There may be nothing illegal or unethical about it, but you bet it raised the Scoop's eyebrows to learn that Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher's wife is or was the listing agent for the house of Fletcher's best man, former employee and convicted federal felon Mark Naylon.

"It looks bizarre -- it looks like something improper," said Hamline University Prof. David Schultz, who teaches government ethics. "But I don't think it really rises to the level of him (Fletcher) using his position as sheriff to force his friend to use his wife as his real estate agent."

Bottom line, Schultz says: "I don't think it rises to the level of any conflict of interest."

But it's still worth scooping about.

Naylon, who currently resides at a minimum-security satellite prison camp in Florence, Colo., is listed, along with his wife, Christine, as the homestead owners of a 3-BR, 2.5-BA house at 5895 Otter Ridge Circle in White Bear Township, according to their 2009 Ramsey County property tax statement.

That same 3,542-square-foot house is listed on RealEstateSpace.com and NeighborCity.com with Kristine Fletcher of Fletcher Realty -- http://kristinefletcher.com/ -- listed as the agent and agency of record. The house may no longer be on the market, as several other real estate listing services no longer have it active, and a Fletcher Realty web page appears to suggest the listing has been taken down.

Neither Fletcher could be immediately reached for comment Tuesday, but if they do respond to phone messages, the Scoop will update. Naylon's wife could not be reached for comment, and Naylon himself is scheduled to be unavailable for timely comment until May 23, 2011, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In 2008, Naylon, along with Timothy Rehak, were convicted of taking money in an FBI sting operation, known as an "integrity test," intended to nab crooked cops. Rehak was a veteran St. Paul cop assigned to the Ramsey County sheriff's office before he became a sheriff's employee.

Naylon wasn't a peace officer. Officially, he was Sheriff Fletcher's spokesman, but testimony at his federal trial showed that he spent most of his time engaged in police work. Naylon was best man at the wedding of Fletcher and Kristine Reiter.

Kristine Reiter Fletcher is the de facto campaign manager for Fletcher's 2010 re-election campaign, Bob Fletcher has said. Assistant St. Paul Police Chief Matt Bostrom and St. Catherine University Director of Public Safety Laura Goodman are also seeking the post.

The Naylons bought the parcel for $22,500 in 1994, the same year the house was built. (One could assume they bought the land and then built the house?) Like many homes, its value has fallen, and the current estimated market value is $325,000. Asking price in the listings: $429,900.

Sister PiPress blog The Usual Suspects has posted the video of Police Chief John Harringtons's address to his troops, announcing that he's not seeking another term in office. Click here for it.

The tallies, trades and pleasantries are done, and the Scoop is ready to call it: Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt will be named the new County Board Chair at the first meeting of 2010.

Commissioner Jan Parker, the current chair, has subscribed to the opinion that many commissioners have that no chair should serve more than four years in a row, so no one should consider this a usurpation or anything.

Reinhardt last served as chair in 2004.

With Wednesday evening's announcement by St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington that he won't be seeking another 6-year term, City Council President Kathy Lantry wasted no time getting the wheels turning on the lengthy, St. Paul-esque process to fill his shoes before Harrington's term expires at the end of June.

The process, in one sentence: The City Council creates a committee and sets minimum job qualifications, both of which are ordinances and must be subject to four readings -- including one public hearing -- after which time the committee will begin meeting, eventually -- no sooner than 30 days after final City Council approval -- winnowing the field of applicants to five, who will then be vetted by Mayor Chris Coleman, who will nominate one to the City Council, which must then ratify the appointment.

All that, of course, follows the behind-the-scenes brokering that's been under way for weeks as Lantry, fellow City Council members and at least one consigliere of Coleman hammered out who would be on the committee. Rather than bickering, the list became nearly all-inclusive, with 22 members on board so far, representing nearly every socio-eco-pol-racial demographic one could conceive of in the city. (The Scoop says "nearly" because none of the colleges or universities appear to have representation.)

"We try to get all walks of life, all communities of color, all angles," notes City Council Member Dave Thune. "Size hasn't been a problem in the past, so why would it be now?"

Click here for the proposed Police Chief Examining Committee.

Click here for the proposed minimum qualifications.

The qualifications are identical to those used when Harrington was selected, except for an increase to six years experience in big-city, upper-echelon cop brass -- up from four last go-round. City HR Director Angie Nalezny says the six-year minimum is more in line with what other big bergs require and better matches what St. Paul demands of many of its department heads.

The executive assistants to City Council members have been busy lately -- and the Scoop has neglected to catch up.

On Nov. 8, Joan Reidell, Ward 1 executive assistant, gave birth to Jack William Petranek. Reidell recently showed off the little guy, who was mum on whether he wanted a future in politics.

And earlier in the fall, Ward 3 Executive Assistant Pattie Kelley was elected President of the State of Minnesota's Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. The group has 13 Chapters throughout the State - open to moms who have sons or daughters serving or who served in the U.S. armed forces.

The Scoop congratulates both moms!

City Hall labor/political junkie Kris Fredson sent word today he's leaving the administration of Mayor Chris Coleman.

