrew Langholz.
Skillestad's appeal before the five-member city council was denied by a 4-0 council vote. Mayor Curt Esplan and council members Bill Newman, Tara Gimbel and Brad Clark voted to uphold the documents previously presented to them. Council member Mary Kittelson abstained after trying unsuccessfully to pull the discipline.
Skillestad is now appealing the council decision to the Minnesota Department of Administration.
The chief is asking the Department of Administration to initiate a contested case proceeding pursuant to state statute; to make a determination that the data in question is inaccurate and/or incomplete and direct the responsible authority and the City of Blooming Prairie to destroy and/or correct, as required, the data in question.
The most critical language in Langholz's evaluation of Chief Skillestad comes in the written reprimand outlined in the evaluation's Summary Comments.
Langholz writes a written reprimand: "This Performance Evaluation shall act as a Written Reprimand. This Performance Evaluation highlights many examples of insubordination, incompetence and conduct not suitable for holding the position of Police Chief. A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) along with the Work Objectives for the next appraisal have been developed to provide guidance and standards that must be met to retain gainful employment as the Police Chief for the City of Blooming Prairie."
The evaluation says that "employees who require a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) have 120 days from the date of PIP to show enough improvement in their job performance to meet normal expectations. If an employee is unable to meet normal expectations, additional disciplinary actions may be taken, up to and including termination."
Effective dates for the PIP cover the time frame of June 19 to Saturday, Oct. 17.
Langholz included additional feedback on the summary page: "Chief Skillestad requires a great deal of improvement in many areas in order to simply meet normal expectations that are sought in fulfilling the duties for the Chief of Police for the City of Blooming Prairie. Chief Skillestad creates a tremendous amount of additional work and oversight for City Administration by continually under performing in his position.
Langholz signed the evaluation on June 19. Skillestad did not sign the evaluation and that is noted on the "employee signature" line.
The city's Employee Performance Evaluation contains nine performance factors. These factors are: A. Communications; B. Public service/customer focus; C. Attendance and punctuality; D. Job knowledge/performance; E. Productivity and work organization; F. Record Keeping and financial/data accuracy; G. Initiative and commitment; H. Leadership; I. Safety.
Employees are judged by six rating units, 0-4 and N/A (Not Applicable).
The top rating is No. 4, Outstanding. The rating then goes in this order: No. 3, Exceeds Normal Expectations; No. 2, Meets Normal Expectations; No. 1, Below Normal Expectations and No. 0, Deficient.
The highest rating Skillestad received was a No. 2 three times (Public Service/customer focus; record keeping and financial/data accuracy and safety.) He was rated a No. 1 four times (attendance and punctuality; job knowledge/performance; productivity and work organization and initiative and commitment) and No. 0 two times (communications and leadership).
Langholz alone completed the nine-page evaluation of Skillestad.
In the evaluation, it rings of negativity on the part of Chief Skillestad's performance. Skillestad reportedly attempted to refute the employee evaluation during the Sept. 14 closed hearing of his appeal. He had submitted his written appeal to the city on Sept. 8.
 
 
BP Police Chief appeals reprimand
 
Civil rights and employment attorney Richard Wylie of Minneapolis filed an appeal to the Minnesota Department of Administration Oct. 2 on behalf of Blooming Prairie Police Chief Greg Skillestad.
Skillestad is appealing an evaluation, written reprimand and performance improvement plan directed at him by Blooming Prairie City Administrator Andrew Langholz.
The appeal is made according to Minnesota Statutes Section 13.04, Subd. 4. It basically says if a person thinks the public record on him/her is inaccurate or incomplete, a remedy exists with an appeal to the state.
The written reprimand represents discipline of Skillestad by Langholz, said Wylie.
Wylie said "there is no major scandal here" and "it appears that Chief Skillestad was said to have committed fairly minor infractions, if they were even infractions."
"I don't know exactly why the city administrator came down on him (Skillestad)," said Wylie. "There seemed to be some animosity of Skillestad.”
Wylie says Skillestad "feels very strongly" about settling this dispute. "He's not going for the money," Wylie said.
Skillestad, with his attorney Wylie at his side, appealed the matter during a hearing that was closed to the public on Sept. 14.
Wylie said Skillestad had requested Langholz remove the evaluation, including the reprimand and performance improvement plan, from his record.
Langholz refused. A hearing was then held on Sept. 14. The council, at an open meeting after the closed session on that date, voted 4-0 with one abstention to uphold the evaluation, reprimand and performance improvement plan.
Giving a brief overview of one of the many charges against Skillestad, Wylie said Skillestad was directed to contact the Steele County Sheriff, asking for the sheriff's office to cover over a weekend for the Blooming Prairie department.
Chief Skillestad apparently contacted the sheriff's office and made the request but did not talk directly to Sheriff Lon Thiele.
Langholz called this insubordination.
Wylie said the Department of Administration may attempt to mediate the dispute. If a settlement cannot be achieved, Chief Skillestad can ask for the Department of Administration to provide an administrator, sometimes called an administrative judge, to conduct a hearing and decide if the information at issue is correct, incorrect, complete or incomplete.
Wylie said Skillestad is seeking removal of the evaluation, reprimand and performance improvement plan from his record.
If the Department of Administration rules that the documents (11 pages) are inaccurate or incomplete, it can order the city administrator to complete the information, or it can order the documents destroyed or expunged.
 
Removing the evaluation would likely remove the reprimand and performance improvement plan because the reprimand would no longer be supported by any facts. "It should go away," said Wylie.
Aware of the open meeting violation claims, Wylie said his quarrel is not with the Open Meeting law but with the evaluation by Langholz.
"Chief Skillestad feels he is generally respected and liked in the community and he took this criticism professionally and personally," remarked Wylie.