North St. Paul city manager submits resignation after 5 months on the job

Less than a year after going through the process, the city of North St. Paul is again looking for a new city manager.

It comes after City Manager John Stark submitted his resignation last week following just five months in the position.

Stark was selected in November to replace Scott Duddeck, who resigned last June amid theft allegations. He started at the beginning of this year after spending the past 14 years with Richfield, most recently as the community development director and the housing and redevelopment authority and economic development authority executive director.

In a letter sent to North St. Paul’s mayor and city council members, Stark said the job “is not the right fit for me,” adding that “the culture and practices of the organization differ so greatly from those that I am accustomed to, that this has resulted in an untenable situation for me.”

Additionally, Stark said the situation took “a very significant toll” on his health and family life, which is why he ultimately felt the need to resign.

“This decision has been a very agonizing one for me to make as it not only affects the City, but also comes at great personal, financial and professional expense to me,” Stark wrote. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity that you have provided me and very thankful for the support you’ve shown me in my time at the City of North St. Paul.”

Due to scheduling conflicts noted by Stark in his letter, it’s unclear when his last day with the city will be.

The city council is expected to discuss his resignation and a possible replacement during its meeting Tuesday night.

In an email to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Stark said, “during my tenure here, and continuing to this day, all five City Council members have expressed 100% support, both publicly and privately, for the work I have done here and for the content of my character.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to the council members for comment.

Councilor Scott Thorsen called it “very disappointing news,” adding that he was “very shocked and taken off guard” when he learned of Stark’s decision. Thorsen added that he felt Stark was doing “a great job and simply needed more time to adjust to his new role as our city manager” and tried to get Stark to reconsider. Ultimately, Thorsen said, “I respect his decision to move on.”

Councilor Lisa Wong called Stark “an exceptional leader,” adding that “North St. Paul was fortunate to have his leadership for the time being. He is a man of integrity and I appreciate his service to our community and the support he provided to city council.”

Councilor Candy Petersen said, “I am sorry that he is resigning!” Petersen also indicated that some people in the city may have taken issue with Stark and didn’t work well with him.

In April, Stark sent an email to city staff highlighting the work of some employees and thanking them for their efforts. He also shared a link to a music video that was created by his son and others as part of a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Hospital, and called it “a shout out to my son from his proud dad.”

The following day, a complaint was filed and he sent out another email, apologizing for the video and saying, “I had not noticed, but I have since learned, that the song contained the N-word twice. Had I noticed that, I would not have shared the video.” His email added that he and his son are “very concerned about racial justice” and have been involved in events in the past years. He said his son told him the song was made in collaboration with 16 people, mostly people of color, and the person who sang the lyrics was a person of color and wasn’t saying it in a confrontational way.

“In any event, however, I do not condone the use of that word and I sincerely apologize for having shared the link to the video,” Stark wrote. “Please know that I am truly sorry for sharing something offensive. If any employee wants to discuss this with me, I would be happy to do so.”