Letter: You can't reconcile duties

To the Editor:

First and foremost, Mayor Egan owes a fiduciary duty to the people of Red Wing, and that duty can not be limited or compromised. However, as the frac sand lobbyist, Mayor Egan now owes them a duty of loyalty and confidentiality.

Recusal from Council frac sand decisions is a superficial and inadequate response to the problem. While the Mayor can recuse himself from such issues, he may be quietly lobbying for legislation that could be contrary to the interests of Red Wing, such as bills to limit local government control on permitting and moratoriums, reduced funding for state agencies such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, or opposing legislation for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to study frac sand mining and transport.

How does Mayor Egan reconcile his paramount duty, that owed to the people of Red Wing, with his duty owed to his frac sand client? He can't.

Kent D. Laugen

Red Wing

Tags: letters, opinion