South St. Paul group launches petition for Pam Bakken recall election
A group calling for South St. Paul City Council member Pamela Bakken to step down said it filed paperwork Friday morning asking for her official recall after a child in her care was exposed to methamphetamine.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services suspended the in-home day care license held by Bakken, citing an 'imminent risk of harm' to the children in her care after officials began investigating a child who reportedly had swallowed an unknown substance.
On March 4, officials determined Bakken was responsible for the neglect.
'Dakota County determined that you were responsible for maltreatment of a minor by neglect. Specifically, Dakota County determined that you are responsible for neglect because a child in your child care program was exposed to methamphetamine,' the Department of Health said.
Molly Smith, chair of the Committee to Recall Bakken, said the city council should have asked for Bakken's resignation during the investigation into what happened to the child.
'The facts stand – and they are simple: a 3-year-old boy ingested meth while in Council Member Bakken's care at her in-home daycare, the State found Pam responsible for the situation, and yet she – and others – have remained silent,' Smith said in a statement announcing the petition. 'What's just as concerning is that Pam Bakken broke the oath she swore when elected – to uphold the laws and regulations of our great State – by willfully disregarding what she was required to do. No person – but especially not elected officials – are above the law.'
The temporary license suspension, issued Dec. 9, follows the recommendation of Dakota County Community Services, which is handling the investigation. It reads: 'You are prohibited from providing family child care. You are also prohibited from operating as a legally unlicensed child care provider at this time.'
Bakken, according to her campaign materials, has run an in-home day care for 20 years and raised six children in South St. Paul. She was elected to the council in 2020 and again last November, coming in third in a close race to elect three candidates from a field of four. Her business was licensed for up to 14 children, including up to 10 under school age and up to four infants and toddlers.
South St. Paul City Clerk Deanna Werner confirmed that the paperwork had been certified Friday morning and that the petition was back in the hands of the group.
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The group then has 30 days to gather the required number of signatures, which in this case is based on 25 percent of the last voter turnout, she said. That means by May 12, the group will need to have at least 2,763 signatures that have been verified by the city clerk for the next step, which is to put the recall on a ballot for a special election, she said.
'Special elections cost money – something that will be a burden on the City financially,' Smith said in her announcement. 'But, that's the only avenue for recourse the citizens have been given. I truly wish members of Council would speak up for what's right and join the community in calling for Bakken's resignation – and I wish Pam would simply step down.'
The Pioneer Press reached out to Bakken by phone and email and had not received a reply as of Friday evening.
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