The Central Minnesota News Network called council member Kevin Klucas on November 1, 2018.
Klucas defended the city's level of regulation. Klucas basically said that the city sought to comply with Minnesota state building code. According the state website, this standard of building code is for new construction, and is not enforceable by municipalities unless adopted by local ordinance. This means that Klucas is backing a level of code that is not required for small towns, and that can mean very expensive remodeling for older houses.
When asked if he thought his town should regulate on par with big cities like Minneapolis, he said, "No. We are a rural community." However, the regulations the town has implemented are beyond what Minneapolis and St. Paul have implemented. Even the address sign ordinance has criminal penalties and has resulted in prosecution of a resident.
Klucas said that the city has rolled back some regulations. It was unclear during the conversation what regulations are still in place, as Klucas was not able to answer these questions, the City Clerk Ronda Huls suggested a visit to the city website for an answer, and the city building inspector said he was not the best source for this information.
Klucas said that in the case of a natural disaster, "You don't get full government funding unless you have a building code." However, "a building code" is not the same as "state building code", which Klucas is fighting for. Most likely, the level of regulation he is advocating for is far beyond what is necessary.
STEWART'S RENTAL ORDINANCE FORCING LANDLORDS OUT: RACIST POLICY?
It appears that the owner of a rental property can still be required to put in new windows in all bedrooms. Besides being aesthetically unappealing (crank-out windows like you see in basements) and likely not matching the rest of the windows in the home, being forced to put in new windows is an expensive proposition considering the rents in outstate Minnesota.
When asked if the city's code had ever driven people out, Klucas responded, "No!" However, Stewart resident Delvin Bethke, said: "If I try to rent something out, they want me to change everything. It has to be new construction or you can't rent it out. I had a house where the ceiling was too low, and they said 'You can't use these as bedrooms.' I don't rent anything out, and I won't even try because it's impossible in this town."
The town motel was forced to close because the city officials said the motel had to put in new windows. The small-town business couldn't afford it. The motel may have rented largely to the local hispanic population, as nearby the town of Stewart is a meatpacking plant, which has employed many hispanic residents.
Another property owner said, "I left the city due to the excessive regulation for a town of 500. The regulation is far more than the metro area in Miinnesota requires. I believe the intent behind the building permitting and rental ordinance is to drive out rental properties, most of which rent to hispanic renters." Is Stewart's rental ordinance a based in racism?
KLUCAS COMMENTS ON ALLEGED PERSECUTION OF RESIDENT DELVIN BETHKE
Klucas said of the criminal charges filed against Bethke regarding an alleged zoning violation:
"He doesn't like to follow any guidelines We've had many many complaints on the conditions of his properties as far as the yards and junk pile. He's just going to court because he violated our zoning ordinance. He didn't even follow the permit regulations, and he was given extra time to take care of it. He violated the zoning ordinance on building by putting a building in the front yard. He's harassing the city." Klucas also made some comments regarding Bethke that could be called defamatory, so they won't be printed.
Delvin Bethke said, "Kevin has rules that are different from the city. When I was repairing my vandalized shed, I called the building inspector up, and he say's it's fine. It should be fine. As far as the current permit issue, I'm not required to have a permit because it is a temporary structure on skids. But I gave the city a zoning permit anyway. Kevin Klucas is on the zoning board, and they rejected it. So I gave them another permit, and it never made it to the zoning board. Jason said they never had a meeting on the second permit."
Bethke also said about being unwelcome at council meetings: "Once I went to a meeting, and Kevin Klucas said, 'What are you doing here? You can't be here.' They threw me out. I had been to meetings before and questioned what was going on. They didn't want me there"
Kevin Klucas responded: "I would never say that. There's never a meeting that's not open to the public." While asking Klucas questions, at one point he became exasperated, stating, "For Chrissakes!"
COMMENT ON TIRES BEING SLASHED
Klucas said regarding Delvin's tires being slashed: "I knew nothing about it until later. Actually the person who slashed his tires told me he stuck a knife in the lawnmower tires and I told him he shouldn't have done that. I did not report it to the police because I did not see it, I was going by what he said. A short while later he was arrested for stabbing someone and he's now in jail."
Delvin Bethke replied: "Kevin's on the city council. He should be mandated reporter. If someone tells him they slashed some tires, he should report it right away. And then maybe this guy wouldn't have stabbed someone."
ENTRENCHED POWER?
Kevin Klucas spent the most time on the phone with me, answering questions and giving his opinion. Klucas said "I've been on the council since 1995, and I've only been off the council a few years." Klucas is not the mayor, but he appears to have the most power in town.
This may be a case of entrenchment in politics, or shadow government. Klucas may have been in or connected to power too long, and may exert too much control over the city. Many people are saying that the building code is too regulated, including the current mayor Jason Pierce and councilmember Curt Glaeser. There is evidence to support Bethke's claims he is being persecuted. It appears that Kevin Klucas wields far too much power over this small town and its residents
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