Bemidji City Council Considers Crafting Code of Conduct

After being tasked with establishing a code of conduct by the Charter Commission, the Bemidji City Council met for almost two-and-a-half hours on Monday to consider starting the process.

Led by a facilitator from the League of Minnesota Cities, the council discussed priorities identified by staff and themselves in an anonymous survey for the first potential code of conduct. Some priorities included building trust, adhering to the charter and considering different points-of-view.

The idea of a council code of conduct was initially presented in 2019. Council members had different thoughts on whether a code of conduct is needed. Some supported having one while others questioned how one would hold councilors accountable.

“I think it’s important to have this conversation so we can better understand each other and better prepare ourselves for these meetings,” said Ward 5 Councilor Lynn Eaton.

“I think we’ve all been very respectful of each other’s platforms and where we stand on our issues,” said Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson. “But ultimately, I do believe it’s the voter that decides. So, [the] code of conduct is the voter that holds us accountable if we get reelected or not.”

“In my mind, a code of conduct or a code of ethics … was a way of just asserting ourselves to the community that we have an obligation to all of these different levels,” explained Ward 4 Councilor Emelie Rivera. “They may not always coincide, but here is how we will deal with issues that come up.”

No formal action was taken at the meeting. The city council will now review the seven points the facilitator wrote down and review them for another potential code of conduct meeting.