I would give Dena my full appreciation and confidence.”

Orlyn Kringstad

TOWER— One of the two co-directors of the Tower Area Ambulance Service has submitted a harshly-worded resignation letter and used his submission as an opportunity to attack the other co-director. The move comes as the city of Tower is in the process of hiring a permanent director for the ambulance service.
Josh Villebrun, who the city council appointed to the co-director position on March 16, submitted his letter of resignation on Monday, first announcing it in a text message to ambulance service members early Monday morning. Villebrun’s resignation letter puts the onus for his decision on the city council and his fellow co-director Dena Suikhonen, whom he states has “poor communication with me, poor leadership style, poor Human Resources skills/knowledge and different goals and aspirations for the Department.” Villebrun also took issue with the city council’s recent decision to accept the recommendation of the Tower Area Ambulance Commission for the ambulance service to contribute $1.66 for every mile driven on a non-emergency inter-hospital transfer to the ambulance replacement fund.
Villebrun’s scathing letter hasn’t gone over well with city officials.
“I would give Dena my full appreciation and confidence,” said Mayor Orlyn Kringstad in response.
Council member Dave Setterberg, who worked with both Villebrun and Suikhonen on ambulance issues said he found Suikhonen easy to work with. “So far, with everything I’ve asked for, she’s been able to give me the information in a timely manner,” he said. He noted that Suikhonen had also tracked down a potential source for no-cost assistance on the development of a business plan for the ambulance service, something it has lacked for years. The city council had looked at hiring a consultant to do the work, but the price tag ranged from $23,000-$30,000, a prohibitive amount for an ambulance service that has been struggling financially since shifting to a relatively high-wage, paid-on-call business model.
Clerk-Treasurer Victoria Ranua, who has also worked closely with both co-directors since their appointment, indicated she’s been impressed with Suikhonen’s efforts in the role. “Four days after she assumed the interim role the state of Minnesota issued a COVID-19 peacetime state of emergency,” noted Ranua. “This virus directly affects the well-being of ambulance staff and the people we serve.  [Dena] was proactive in obtaining the additional recommended personal protective equipment and securing short-turnaround COVID-19 funding.  She has a keen awareness where her experience is insufficient to guide her and is not afraid to reach out to others for solid guidance.  Her lack of rashness is a protective quality for the service.   As for communication, it’s always a two-way street.  The entire city could benefit from improving their communication skills.”
Villebrun’s future with the ambulance service remains unclear. In his letter, Villebrun indicated that he would immediately return to his duties as the “permanent” assistant director.
“No, he won’t,” responded city council member Sheldon Majerle. “That job was eliminated.”
Ranua suggested that Villebrun may be within his rights to return to the position. “When people are appointed to an interim position it is temporary,” stated Ranua. “If they are assuming this role above another position, they typically return to their regular position upon termination of the interim role.”
Setterberg did express some hope that, based on his letter, Villebrun was still willing to work constructively with the city. In his letter, Villebrun did say he was willing to accept direction from Suihkonen as assistant director, despite his criticism of her performance. “I was glad that he stepped aside realizing there was a difficulty working together,” said Setterberg. At the same time, Setterberg indicated that Villebrun had been less forthcoming with information than Suikhonen and that he sometimes questioned his objectives. “I haven’t always been sure exactly what is going on [with him],” said Setterberg.
Kringstad questioned whether the city wants to continue a relationship with Villebrun, who has prompted concerns among city officials over his inconsistency and unclear motives. “At what point does it become obvious that he will continue to disrupt and interfere with rebuilding the ambulance and fire departments?” Kringstad asked.
Villebrun insists that he’s focused on moving the ambulance service forward and says he hopes his decision to step down will help improve morale.
Villebrun said he’s focused his efforts since becoming co-director on better understanding the revenues generated by non-emergency inter-hospital transfers and argues that the transfers are imporant to the service given the revenues they generate. That’s a view that has not always been shared by others on the service or by city and township officials who have followed
Villebrun complaint dismissed
Villebrun’s resignation letter came just hours ahead of the release of a letter from City Attorney Mitch Brunfelt, who informed Villebrun that he had dismissed his complaint against a fellow member of the ambulance service for an alleged violation of patient confidentiality laws. The complaint stemmed from the investigation into former director Steve Altenburg, during which the service member revealed some of Villebrun’s medical limitations to investigator Nancy Roe.
“I have concluded that your complaint is without merit,” wrote Brunfelt in his April 20 letter to Villebrun. Brunfelt went on to explain that the service member revealed information that they had been told was part of an official investigation and that [the service member] believed “[he/she] was allowed to provide to the investigator any and all information that [the service member] believed was substantive and relevant to the subject matter of the investigation.”
Brunfelt added: “I have concluded in my capacity as Tower City Attorney that [the service member] did not engage in any wrongdoing. [The service member] did not violate any of your rights under HIPAA.”
At the same time, Brunfelt extolled his own concerns about who it is he believes is really motivating Villebrun. “Your complaint has all of the indications and markers that it actually was orchestrated by, and perhaps even written by, Steve Altenburg,” wrote Brunfelt. “If that is the case, then I suggest that you seriously consider utilizing your time and energy for more constructive efforts to help the Tower Area Ambulance Service move forward in a positive way, rather than letting yourself be used by Steve Altenburg as his mouthpiece and as a pawn in his campaign of smear and retaliation.”
Villebrun did not comment on Brunfelt’s accusation, other than to say that he went through the complaint process and accepts the result. He does have outstanding complaints on the same issue, however, filed with the state Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board and with the civil rights division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. There is no timeline for when those complaints might be resolved.