The Forest Lake City Council this week decided to part ways with City Administrator Patrick Casey, who had served in the city’s top post since 2018.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night not to renew Casey’s contract and hired former Lake Elmo City Administrator Kristina Handt as interim administrator.

Kristina Handt (Courtesy photo)

Handt will serve as interim administrator “until the completion of a city administrator search and a new city administrator has been appointed by the council,” city officials said in a statement.

No details as to why Casey was terminated were included in the statement.

Handt, who had been city administrator in Lake Elmo since March 2016, was terminated from her position in November when the Lake Elmo City Council voted not to renew her contract. Handt had expressed concerns about the site of a new Lake Elmo Elementary School because of issues regarding access to city water. Lake Elmo, the fastest-growing city in Minnesota, is dealing with a multitude of water issues, including PFAS contamination and restrictions on pumping as a result of a court order regarding the water levels of White Bear Lake.

Prior to joining Lake Elmo in 2012, Handt served as city administrator in Scandia and village administrator in Luck, Wis.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Kristina’s caliber to step into the role,” Mayor Mara Bain said in a statement. “Her expertise and unique, comprehensive understanding of Forest Lake is exceptional, making her an ideal steward during this time.”

Prior to coming to Forest Lake, Casey served as village administrator in the Village of Salem Lakes, Wis. He was township administrator in the Town of Salem, Wis., for eight years prior to the incorporation of the Village of Salem Lakes in 2017. He also previously served as administrator for the Village of West Milwaukee and director of management and budget in Evanston, Ill.

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