Tag: City of Wayzata

WAYZATA — The City of Wayzata has announced three finalists in its search for the community’s next City Manager: Andrew Letson, Charlie Miner, and Aurora Yager.

The finalists were selected by the Wayzata City Council from a pool of five semi-finalists through an executive search conducted by MGT Impact Solutions.

Selecting a city manager is among the most consequential responsibilities of the council in Wayzata’s council-manager form of government. The city manager serves as the chief administrative officer, overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing council policy, managing staff, and guiding long-term financial and operational planning.

The three finalists bring varied public sector backgrounds spanning county administration, municipal leadership, law enforcement, and higher education.

Andrew Letson

Andrew Letson currently serves as County Administrator for Meeker County, Minnesota (population 23,400), where he oversees 215 employees and a $46 million budget.

Letson brings more than 15 years of experience in local government. Prior to his county role, he served as Public Works Director for the Village of Lincolnwood, Illinois.

He holds a Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration/Policy Analysis and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Letson also previously served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

Charlie Miner

Charlie Miner currently serves as Mayor of Long Lake, Minnesota (population 1,900), and works as a Professional Services Specialist for Lexipol, a national provider of online policy manuals for government agencies.

Miner brings more than 30 years of public sector experience. He previously served as a police officer before advancing into progressive leadership roles at the University of Minnesota. As Deputy Chief of Police (Administration), he oversaw approximately 300 staff members and a $9 million budget.

Miner holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Law Enforcement from Minnesota State University–Mankato.

Aurora Yager

Aurora Yager currently serves as Interim City Manager for Wayzata (population 4,400), a role she assumed following the departure of former City Manager Jeff Dahl in July 2025. Yager has served as Wayzata’s Deputy City Manager since 2019, overseeing the Department of Administration.

Wayzata employs approximately 175 staff members and operates with a $23 million budget.

Yager brings 10 years of local government experience, previously serving as Assistant City Administrator for Howard Lake and earlier as an Administrative Intern for Eden Prairie.

She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Social Welfare from the University of Kansas.

Public Interviews Set for February 24

Finalist interviews will take place Tuesday, February 24, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Wayzata City Hall and the Wayzata Library.

Three interview panels will participate in the final selection process:

• The Wayzata City Council
• The Staff Leadership Team
• Invited community members representing city commissions, boards, the business community, and residents

The interviews are open to the public to observe in person. A detailed schedule will be included in the February 24 City Council agenda packet.

Former City Manager Jeff Dahl served Wayzata for more than nine years before accepting the position of City Administrator for Woodbury, Minnesota, in July 2025.

The council is expected to continue its deliberations following the February 24 interviews.

The Wayzata City Council will convene Thursday, February 5, for a workshop session to review internal and external pre-screened candidates and select semi-finalists in the search for Wayzata’s next city manager.

During the workshop, councilmembers will meet with MGT Impact Solutions, LLC, the executive search firm assisting the City with recruitment. Consultants will present an overview of the qualifications of nine candidates who advanced through initial screening, along with summarized feedback from reference and media checks.

To protect applicant confidentiality, candidates will be identified only numerically during public discussion. Names and identifying details—including current employers—will not be disclosed. City officials emphasized that the redaction of names is being done out of courtesy to the applicants, many of whom are currently serving in senior leadership roles elsewhere.

Former City Manager Jeffrey Dahl resigned effective July 17, 2025, prompting the Council to initiate a national search. A subcommittee consisting of Andrew Mullin and Councilmember Ken Sorensen has been working closely with MGT consultants Ellen Hiniker and Pam Dmytrenko to guide the process.

Following Wednesday’s presentation, the Council is expected to select a smaller group of semi-finalists to advance to first-round interviews scheduled for February 12. Final interviews are planned for February 24.

City officials noted that maintaining confidentiality throughout the early stages of the search is considered best practice in municipal recruitment, particularly when candidates are actively employed in other communities.

WAYZATA — The City of Wayzata has been hit with its second lawsuit over its recent ban on short-term rentals, marking another significant legal chapter in a community long shaped by questions of land use, property rights, and the evolving character of lakeside living.

A group of five property owners — Jeffrey Lee Holmers; 306 Barry Ave N LLC; Scott Tripps; 1020 Lake Street E LLC; and Anna Ovsyannikova & Yevgeniy Ogranovich — filed a mandamus and declaratory judgment action in Hennepin County District Court on November 21, 2025, asserting that the City’s new short-term-rental prohibition violates state law, deprives them of vested property rights, and was adopted without the public-process safeguards required of zoning ordinances. 

At the center of the dispute is Ordinance 852, approved by the Wayzata City Council this fall. The ordinance prohibits any lease, license, or occupancy of fewer than 30 days within city limits, effectively ending Airbnb-style rentals beginning April 1, 2026 — the day after all existing rental licenses expire. 

A Second Lawsuit on the Same Issue

Wayzata’s neighborhoods, from Ferndale to Barry Avenue, have long evolved alongside broader debates about growth and preservation. As early as the 1850s, the first settlers — Oscar Garrison among them — encountered conflicts over land use and community identity. Today’s disputes over short-term rentals echo that history: a modern tension between welcoming visitors and protecting residential tranquility.

According to the newly filed complaint, each plaintiff purchased and renovated their Wayzata property specifically to operate it as a short-term rental, relying on City ordinances that expressly allowed rentals of any duration. All hold valid City rental dwelling licenses set to expire in March 2026. 

The lawsuit argues that:

• The City treated Ordinance 852 as a rental-license change – but it is actually a zoning ordinance, triggering procedural requirements under the Minnesota Municipal Planning Act, including a mandatory public hearing before the Planning Commission. The complaint alleges no such hearing occurred. 
• Plaintiffs made substantial financial investments in reliance on the City’s long-standing permission for short-term rentals — creating what they claim are vested rights that cannot be eliminated without compensation. 
• The ordinance constitutes an unlawful taking because it removes a previously permitted use without due process or compensation. 
• The April 1, 2026 effective date is intentionally tied to the expiration of existing rental licenses, creating a de facto phase-out without grandfathering. 

The plaintiffs are asking the court to:

• Issue a writ of mandamus compelling the City to comply with required zoning-amendment procedures.
• Declare the ordinance void as adopted.
• Restore their ability to continue lawful short-term rental operations.

A Broader Community Conversation

Short-term rentals have become increasingly visible throughout Lake Minnetonka communities, from year-round visitors drawn to the lake to seasonal tourism tied to events such as James J. Hill Days.

Wayzata is not alone in facing this issue. Across the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, cities are balancing hospitality, housing stability, and neighborhood character. But each community’s approach reflects its own history. In Wayzata — a town that grew from Dakota homelands, railroad hospitality, and generations of families drawn to the lake — the discussion is particularly resonant.

What Comes Next

The City will be required to formally respond to the complaint. Under Minnesota law, an answer is typically due within 21 days of service. As with any mandamus action, the court will consider whether the City had a clear legal duty to follow specific procedures when adopting the ordinance.

The case carries implications not only for the five plaintiffs but for all Wayzata property owners and future City policymaking. The ruling may clarify whether short-term-rental restrictions must be treated as zoning changes — requiring Planning Commission involvement — or whether they may be adopted directly through licensing provisions.

Wayzata.com will continue to follow the proceedings as the community works through yet another question at the intersection of tradition, property rights, and the evolving rhythms of lakeside life.