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The issue was (mostly) resolved when she called a a press conference announcing her resignation and cleaned out her office. The City Council has taken steps toward naming a caretaker for the position, although they (wisely in my view) are holding off until the candidate qualifying period ends for the upcoming special election, so that they screen intended candidates from getting a jump on the process.

In the meantime, a question was raised about Ms. Rutherford's actual resignation date, since she apparently never submitted a formal letter. This question had to do, it was stated, with the former official's upcoming 62nd birthday, and whether or not she would qualify for the retiree medical plan. It was determined last week that Ms. Rutherford was no longer on the city payroll.

All of that seems like "moving forward," to me. Now Mayor Littlefield, by taking this latest action, is moving us all backward into division and rancor. The community didn't have an issue to be resolved. The remark quoted above, in light of all of this, suggests that by "the community" Littlefield really means a close circle of acquaintances and "connected" individuals, even if some of them have been former opponents.

There is a Brainerd Unity Group meeting planned for this evening, October 23rd. (Y'all come, if you're in the area: it's at the Brainerd Rec Center, 6pm.) One would have hoped that the Marti issue was securely behind us, and that no matter how each of us felt about her or her struggles, we could come together and build a strong community. Now I'm doubtful that Rutherford supporters will darken the doorway, since the unity group's founders were largely in the "oust Marti" camp. I hope I'm wrong, and that everyone shrugs off this mess and shows up; but, at any rate, we really didn't need this additional obstacle.