Forest Lake city administrator fired at special meeting; former Lake Elmo administrator hired as interim

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

The Forest Lake City Council this week decided to part ways with City Administrator Patrick Casey, who had served in the city’s top post since 2018.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to terminate Casey’s employment contract and hire former Lake Elmo City Administrator Kristina Handt as interim administrator and interim clerk. The vote came after a closed session to discuss Casey’s annual performance evaluation.

Handt, 44, will serve as interim administrator and clerk “until the completion of a city administrator search and a new city administrator has been appointed by the council,” city officials said in a statement.

No details as to why Casey was terminated were included in the statement.

“The council made the decision to go in a different direction,” Mayor Mara Bain said, adding that she could not provide further details because the matter was employment related.

Handt, who had been city administrator in Lake Elmo since March 2016, was terminated from her position in November when the Lake Elmo City Council voted not to renew her contract. Handt had expressed concerns about the site of a new Lake Elmo Elementary School because of issues regarding access to city water. Lake Elmo, the fastest-growing city in Minnesota, is dealing with a multitude of water issues, including PFAS contamination and restrictions on pumping as a result of a court order regarding the water levels of White Bear Lake.

Prior to joining Lake Elmo in 2012, Handt served as city administrator in Scandia and village administrator in Luck, Wis.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Kristina’s caliber to step into the role,” Bain said. “She comes highly recommended from many in the field. It’s just been very fortunate as to timing of her availability and our need. Her expertise and unique, comprehensive understanding of Forest Lake is exceptional, making her an ideal steward during this time. She is able to, first day, hit the ground running.”

Handt, who lived in Forest Lake for five years while she was serving as city administrator in Scandia, said she was excited to return to the city, which has a population of about 20,600. Handt was living in Forest Lake when her daughter, Evelyn, was born, and Evelyn experienced many of her “firsts” in the city, she said.

“She had her first visit with Santa at Lakeside Park and her first Easter Bunny visit at Lakes Floral, Gift & Garden,” she said.

The Forest Lake City Council will meet in a workshop discussion next week to discuss potential search firms to handle the search for a new city administrator, Bain said. A search firm likely will be hired at the council’s first meeting in February, she said.

Handt, who started working at Forest Lake City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, said she planned to apply for the permanent position.

“I’m excited about all of the opportunities that the city has – whether it be in economic development, parks or growth – and just the spirit of the community and how many people are involved in making it successful,” she said.

Handt lives in White Bear Township. She has a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin River Falls.

Prior to coming to Forest Lake, Casey served as village administrator in the Village of Salem Lakes, Wis. He was township administrator in the Town of Salem, Wis., for eight years prior to the incorporation of the Village of Salem Lakes in 2017. He also previously served as administrator for the Village of West Milwaukee and director of management and budget in Evanston, Ill.

Assistant City Administrator Dan Undem left Forest Lake in June to become city administrator in Lindstrom.

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