Read here for the 2010 South Metro Election Results.
According to both the Pioneer Press and Thisweek Lakeville Mayor Holly Dahl, who is currently running for reelection, does not like the fact that her husband’s failed business venture and his apparent lies about the family’s assets in order to secure a half a million dollar loan have been paraded in front of the public by the local media.
I knew of the legal issues surrounding her husband’s business but chose not to write about it simply because I felt this was her husband’s deal and not necessarily her own. While it’s clear that any type of legal and/or financial trouble will affect the job of a public official, I didn’t see any need to burden her further until I read what Thisweek and the Pioneer Press had to say.
From the Thisweek article:
According to court documents, bankruptcy trustee Nauni Manty found that Kevin provided a financial statement to the bank representing that he and Holly had more than $9.8 million in securities that never existed.
Holly is listed in court documents because she also personally guaranteed the loan.
From the Pioneer Press article:
Dahl said she’s proud of her work for the city, and though the media reports embarrass her as a private citizen, she’s still willing to stand for re-election on her record.
“I am not Lindsay Lohan; I am not running for governor,” Dahl said. “I am running for mayor of Lakeville, a community I work hard for.”
Now, I sympathize with public officials who are going through rough patches, especially when it’s really their family members who are the cause of the problems, but I have to shake my head at Mayor Dahl’s statements that she should somehow be left alone because she is not of the same tabloid caliber as a governor or celebrity. As I mentioned above, any public official is fair game whether they like it or not and while in this instance the issues are not the same as say Burnsville Councilmembers Dan Gustafson‘s or Dan Kealey‘s, the weight of the financial burden, legal wranglings and costs, and the problems it can cause on the home front are stressful and can cause loss of focus on the job at hand for these elected officials and thus the public should most definitely be alerted to the issues she may face while running the City of Lakeville.
What do you think about Lakeville Mayor Holly Dahl’s financial problems? Do you really believe she did not know that her husband claimed they had assets they did not (or perhaps he too led her to believe they did) when she became a party to signing off on the $500,000 loan? Do you believe that her personal life should be kept completely separate from her public life and that she should be treated differently than a governor or celebrity? Whatever you have to say about the Lakeville mayor’s financial woes and the impact they may have on her and her reelection go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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October 14th, 2010 at 8:12 am
This is the publics business. Her husband lied on a loan application (isn’t that fraud?) that she signed onto. There are two possibilities here: she knew the application was “exaggereated” or she blindly signed it. Either way this speaks to her charecter.
October 14th, 2010 at 9:45 am
I wouldn’t necessarily claim that she blindly signed it. We really don’t know what the situation was. With all the financial fraud and schemes that have come to light as being run out of the South Metro recently, you have to wonder if her husband didn’t really hide the fact that they didn’t have $9+ million in assets to cover the additional loan.
IOW: he could have been lying to her and showing her that they had money they really did not.
October 14th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Something about her bugs me when I watch the city council meetings online. Can’t really pin point it, she just annoys me. And it seems like other council members have never liked her either. I didn’t vote her in, didn’t vote for her 2 years ago and won’t be voting for her this year.
October 14th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I agree with O.B.B. — it reflects poorly on her character and judgment, one way or another. I’ve signed things my husband asked me to sign without scrutinizing them in detail, but if we were borrowing $500,000, I would sure want to know how we were going to pay it off.
Actually, my first question would be, if we can afford to borrow $500,000, why can’t we afford to remodel the bathroom? But my second question would be how we were going to pay it off.
October 14th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
I’m a little confused about the Lindsay Lohan reference. Does she mean that since her job is not a glitzy one, she shouldn’t be scrutinized by the media? Or is she saying that Lindsay Lohan deserves the bad press, but she doesn’t?
I agree with you that a spouse’s troubles are his/her own business. I also agree that the public has the right to know their mayor’s involvement in this.
I don’t know if she knew that her husband was committing fraud, and I’ve been married long enough to know just how you want to believe in your spouse. So, I won’t judge her there.
It’s a reminder, though, and maybe it wouldn’t hurt the good Mayor to be reminded, too, that those faces you see in the newspapers and under the headlines are ALL just people. Somewhere, they started down a slippery slope. It’s easy to start kidding ourselves. It’s also easy to distance ourselves and point fingers at the other guy. Do I sound like I’m defending Lindsay Lohan? I’m not; the girl’s a mess. That quote just rubbed me the wrong way.
