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Champlin City Council special election surrounded by social media drama
Voters will head to the polls in Champlin on Tuesday for a special election to pick their next city council member. The race is getting an unusual amount of attention, with accusations of harassment, death threats and a fight over Facebook pages. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the story.
CHAMPLIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Champlin is preparing for a heated city council election as voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday.
"It is very disturbing:" Contentious city council race draws to close
What we know:
The Ward 3 city council race has become unusually contentious, with accusations of harassment, death threats and disputes over social media activity.
Some residents have accused Tim Huttner, who is running to keep his seat, of blocking people and deleting comments on two Facebook pages he manages. Huttner acknowledged moderating content but said he only does so when people violate page or Facebook policies.
Huttner and his wife said they have received harassing phone calls and even death threats.
"We’ve had death threats to harassing phone calls to emails to leaving notes at the dais. It’s just – come on, people," he said. "This is a city race. This ain’t a presidential race. This is Ward 3. We’re in Champlin. We’re all about making common sense."
Huttner said the vitriol started months ago during the debate over whether to continue flying the old state flag, something he supported.
The backstory:
In December, the city council appointed Huttner to temporarily fill an open seat on the board. Some voters have raised concerns about that appointment process, pointing to an application with typos and brief answers.
The council recently asked the city attorney to clarify whether the Facebook pages run by Huttner posed any liability concerns for the city. The attorney told the council that the pages are not a problem.
The race has also sparked debate over Huttner’s support for the old state flag, which the council recently voted to continue flying.
The other candidates:
The other candidates include Paul Haga; Travis Perkins; and Rachel Wales.
Residents, officials share thoughts on ‘the only race in town’
Some residents said the mayor and the council have contributed to the charged atmosphere.
"We’re being asked by our mayor and council to lower the temperature, but you raised the temperature, you started the fire and I can’t put it out by changing my tone...." said Jon Newcomb, a Champlin resident.
Huttner’s wife, Roxy, expressed frustration with the negativity surrounding the campaign.
"The lies, deceit, defamation of Tim, myself, my family. It is very disturbing," she said.
Mayor Ryan Sabas commented on the unusual intensity of the race.
"I’ve never heard of a ward race in a city getting this contentious. It’s unfortunate," he said. "Champlin is a fantastic community. Again, I think it’s because it’s a special election. It’s the only race in town."
What's next:
The Ward 3 polls open at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday.