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Community Corner

Charges Against Former Mayor Dropped

Lee Lansing was charged with five counts of misconduct by a public official and two counts of conflict of interest in 2008. He was accused of pressuring city officials to relocate the city's liquor store to a site owned by his son.

Charges originally filed nearly five years ago against former Northfield mayor Lee Lansing have been dropped, according to KYMN radio.

The KYMN website says Goodhue County Attorney Steven Betcher, who was prosecuting the case, has decided not to move forward with the case.

The charges were dropped, Betcher says, “in the interest of justice due to the passage of time caused by the original court reporters inability to produce transcripts or records of essential testimony by key witnesses.”

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Betcher handled the case to remove any appearance of conflict of interest.

In October 2008, Lansing was charged in Rice County District Court with five counts of misconduct by a public official and two counts of conflict of interest by a public official. The charges came after a year-long investigation that was started by former Northfield police chief Gary Smith and was shifted to Goodhue County authorities.

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Lansing was accused of pressuring city officials to relocate the city’s liquor store to a site owned by Lansing’s son.

Before charges were filed, the City Council censured Lansing and called for him to resign his office.

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