And she’s not a private citizen, even if the job pays peanuts.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
True, the husband could have lied to her. If the $9MM of “assets” was on the business side it would be easy. Talk about being in the dog house.
October 14th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
As a constituent I have concerns with any elected official who has personal financial problems. In retrospect, living in Burnsville and knowing the financial issues of Gustafson the council member. Observing his voting record from his initial, “in favor of building the PAC” all the way down to his vote “in favor of a Steinway piano” for the PAC. Knowing his personal and professional relationship with the HOC Art and All that Jazz Festival. I truly find that this individual can NOT make sound financial decisions for Burnsville residents but only for himself. He is not only the city liaison with the HOC Art and All that Jazz Festival BUT a “consultant” for the HOC Art and All that Jazz Festival, per Tom Hansen deputy city administrator. Is this a paid position?? Gustafson is spending OUR tax dollars!!!!! Knowing that OUR taxes are paying his salary. Knowing that OUR taxes are paying his wife’s salary who’s working at the HOC BPAC. He should have resigned a long time ago.
Regarding Dan Kealey who is facing foreclosure. My concern is his employer, Brad Rixmann owner of Pawn America.
Even though Kealey would recuse himself during any council voting regarding Pawn America the “physiological affect” upon the other council members with Kealey’s presents was noticeable. This is a standard ploy in court room proceedings to have someone present from the other side who is friends with the opposite side’s witness. It’s difficult to understand the previous comment but Burnsville is the first city that Pawn America/Brad Rixmann received considerably reduced city pawn shop fees. These fees were paid directly to the Burnsville Police Department to investigate theft of known pawn shop receivables.
Now who is investigating Pawn Shop America? Denny Hecker’s court appointed bankruptcy trustee. The domino affect continues………….
October 15th, 2010 at 9:52 am
There are several issues at play here, especially if you’re including Councilmen Kealey and Gustafson in the discussion.
I have no reason to distrust Dan Kealey since he has demonstrated he will be forthright by answering questions and explaining his positions here and elsewhere, as well as responding to constituent emails. The way it appears, his is simply a case of purchasing a home at an inflated value during a real estate boom. The average person could not have expected that the home devaluation of historic proportions and employment insecurity would dry up equity and financial security. While a foreclosed home has an impact on the local community, the fact that Kealey claims he is maintaining the home and aggressively trying to remedy the situation through a sale right up until the last minute says a lot. I can respect that and, frankly, the way he appears to be handling the situation and speaking about the situation is the way I would want the City of Burnsville handling difficult and unforeseen situations.
By contrast, I’ve been pretty clear on what I think of Dan Gustafson and his situation. Unpaid taxes during economic boom times, when your stated income is in excess of $200,000 a year (see: bankruptcy filing documents) shows a willful disregard for financial obligations. If he had 12 arms, he still wouldn’t have enough to point a finger at himself — at no point through all of the publicity surrounding his financial failings and his shirking off of $1 million+ on the public has he even once acknowledged the POSSIBILITY that “heck, I just may have had a tiny role in all of this”. It’s the economy. It’s the parent company of his shipping firm. It’s the pull of the moon when Saturn is in the same quadrameter as Orion. Anything else besides acknowledging he might have made some bad decisions.
Further, through all of this, he had gone well over a year without any income whatsoever but, meanwhile, was serving on a half dozen City-tied Civic organizations, many of which are costing tax dollars, as well as other outside non-income generating interests. This smacks of a self-serving approach. You cannot convince me that a well-educated person with a vast professional network can’t get a well-paying job EVEN NOW. Anyone with an iota of character would have channeled their time away from Civic interests and into finding a job that would minimize the damage of pushing off $1,000,000+ onto consumers.
Gustafson compounds his poor judgment with a reprehensible approach to addressing the community/answering questions and what he is doing to remedy the situation.
Which brings me to Holly Dahl (if anyone at all is still reading this crap). There just isn’t enough information (yet) for me to connect these issues with her management of Lakeville affairs. She certainly doesn’t impress me with her response to the situation.
“Shucks, this isn’t Hollywood or the Capitol…it’s just little ol’ Lakeville” doesn’t send warm fuzzies up my spine. Neither does refusing to respond to a subpoena. The rest of the explanation in Thisweek does a little better, although again the bit about “using personal details to discredit others” is slimy political defensiveness.