Fredson, at left, whose formal title is Deputy Chief of Staff but who functioned more like a political director, will serve as political director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO under its president, Shar Knutson.

The move comes as no major surprise; while the crew-cutted Fredson regularly and dutifully conveyed the mayor's positions in one-on-one meetings with City Council members over policy issues, he cut his teeth as an organizer and has always said his heart's in labor.

With Coleman now safely re-elected and no longer seeking the governor's seat, the Scoop has been waiting to see how many cabinet members will split. So far, it can't be called an exodus, but Fredson's announcement came Friday, as staffers were in their second day of interviewing a parade of young political Padawans seeking to fill the position of Communications Associate Elizabeth Frosch, at right, who left for a post in the office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Here's Fredson's announcement:

Dear friends,

As many of you know, in January, I will be leaving my position in the Mayor's Office to serve as the political director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO. It has truly been an honor to work with such a wonderful group of people who are all committed to making Saint Paul a stronger city, to work for an honest and courageous leader that we truly believe in and who does the right thing, and to serve the people of Saint Paul.

I will always be proud of the role that I played in helping elect Mayor Coleman in 2005. Today, the doors to City Hall are open, we are investing in our values and moving Saint Paul forward. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Council President Lantry and Councilmembers, to write our living wage ordinance and labor peace policies, and to shape Saint Paul's committees.

Thank you for your friendship and support over the years. I look forward to continuing our work together to make Minnesota a better place for working people.

Peace,

Fredson

St. Paul Assistant Police Chief Matt Brostrom's formal kick-off in his run to unseat Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher will be 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Landmark Center.

Click here for the invitation.

Bostrom, as everyone knows, has been emphatic that he's running for sheriff, not against Fletcher.

Yeah yeah. The Scoop, along with everyone else in town, wonders: How long will it take for mud to start flying? (Note: The Scoop refrains from predicting which direction that mud will fly, but it will fly.)

from the Political Animal:

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, through the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, called this morning for a special session to deal with the state's budget deficit.

"Minnesota cities are so close to the financial edge that any reduction in the December funding will spell disaster in the form of closed libraries, deeper cuts to police and fire protection and a sharp reduction in critical services, like winter snowplowing," the pair said in a press release.

After a $1.2 billion budget shortfall was announced this week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty indicated that a likely target for savings would be about $400 million scheduled to be paid this month to Minnesota cities in the form of local government aid.

The Scoop's NO-PARKING-signs-as-free-firewood tale continues. (This is the tale of some 13 boxes of city no parking signs left in a Frogtown alley after, apparently, being given to a city employee for use as firewood.)

First, to clarify. Fresher facts emerged today from St. Paul Public Works. The signs in question were not from recent street sweeping. They were an older-design not used since the 1980s. (Note that they don't have the universal-language P with a line through it.)

Workers recently discovered the signs in an attic-type area of a maintenance facility and determined they were essentially trash. Noting that it costs money to throw stuff away, it made sense, or so someone thought, to oblige an employee who offered to take them off the city's hands for free, to be used in some sort of a wood-burning stove or fireplace.

"It seems rather innocent," notes public works spokeswoman Shannon Tyree. But she's quick to not let that interpretation stand.

"It's still not the right thing to do. What we should have done was contacted Eureka Recycling. Even if they couldn't be recycled, we should have found a better solution. ... The perception of 13 boxes of city property outside a public works employee's home is unacceptable."

Perception is important right now in public works. The department is hoping to become Minnesota's first to receive best-practices accreditation from the American Public Works Association and just finished its first year of evaluation. Among the most recent activities in that vein: They just finished department-wide ethics training. (woops)

"This is why this is very disturbing," Tyree tells the Scoop. "Ethics isn't just about following the law. One of the big things is perception for government workers."

Tyree says the department's brass are using the snafu, magnified, naturally, by this shameless blog, as a teachable moment to impress upon the workers that innocently intended acts these days can be caught on camera and create a perception of bad public service.

The incident also appears to have led to some tongue lashing. Tyree doesn't offer specifics, but she said the workers involved have all been "talked to." She says, "This matter is being addressed."

Boxes upon boxes of temporary city "No Parking" signs are apparently available this evening as free firewood, the Scoop has discovered.

This afternoon, the Scoop came across about 13 boxes of signs in a residential alley not far from University Avenue and Dale Street.

Each reads:

They looked kind of lonely, but in good enough condition to be potentially of value. So, being the responsible taxpayer, the Scoop notified the city about them and asked for an explanation.

After making a few calls, Shannon Tyree, spokeswoman for public works, said the signs are "old and can't be used any more." She said they were a type of cardboard and were probably tied around trees and used for street sweeping and other temporary closures. The Scoop couldn't tell the material for certain, but the signs aren't the flimsy type of cardboard that deteriorates in one rainstorm.

"One employee asked if he could take them home and burn them. Apparently, he has a fireplace or something," Tyree said. The wish was granted. "But the employee doesn't live there," she said. "Maybe he gave them to someone. We're not sure. But we might send a night crew over to collect them because the point is, they shouldn't just be lying right there."

The Scoop is musing about whether to grab the signs right now and plaster them all around, say, the entire downtown, say, oh, maybe tomorrow?