Maplewood, Minnesota
Maplewood, incorporated in 1957, is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 34,947 at the 2000 census. Maplewood is conveniently located just ten minutes from downtown St. Paul. Maplewood stretches along most of the northern and eastern borders of St. Paul.
Maplewood is home to the corporate headquarters and main campus of 3M Corporation. The city is home to the Myth Nightclub, Stargate Nightclub, Maplewood Mall, and St. John's Hospital.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.6 km² (18.0 mi²). 44.9 km² (17.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (3.72%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 34,947 people, 13,758 households, and 9,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 779.0/km² (2,017.5/mi²). There were 14,004 housing units at an average density of 312.2/km² (808.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.69% White, 3.54% African American, 0.55% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.
There were 13,758 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,596, and the median income for a family was $63,049. Males had a median income of $43,033 versus $30,557 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,387. About 3.0% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Maplewood's Mayor (Diana Longrie) and Council (Rebecca Cave, Erik Hjelle, Kathy Junemann, and Will Rossbach) have garnered metro-area attention over the last year for a number of issues. Chief among these issues are the firings, resignations, and re-organizational plan that eliminated some positions. In total, approximately 3% of the workforce has been affected.[citation needed] Detractors of Longrie's, Hjelle's, and Cave's believe these changes are political payback for past issues between city staff and what residents have labeled "The Gang of Three".
Detractors also raise conflict of interest issues concerning the actions of certain council members. Longrie's husband has been in conflict with City Staff, using his cable access show as a Bully pulpit. Supporters point out how he was declared not guilty on two separate occasions when Maplewood officials charged him with various crimes ranging from harassment to refusing to leave a public meeting. Detractors also raise issues with Hjelle, who is a volunteer firefighter who had previously been disciplined by a former city manager. Supporters raise the issue that most of the disciplinary actions against Hjelle were thrown out when the city attorney stated that certain civil service laws did not apply to his position as a volunteer firefighter. Detractors have also made an issue out of Cave's husband working with Hjelle as a volunteer firefighter. Supporters point out that it was Ms. Cave who ran for office and won by an overwhelming majority (approx 70%).[citation needed]
Longrie, Hjelle, and Cave ran on a platform of making changes in city management. When they took their seats on the Council, they quickly fired City Manager Richard Fursman. Longrie, Hjelle, and Cave appointed Greg Copeland to be the new City Manager during a late night vote. Maplewood council meetings routinely run later into the evening unless adjourned to a different day.
Shortly after Copeland was hired, a background check was performed, which detractors claimed raised serious questions about his education, work history, and legal woes (criminal and civil). Supporters of Copeland's pointed out than his failure to complete an advanced degree, limited work history, and legal problems were the result of a car accident severely injuring his domestic companion.
In the 2007 budget plan, City Manager Copeland announced that the Deputy Police Chief's position was being eliminated, along with a revamping of two community center positions, and a senior management reorganization concentrating all city departments under three core service areas. Detractors saw the Deputy Police Chief elimination as payback for the Deputy Chief's background investigation of Copeland. Supporters pointed to the elimination of the position due to dispatching services being contracted out to Ramsey County, oversight of which was 25% of the Deputy Chief's position. Detractors have also claimed that the other reorganizations were due to personal vendettas while supporters point to cost savings of $500,000.[citation needed]
Some say the upheaval in the City resulted in a move by department heads to form a labor union while others point to statistics which show that Maplewood has been unionized for some time.[citation needed]
Rumors have persisted that both Hjelle and Cave will not seek re-election in 2007. Filing for public office opens and closes in July 2007.
Recently, the previous Mayor of Maplewood sent a letter to the Ramsey County Attorney asking her to look into suspected violations of the State's Open Meeting Law, but the County Attorney's Office declined to look into the matter citing jurisdiction.