There’s a lot to cast doubt on her integrity which, to me, IS fair game when evaluating one’s ability to serve as Mayor. Sure, you can “work hard for the City”, but when it comes down to brass tacks, good things don’t trump the same person doing things that undermine that same community. I don’t have a dog in the fight in Lakeville, but I would be reserving my judgment on her fitness to serve as Mayor (aka my vote) until more facts came to light.
October 15th, 2010 at 9:59 am
I don’t necessarily equate how you run your personal life with how you might run your business life, or a city. It isn’t uncommon for people to know exactly the best way to do things but be unable to logically apply those best practices to themselves. That said, anytime there is a government official with financial issues, I get worried. For me it is a bit of a litmus test. If I have the choice of voting for someone with financial trouble or someone without financial trouble. I’m gonna pick the one without, nearly every time.
As far as should the media be scrutinizing Holly Dahl? Yes, they should. Can’t think of a reason why they shouldn’t. Especially if her husbands business dealings are turning into their personal dealings.
October 17th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
There are two plausible scenarios, 1) Holly Dahl co-signed for the loan for her husband’s business without reviewing the allegedly fraudulent documents; or 2) Holly Dahl was aware the documents were materially false and signed anyway. The first scenario is financial incompetence. The second borders on the criminal. It’s a simple question for the mayor. Which one is it Holly?
October 17th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I think it is unfortunate that the issue of Holly Dahl’s husband’s business has become an issue in the campaign for Mayor of Lakeville. I don’t know anything about Mrs. Dahl, nor would I care to comment. On the other hand, I have known Rev. Mark Bellows for several years. I have witnessed first-hand how he has reached out to be of service and comfort to those who are suffering and in need. He holds personal values that I respect and admire.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:21 am
I pondered for several days whether or not to weigh in on this. Many people have asked me whether I was the one who brought this story to the media. I had nothing to do with it, and I do not know who the anonymous emails have been coming from. I know of many other irregularities, stretching over many years, but I didn’t know about the federal investigation, or the extent of the civil judgements against them, until it was reported in the news.
When I read the story in the Star Trib, where Holly claimed they moved to Lakeville because Eden Prairie was spending too much on frills, I just about had coffee come out my nose. The Dahls moved to Lakeville shortly after Kevin was caught stealing more than $24,000 from the Eden Prairie Boys’ Basketball Association. Kevin plead guilty in 1993, to four felonies and a misdemeanor. You can look it up, the records are public. Some time later, his record was changed to reduce the severity of the conviction. Somehow, I don’t think it was Eden Prairie that had the fiscal problem.
In the late 90′s the Dahls had to leave not one, but two homes for non-payment. Then, as now, they went to great lengths to stall the process, but actually making the payments was apparently not one of the methods.
In 2008, as they were being sued for non payment of the loans that they took out in 2007, Holly was bragging to the council about how busy she was flying first-class back and forth to Arizona every couple of weeks, and how Kevin was always buying her designer clothes. Some of the money was taken from members of their church, for development projects that never happened, and no one seems to know where that money went.
Shortly before the 2008 election, I received a very strange, threatening phone message from Kevin Dahl. I reported it directly to the police chief, because I didn’t want to put the regular officers in a bind. While the threats didn’t rise to a chargeable criminal offense, it was bizarre and inappropriate behavior. It doesn’t surprise me that the many people who have been victimized by the Dahls are afraid to come forward, because there is a core group of people who seem to be willing to defend and cover up for the Dahls, no matter what they do, and they go after anyone who speaks out, or who they even think might speak out.
Her supporters have been trying to smear Mark Bellows, and make this into just some political game. I know Mark, and I believe him when he says he has not been involved in bringing out the story. There is at least one person on his campaign team that has been victimized by Holly, but has NOT come forward because of fears that it would be painted as dirty campaigning.
Someone has to go first, so I am speaking out, and I hope that others will find the courage to do likewise. Holly has put the City Council, the city staff, and city residents in an untenable position, and the only way the truth is going to come out is if people stop waiting for someone else to speak up.
October 18th, 2010 at 7:31 am
http://pa.courts.state.mn.us/default.aspx
- Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records
- Enter case number: 27-CR-92-025549
October 18th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Wendy: Thanks for talking about this. I watched the newscast, but it did not mention the past shenanigans in EP. Sometimes it does take strong people to speak out – particularly when the press doesn’t – so thanks for doing so, and I hope you receive lots of messages of support for taking a stand.
