Arden Hills council member Dave McClung, 53, dies after cancer fight

Dec. 3—Arden Hills city council member Dave McClung died Wednesday after a yearlong cancer fight that had him attending meetings remotely. He was 53.

McClung was a "true son of Arden Hills," said his mother, Dorothy McClung. The family planted roots in the area in 1946 when his grandparents bought a farmhouse on 37 acres of land in what was then a township. His grandfather, Karl McClung, was one of the city's incorporators, she said.

Like his namesake father, McClung was raised in that Snelling Avenue farmhouse, where "his love affair with the city" began, his mother said. He was in high school, she said, when Mayor Bob Woodburn appointed him to the city's public works committee.

McClung earned a master of arts degree from George Washington University and went to work for Gov. Arne Carlson as a legislative liaison in Washington. He joined the Minnesota Department of Revenue in 2006, where was a criminal investigator, said his mother, who was commissioner of the department under Carlson.

McClung was elected in 2006 to the first of four consecutive terms on the Arden Hills city council.

At the Aug. 23 council meeting, McClung discussed his health issues, which he said came to light in October 2020, just before he won his final four-year term.

"Last November, I had some kidney functions that went the wrong way and led to peritoneal dialysis," he said. "And about that time I decided to engage in some chemotherapy for multiple myeloma and amyloidosis."

McClung, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes more than 20 years, said he also had a minor stroke about a month and a half ago.

"So, lots of stuff going on," he said. "I'm a fighter. I'm continuing to fight. And I'm hoping one of these days when I can actually drive again, I can actually be up at City Hall, sitting at the dais with everyone."

SERVED AS A STUDENT

In a statement Thursday announcing McClung's death, the city described him as a dedicated public servant who had been involved with various committees and commissions since he was a student at Mounds View High School.

Mayor David Grant said Thursday that McClung was always prepared for meetings and strove to ensure that tax dollars were spent wisely.

"If you saw Dave as a council person, he was dedicated, focused," Grant said. "On the personal side, Dave was a very nice guy."

McClung had a passion for the Lake Johanna Fire Department, which serves Arden Hills, North Oaks and Shoreview, and always asked to serve on its board of directors, Grant said.

When McClung returned home from the hospital in late October, Lake Johanna Fire Chief Tim Boehlke arranged for the department's rigs to circle the cul-de-sac at McClung's townhome. He watched the parade through the windows of his three-season porch, where Boehlke presented him with a fire department badge, fire chief hat and other keepsakes.

"That was huge for him," said McClung's widower, Chris Zickrick. "I'm so glad they were able to do that for him before he passed."

In addition to his husband and mother, survivors include sister Heather Meuleners of Cologne, and a niece and two nephews.

A memorial service is being planned for early January.