80-YEAR-OLD NO STRANGER TO CITY HALL CHALLENGES
Marisa Agha, Pioneer Press
September 14, 2002

A Post-it note listing the Minnesota State Law Library's phone number hangs on Lillian Chiarella's kitchen wall, right next to her phone.

The 80-year-old Roseville resident -- whose ethics complaint against Roseville Mayor John Kysylyczyn led to criminal charges of misconduct and conflict of interest -- is hanging on to the number in case she needs it again. After all, this isn't the first time she's fought City Hall or those who work there.The recent attention surrounding her role in the mayoral investigation puzzles Chiarella, but she is open about what prompted her action and why she cares.

"I'm passionate about Roseville,'' said Chiarella, who moved to what was then the village of Roseville in 1955. "I'm from that old school that believed that politics was a good thing.''

The mayor's accuser stands 5 foot 1 (give or take an inch over the years), mows her lawn about once a week, occasionally peppers her conversation with salty language and enjoys a glass of wine with lunch every day.

"The doctor prescribed it for cholesterol,'' she said.

Chiarella, who says she voted for Kysylyczyn, began watching Roseville City Council meetings around the time Kysylyczyn took office in early 2000. She admits that following the council meetings was a diversion from her long days as the primary caregiver for her husband, Chester, who has emphysema.

"This has been a stimulus to me because we really are quite housebound,'' said Chiarella, who tapes every meeting. "It's forced me to start thinking and doing.''

Chiarella's dissatisfaction with the mayor had been mounting for some time when she sat down to watch the council's June 17 meeting. It peaked when she saw Kysylyczyn vote to pay his own legal bills, incurred from an earlier ethics investigation. Ethics commissioners found evidence insufficient in that case.

Kysylyczyn did not reply to requests to comment for this story.

"My first impulse when I filed the ethics complaint was to call the kid's mother,'' Chiarella said.

Instead, she used her 15 years of experience as an attorney's executive secretary and began research at the Roseville Library and calling attorney friends. Chiarella is offended by Kysylyczyn's allegations that she was not the "real complainant'' in the matter. Kysylyczyn has implied that Chiarella was acting as a front for his political enemies.

"It just makes me mad because I do have the ability to do legal research,'' Chiarella said. "I am not a front ... I know a lot about the law. Given some time, I can put things together. The main thing is I know where to go to get information.''

Former co-worker Bernie St. Peter said he was not surprised when he read in the newspaper that his old friend, Chiarella, had filed the complaint.

"She was always curious about what goes on in government and persistent and not afraid to speak her mind,'' St. Peter said. "She's her own person, no question about that, and a strong-minded one.''

Chiarella is a longtime neighbor and friend of Council Member Dean Maschka, who often clashes with the mayor, but she says Maschka was not involved in the formulation of her complaint.

"I have held Dean's feet to the fire on more than one occasion,'' Chiarella said. "It has nothing to do with Dean Maschka or anybody on the council.''

She also says she does not belong to the Roseville Citizens Council for Fair and Open Government, a group calling for Kysylyczyn's resignation -- although RCCFOG officials admit they'd love to have her as a member.

Neighbor Bob Donahue says he has witnessed Chiarella's dedication and resourcefulness firsthand since she filed the complaint.

"She's been constantly on the phone,'' Donahue said. "She's a very intelligent lady ... She's not going to leave any stone unturned. That's the way she is.''

This is not the first time Chiarella has challenged a public official or City Hall. A few years ago, she was upset about noise coming from a manufacturing plant across from her neighborhood park. "I said, '... Dean, what do I have to do to get this thing resolved?'" Chiarella said. "I went to the council and they didn't even want to listen to me.''

She also got mad when she faced obstacles in getting a building permit for her garage extension, and she proudly displays a citation from the state's division of forestry honoring her and Chester's efforts to preserve open space in Crow Wing County.

"I'm one who believes you can fight City Hall, but it takes a lot of tenacity,'' Chiarella said. "I'm a born doer. I'm not a rebel. If I see things that are wrong, I'm going to step in. If I see things that are right, I'm going to comment.''

She traces her forthrightness and work ethic to her upbringing. The second of 17 children, Chiarella grew up in Pequot Lakes, where her grandfather ran a bakery.

In 1949, she married Chester, a World War II veteran. Chiarella had a son, who died in 1986. She has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

The retired couple enjoy frying green peppers grown in their vegetable garden, and of course, always tune in to the Roseville City Council meeting.

"It's good for her,'' Chester Chiarella said. "It keeps her active.''

Regardless of how citizens feel about their city leaders, Chiarella says senior citizens need to know that they, too, have a voice and can become involved.

"It behooves everyone to pay attention to what's going on with Roseville city government,'' Chiarella said. "Whatever side they choose to be on -- get active.''

As for Chiarella, she's looking forward to spending some more time in her vegetable garden.

"I just haven't had the time,'' said Chiarella, eyeing her latest tomato crop. "Now I can get in there.''

Marisa Agha can be reached at magha@pioneerpress.com.

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