Posted: 8/16/05
By Cynthia Scott
Fish Lake Township board chairman Bob Cupit surprised the board at its regular monthly meeting Aug. 8 by tendering his resignation as the first item of business.
Cupit, who has been chairman for 2 1/2 years, will remain on the board.
Cupitís resignation was effective immediately. He did not offer a reason for his resignation, and the two other board members, Marvin Widmark and Diane Larkin, were visibly stunned by it. When Widmark asked Cupit to give his reason, Cupit indicated that he would be willing to read a prepared statement if the meeting were closed. At Larkinís urging, the board decided not to do that, citing a lengthy agenda and the presence of several township residents who were waiting to conduct business.
Widmark served as chairman pro tem for the meeting but said he would not consider accepting the chairmanship permanently. Larkin initially declined the chairmanship but by the end of the meeting agreed to succeed Cupit.
Cupit told the Post Review after the meeting that he decided to resign the chairmanship because he has taken on extra responsibilities in his job with the state of Minnesota, and no longer has time to deal with the ědistractionsî that have arisen on the township board. He declined to provide further detail.
In addition to carrying out the regular duties of a growing residential township, the board has also been involved in the contentious and emotional debate surrounding the proposed relocation of The Wildcat Sanctuary in Fish Lake Township. Following heated public testimony, the county board rejected that proposal in May. However, the couple who owns the land which The Wildcat Sanctuary sought to purchase, Tim OíKeefe and Carla Heinke, filed a complaint with the Fish Lake Township Board on July 11 alleging inappropriate and illegal behavior on the part of Larkin and Widmark during deliberations on that issue.
Larkin and Widmark drafted a written response to the complaint, calling it ěfrivolous, unsubstantiated and slanderous.î The OíKeefe-Heinke complaint was on the agenda of the Aug. 8 meeting, but neither OíKeefe nor Heinke were present and the item was tabled until the September meeting.
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