The truth is the truth – we’re not talking about unfounded gossip that can’t be substantiated here. As for the negative feedback – well, we teach our kids about bullies, and to step in and speak out and not be a bystander – then we see adults themselves being bullies. If more people spoke up, it would be a lot more difficult for those bullies to use their perceived power. The more information that is out there, the more information people have to make informed decisions about what she knew, when she knew it and whether that impacts their vote.
I also noticed on the news that she was driving a Lexus as she pulled into the garage to avoid reporters. Maybe this is just me, but if my husband had shady past financial dealings AND we’d previously lost two houses, I would not be driving a luxury SUV (or flying first class anywhere, for that matter), and I sure would be asking A LOT of questions before I signed anything.
Finally, I realize that its been reported by her that he’s been diagnosed with cancer, which is a shame, but its not a defense.
November 1st, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I don’t find it surprising that someone like Wendy is writing this garbage or propagating slander. Anything can be twisted these days and it’s a sad commentary on the character of people today to see this story and the comments posted on here. It is truly heinous that anyone would make a claim that Holly Dahl bullies or threatens people. She is a shining example of someone who extols the virtues of veracity and benevolence. Nor has Dahl ever shown herself to be a person that brags. Indeed that behavior is repeatedly displayed by a certain seated council member and people know who it is.
The problem that I see in all of this so called reporting is the absence of any real research. I could sue my neighbor and claim all sorts of things that are untrue and it will be in court documents. These are not the most reliable of sources. So much of what I have read is full of things that are “alleged.” It could be said of Wendy that she and Rep. Holberg bilked the state out of money for Wendy’s husband and that Wendy turned around and used that money not for her husband, but to buy herself a BMW. Now, there may a good explanation for the purchase, but that is a story that could be spun in this angle.
So, no I don’t trust someone like Wendy who clearly has not matured past the point of junior high. The undertones of jealousy and spite are right there for all to see. What a storyteller. That’s all this is.
Mayor Dahl has shown who she is. She is the kind of person who shows up to service projects or pancake breakfasts and pitches in. She has shown herself to be genuine and kind in every interaction she has whether it’s running into her while grocery shopping or at a ribbon cutting. I want someone in office that works to build up the people around them and better the things they have influnece over. That’s why I will be voting for Holly Dahl on November 2. I give the voting public more credit than all of you do on here. It’s quite easy to see through all of this crap.
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:23 am
Sarah,
1. It’s not slander. Please, if you’re going to accuse someone of something at least know what you’re accusing them of doing. It just makes your argument look ridiculous.
2. Mrs. Wulff claimed the threatening phone call came from Kevin Dahl, not Holly.
3. As for the accusations against Mrs. Wulff and her choice in spending, take it up with the governor as she serves at his will and not the people’s. We have no real say in the matter of who sits upon the Met Council (aside from voting for governor) so your entire point of attacking Mrs. Wulff is moot.
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:28 am
Apparently you haven’t used the somewhat new Minnesota Court Case Search system though it appears Wendy may have exaggerated a bit. The court records show that KEVIN ARTHUR DAHL was convicted of 5 Misdemeanor Theft charges and not convicted on 2 felony Theft charges. It looks like the 2 felony theft charges were likely continued as long as Kevin had no other similar charges over 5 years. He had to pay restitution of $10,000 and was ordered NOT TO SERVE AS TREASURER OR HANDLE MONEY FOR NON-PROFIT.
He had a good lawyer to dodge the felony charges. Damn Hennepin County went easy on him. I don’t think Dakota County would have let him slip without at least one little felony charge sticking.
but the point here is that is her husbands problem, not hers. What was the issue here was that Holly was trying to claim that these latest problems, have nothing to do with her ability to lead Lakeville. This even though court records show she personally guaranteed documents her husband filed with false information.
Many good people make poor decisions. The difference between Holly Dahl and most others is that most others don’t have to deal with their poor decisions in public. Public people do.
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:49 am
Again, there are two plausible scenarios, 1) Holly Dahl co-signed for the loan for her husband’s business without reviewing the allegedly fraudulent documents; or 2) Holly Dahl was aware the documents were materially false and signed anyway. The first scenario is financial incompetence. The second borders on the criminal. It’s a simple question for the mayor. Which one is it Holly? As an Apple Valley resident I have no vested interest in who gets elected in Lakeville. What I do have is intolerance for financial incompetence and/or corrupt people serving in any government capacity.