Abby Nadeau
Staff Writer

The word allegation is a hard one to pin a good definition on. It can mean an assertion or a plea.

But when it comes to the dispute between Mayor Terry Smith and planning commission member Clyde McCaskey, allegation is the one word that fits.

If you ask McCaskey, his allegations are assertions of the truth.

He states that the mayor was raising money for the Forest Lake Community Association while collaborating and making deals with Duffy Development and Human Services Inc.

But if you ask Smith, the allegations are pleas for retribution from something that happened in the past.

He claims McCaskey is bitter over the zoning that occurred on the old district memorial hospital land. Zoning that occurred one year in advance to Duffy Development ever coming into the picture.

So who is right?

On Monday, April 10 McCaskey unloaded his personal statements against the Forest Lake City Council in a public hearing to discuss his removal from the planning commission.

While other council members attempted to explain their positions, Smith sat quietly and did not comment on allegations against him.

However, in a phone interview on Monday, April 17 Smith broke his silence.

ìI donít see a conflict,î Smith stated. ìI was not actively raising money, I just encouraged a few people to contribute to the ëSave the Hospitalí campaign. I encouraged them before there was a lawsuit with Duffy.î

The encouragement of Smith brought one of the biggest checks to the FLCA.

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ìIt was the largest check we ever got, by more than 50 percent,î Richard Pecar, FLCA member, said. ìHe told me that his [Smithís] hands were going to be tied, but that he wanted to see the FLCA off to a good start.î

McCaskey chuckled Monday as he heard Smithís response to his allegations.

ìHe was working both sides the whole time,î McCaskey said.

The Lawsuits

On Dec. 5, 2005 Duffy and HSI filed a lawsuit against the city, citing four specific claims.

They claimed the city violated the opening meeting law, the council denied the conditional use permit for a discriminatory purpose, the city didnít have appropriate reasons for denial and that the CUP had been in the system so long that it exceeded the time limit.

By Dec. 28, 2005 the FLCA followed with their own lawsuit against the city and the hospital board.

The FLCA claimed that deed covenants on the old hospital grounds prevented the city from even re-zoning the land.

A Helpful Hint

Smith adamantly denies that he was collaborating with the FLCA and making deals with Duffy and HSI.

Smith said that he was only giving the FLCA a ìhelpful hint,î but made no comment on Duffy or HSI.

The ìhelpful hintî was that the cityís lawyers found that the land covenants on the old district memorial hospital grounds no longer existed.

When Smith spoke with the FLCA, they were in a legal battle with the city, over the existence of the deed covenants.

Beyond the helpful hint, Smith said that he followed the advice of his attorney and stopped contact with the FLCA after they filed the suit against the city saying, ìit would have been a conflict of interest.î

ìI let them [the FLCA] know that our attorney said no covenants existed, so they could back off the lawsuit,î Smith said. ìNo, I was not collaborating, I was just informing them.î

The suit was dropped on February 13 because the FLCAís attorney decided he could not try the case.

However, if you ask McCaskey, Smith is lying.

ìThat is not true at all,î McCaskey said. ìHe came by my house to ask me to resign from the planning commission, but he wouldnít tell me why he wanted me to resign.î

After speaking with McCaskey, Pecar said he could confirm that yes, he did have phone conversations with Smith, that went beyond any helpful hints.

McCaskeyís Motives

Smith went on to discuss how McCaskey was after the city council from the beginning.

He stated that McCaskey and others said that they were going ìto get every elected official who votes for this project [Duffyís affordable housing unit].î

ìBased on the flier it is very, very evident his motives are far from pure as far as protecting the hospital grounds,î Smith said. ìHe is a very, very biased liar.î

The flier Smith spoke of is what caused the city council to consider McCaskeyís removal from the planning commission.

McCaskey created a flier, with a written statement from the city reprinted at the top of the page, defining in his words what would happen if a ìlow-incomeî housing unit came into the neighborhood.

He stated that an increase in ìdrug and child abuseî would occur if the development went through, among other statements.

ìMr. McCaskey is known as being a loose cannon in this community,î Smith said. ìHe was told not to participate and he did. He was told not to vote and he did.î

Smith said McCaskey is only telling half the story.

ìHe believes that we directed the zoning of the hospital land for Duffy,î Smith said, ìbut that land was zoned for future high density land a year before Duffy approached the city.î

Smithís motives

One thing the two men agree on is their belief that the other was after them from the start.

McCaskey claims the city council had plans all along to use him as a ìsacrificial lambî to feed to the wolves.

ìAfter we dropped the lawsuit against the city on February 13, we filed for a non disparagement agreement,î McCaskey said. ìEveryone agreed to it except the city, and now we know why.î

ìThey were going to go after Clyde from the beginning,î Pecar said. ìWhen they were the only ones to not accept the agreement, we couldnít figure out why. Now we do.î

ìItís been a sad scenario from the beginning,î McCaskey said. ìThe mayor led people to believe he was going to support them and he just walked away.î

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Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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