To finish that headline, let me just say citizens and reporters alike would be abuzz. I’m referring to the fact that the city’s police chief and fire chief both retired in the last two months — both amid internal investigations that have raised serious questions regarding the departments.
Let me repeat: the city of Austin, Minn., is without a full-time police or fire chief at the moment, and each department has somewhat of a black eye, at least from the public’s perspective.
Imagine Tim Dolan announcing tomorrow he plans to quit, with rumors circulating about an alleged sex scandal (a pure hypothetical on my part). Then, a week later, Alex Jackson says he’s gone because of a fight with another firefighter (again, hypothetical). What would Minnepolitans be saying?
And all of this is happening in Austin on top of a police captain being ousted on a drug conviction, ongoing tension between some citizens and Hormel for a questionable hiring process (see: undocumented workers) and the threat of huge state cuts via another unallotment.
But Austin isn’t Minneapolis, so these concerns will never make the same kind of headlines as they would in the big city. However, just ask yourself how the story would play in the metro.
Rose on the Record 