RAMSEY COUNTY, Minn. — The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners has publicly accused Sheriff Bob Fletcher of engaging in a "pattern of disrespect and act of racism" after multiple board members were excluded from a recent letter from the sheriff.
Accusations flew black and forth Friday, with the release of letters from the board and sheriff and a live Zoom press conference where commissioners called on Fletcher to join them in finding solutions to Ramsey County's violent crime problem.
In a lengthy statement posted on the county website Friday and signed by all seven members of the Ramsey County Board, the commissioners condemned what they called Fletcher's "unapologetic, fearmongering and factually inaccurate" letter that was sent to just four board members on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Fletcher's letter, they said, was in response to the board's decision to increase oversight on spending in the sheriff's department.
Commissioners Rena Moran, Rafael Ortega and Mai Chong Xiong, who identify as Black, Latino and Hmong, respectively, were excluded from Fletcher's letter. The commissioners who were addressed in the correspondence, Trista MatasCastillo, Nicole Frethem, Mary Jo McGuire and Victoria Reinhardt, identify as white.
"Your record of not respecting nor engaging with Ramsey County’s leaders of color, and all leaders for that matter, goes well beyond the release of your recent letter. This is just the moment where we have chosen to publicly point out your repeated behavior that harms our work as an organization," the statement said, in part.
The measures approved by the board during the recent meeting include a requirement that all Request for Proposals for the sheriff's office first be presented to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners for consideration and approval, enhanced reviews of all sheriff's office procurement cards and purchase orders and use of a third-party auditor to review all budgetary line items monthly with the Sheriff’s Office.
The board also approved $2.8 million of the county's General Fund balance to cover cost overruns in the sheriff's office budget.
In his letter to Commissioners MatasCastillo, Frethem, McGuire and Reinhardt following the vote, Fletcher accused the board of a "lack of action" on addressing crime in the county, writing "There is a growing public perception that the County Board has more concern for the perpetrators of crime than for their victims — and their future victims"
Fletcher cited increases in crime, jail population and court security needs as reasons for higher department costs. "We cannot accomplish our mission as long as the Ramsey County Board continues to make funding decisions that don’t address the needs and values of our community," he wrote.
Later Friday Commissioners MatasCastillo and Ortega, and County Manager Ryan O’Connor took questions on their rebuke of Fletcher and elaborated on the conflict that appears to be escalating. While MatasCastillo said excluding the three commissioners of color from his letter was a clear act of racism, Ortega, who started his political career with Fletcher back in 1994, says it may have been more about politics than race.
"We’ve worked together for a lot of years," Ortega reflected. "He isn’t above manipulating race to get to his goals and objectives."
Ortega told reporters he and Fletcher have a good personal relationship but said the sheriff has not attended recent important meetings where the county's approach to violent crime was being discussed. If he is serious about making Ramsey County a safer place, Ortega suggested, Fletcher needs to engage with the board.
"I want Bob at the table so we can resolve these issues and move forward," Ortega said. "He can’t continue to be a lone ranger on these issues, because they’re not going to get solved."
County Manager O'Connor says the incident involving Fletcher's letter is not the first time concerns have been expressed about the way he does business. O'Connor related how Ramsey County Director of Public Health Sara Hollie attempted to engage Fletcher over her concerns about inmate care at the county jail and was unable to get a direct response from the sheriff. He added that another county director who is a woman of color attempted to contact Fletcher on a separate matter and was also ignored.
And in their letter, commissioners accused Fletcher of refusing to engage with officials after the Minnesota Department of Corrections ordered Fletcher to reduce the capacity of the jail over alleged violations.
O'Connor did say that to his knowledge, no formal complaints have been filed against Fletcher.
Also Friday, the sheriff issued a response to his rebuke from the board denying his decision to exclude the three commissioners was racially based. Fletcher maintains he didn't include Moran and Xiong because they are new to the board, and not responsible for the board's alleged failures the past four years, and Ortega, because he has always worked with the sheriff's office in a "professional, good-faith manner and has demonstrated an openness to addressing the issues we’ve raised in the past."
"Sadly, I see you’ve chosen to ignore the substance of the letter and instead fixate on making irrational and nonfactual inaccurate accusations about its purpose. Once again, you’ve actively turned your back on the people you purport to serve by utterly ignoring crime, an issue affecting their daily lives," Fletcher added.
Sheriff Fletcher's full letter from Feb. 21 is posted below.
"A first step toward progress would be apologizing to the county commissioners you excluded from your recent letter. They deserve to know that you acknowledge your actions were not right and that, moving forward, you will provide them with the same level of respect that they have continually provided to you."
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