Kenyon city administrator departs without public explanation after closed meeting

After 11 years as Kenyon’s city administrator, Mark Vahlsing was abruptly released from his position on April 1 without warning or a clear explanation, leaving the city of Kenyon temporarily without even a temporary administrator and launching an immediate search for a replacement.

According to a statement released by the city of Kenyon, a special meeting of the City Council was held April 1, at which Vahlsing and the City Council mutually agreed that it would be in their best interests to immediately terminate the employment relationship.

To fulfill the requirement set by the state open meeting law, the city provided notice of the special meeting through a posting made at city hall. However, no information was provided about the meeting online, a break with the city’s typical practice of posting information about special meetings online.

According to the statement, the two parties negotiated a separation agreement and release of claims agreement, clearing both sides of any potential liability. City councilors declined to discuss any of the circumstances surrounding the decision.

While Vahlsing had enjoyed a lengthy tenure as Kenyon’s city administrator, this marks the second time he has departed from a top city job under abnormal circumstances. In 2008, he was abruptly removed from his position as city administrator in Monroe, Wisconsin by a City Council vote.

According to a report in the Monroe Times, Vahlsing was allegedly removed from that position on the grounds that he had failed to fulfill some of his duties as the city’s human resources officer, though they would not say exactly where he had fallen short.

As in Kenyon, Vahlsing’s removal in Monroe was said to be mutual, with the former city administrator submitting a letter of resignation. Several members of the Monroe council defended his performance, even those who ultimately voted to remove him.

Two weeks prior to his removal in Monroe, Vahlsing had been the subject of a complaint of sexual harassment from a former city staffer. Councilors and city staff strongly denied that the harassment complaint was the reason for Vahlsing’s departure there.

Vahlsing came to Monroe from Pine Island, where he had served as city administrator for five years. After leaving Monroe, he was hired to serve as executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and served a stint as city administrator in Moose Lake before being hired to serve as Kenyon’s city administrator in 2013.

With the city administrator’s position now vacant and a search for a full-time replacement underway, Mayor Doug Henke said that Kenyon had managed to identify a retired city administrator as a potential candidate to serve on an interim basis.

Last Friday, city officials met with the retired city administrator to discuss the potential terms of a contract. The council will hold a special meeting on Thursday to consider the issue further.