Hearing Set to Resume Wednesday on Guardianship Battle Over Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier Amid Allegations of Mental Decline

(KNSI) – A hearing on whether to extend legal guardianship for Alice Lenzmeier over her husband will resume on Wednesday morning in Wright County.

Alice is married to longtime Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier and is actively working to remove him from the group, citing medical issues, including rapid cognitive decline. Several documents were filed by Stearns County officials in response to explosive allegations made in Alice’s guardianship petition.

Justin Lysen, the special assistant to Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall, provided a sworn affidavit saying he picked up Commissioner Lenzmeier from Havenwood of Buffalo and drove him to three Board of Commissioners meetings in September 2024 and January 2025 and a county law help center board meeting in early October 2024. Lysen described the commissioner as engaged in the conversation, able to recall details about Lysen’s family and talk about the history of St. Cloud. Lysen writes that Lenzmeier never appeared cognitively impaired around him.

Kendall asked to be able to attend Wednesday’s meeting, either virtually or in person. She references a letter on April 16th from Alice, invoking her power as guardian to force her husband’s resignation from the board. Kendall wants to ask whether a guardian has the legal right to force someone to resign from elected office. Kendall also brings up negotiations between Alice and an attorney representing Commissioner Lenzmeier in which Alice opposed having him move back to Stearns County for medical treatment within his district.

The commissioner’s lawyer, Michael Couri, petitioned the judge, saying he was asked in December by Lenzmeier for help to relocate to Talamore Senior Living facility in St. Cloud. Couri allegedly called Alice since she is in charge of the finances about the possible move. Couri writes in an affidavit that Alice’s primary concern was getting Lenzmeier off the board, not helping him continue as commissioner. The two spoke on February 13th, 18th, and March 5th, 10th, and 24th.

Alice says Talamore is more expensive than Havenwood, and she believes it is located in a rough part of town. Couri says he only sought Alice’s cooperation and was not trying to move Lenzmeier without her approval, contrary to what was alleged in the guardianship application.

Kendall says she appealed to county officials not to try to remove Lenzmeier until a court ruled on his efforts to address the issue of his residency.

The Wright County hearing is set for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., which means the Stearns County Board of Commissioners had to pull an item addressing Lenzmeier’s status from Tuesday’s county commissioners’ agenda until after the probate judge weighed in. The item will be taken up during a special meeting on Monday, April 28th, at 3:00 p.m.

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