Mayor of Baxter apologizes to Brainerd for comments by police chief

Baxter Mayor Gary Muehlhausen has apologized to the city of Brainerd for comments made by Baxter Police Chief Robbi Gallant.

At a Baxter City Council workshop Monday to discuss whether staff numbers could keep up with city priorities and expected levels of service while handling the pressing day-to-day duties, Gallant made comments about Brainerd's supposed lack of growth.

He said the grade schools in Brainerd are falling apart and, along with the high school, would be in Baxter eventually; and that by 2008, the Baxter Police Department should be larger than Brainerd's police department.

"We are getting all of the business and they (Brainerd) have all the low-income people," The Dispatch quoted Gallant from Monday's workshop.

Baxter Mayor Gary Muehlhausen, who on Monday cut off Gallant from speaking further, today said he has apologized to Brainerd Mayor James Wallin, Brainerd City Council member Gary Scheeler and Brainerd Superintendent Jerry Walseth.

Muehlhausen said he also would like to apologize to the residents of Brainerd.

"The quote that Robbi made at that meeting, it's not reflective of council, it's not reflective of the officers in the (Baxter) police department, and it's not reflective of any of the city of Baxter's employees," said Muehlhausen. "Quite frankly I'm really disappointed.

"I'll leave it at that until the city council decides a course of action to take."

Today Gallant said he only made the comments in an attempt to make a point about Baxter's growth, and that he had talked to a Brainerd City Council member, whom he said agreed. He declined to name the council member.

"It was a poor choice of words, taken out of context," said Gallant, not elaborating on how the words were taken out of context. "It's a real unfortunate situation."