Brooklyn Park seeks mediation after City Council fiasco

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (KMSP) - Things have only gotten more tense for city officials in Brooklyn Park over the last month after a fiasco over the fire chief stepping down, though the mayor said at a Council meeting Monday that it was finally time to start moving forward.

A rally outside the meeting called for Council member Mark Mata to be censured or resign for creating a "culture of hostility" that boiled over last month with the resignation of longtime Fire Chief Kenneth Prillaman.

Mata has been with the Brooklyn Park Fire Department for 19 years and is under fire for what many say is micromanaging the organization from his role as City Council member, though he denies the claims.

Monday the City Council approved a resolution to call in the League of Minnesota Cities for mediation and another to create a task force charged with revising the city's code of conduct, both of which passed unanimously.

Officials estimate recommended changes to the code of conduct will be ready by Sept. 25, while anyone who breaks those rules--or any part of the mediation agreement as outlined by LMC--can be censured or sanctioned as the city council sees fit.