Hearing Delayed in Guardianship Case of Stearns County Commissioner Lenzmeier Amid Calls for Privacy

(KNSI) – After lawyers asked a Wright County judge to close proceedings surrounding the guardianship of Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, a hearing on the matter has been postponed.

According to court records, Commissioner Lenzmeier’s wife, Alice, was given emergency guardianship of her husband on April 7th. Filings show Lenzmeier has been living in a memory care unit at Havenwood of Buffalo since April 29th, 2024. She told the court he had been suffering from declining mental ability for well over a decade, with a “rapid acceleration” over the past three or four years. Alice cited a report written after a neuropsychology exam saying he “demonstrated rapid forgetting” and could not appreciate how disruptive his condition is on his quality of life. The report went on to say Lenzmeier needs to be in a regulated care setting, can’t drive, and recommended he step down from his role on the Stearns County Board of Commissioners.

Lenzmeier has stated he believes he can still serve as a commissioner and disputes some of the claims about his mental capacity.

Monday morning’s hearing was supposed to determine if there was enough evidence to make the emergency order permanent. However, Lenzmeier’s attorney, Michael Pepin, requested the hearing be closed, citing privacy concerns due to the sensitive nature of the evidence, including medical records. Lenzmeier’s attorney says his client feels some of the allegations against him are untrue and, if made public, would hurt his ability to do his job as a commissioner and damage his reputation.

Paul Jeddeloh, who is representing Alice said they support having a closed meeting because some of the evidence to be discussed could be embarrassing.

Judge John Bowen told the court he was likely to grant the request and believed a finding of good cause exists to close the hearing, but he wanted more time to decide. Bowen says he will make his decision based on what is in Lenzmeier’s best interests. He continued the hearing until Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

The ruling leaves the Stearns County Board of Commissioners in limbo. Last week, County Administrator Mike Williams told KNSI News that if a judge hears a balanced view of the evidence and still feels a guardianship is necessary, that will likely force the Stearns County Board of Commissioners to act and possibly remove Lenzmeier during their next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd. Following the continuance today, that too, appears up in the air.

KNSI News asked Williams whether Alice had made her concerns known to senior staff. He admitted she had, and they were also aware of concerns over his residency. Williams explained it was known that the commissioner was living in a facility in Buffalo, but it was expected to be temporary, adding for anyone who had talked to him, he would tell them “his intentions are, now that he’s received some good medical care, that he’s doing much better, and that he would want to return to the district, and that’s what he’s been telling us all along.”

___