Freeborn County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen, responding to allegations leveled at Tuesday’s county board meeting, said he had no inappropriate involvement in an effort to have Commissioner Dan Belshan removed from the board of the Freeborn County Family Services Collaborative.

Tuesday, Jim Hanson of rural Freeborn County brought the allegations before the county board, saying Bob Graham, an Albert Lea city employee and chairman of the joint-powers board, told him that he was pressured by Gabrielsen to sign a letter asking for Belshan’s removal. A summary of Hanson’s interview with Graham has been posted to three local Web sites.

Graham, when contacted about the letter, refused to comment.

Gabrielsen said Wednesday that he first heard of the allegations Monday afternoon when Roger Bok of Albert Lea presented him with a copy of what Hanson had written on the Web sites.

He said he was contacted by several members of the collaborative board who asked about having a different county representative on the board. Gabrielsen said he told them it was not his decision.

He said he spoke to Graham to tell him of the inquiries he’d received from other board members. He said he told him: &uot;If you want to ask (the county board) to take a board member off, you’ll have to be specific.&uot;

When asked if he pressured Graham to ask for Belshan’s removal, Gabrielsen said &uot;absolutely not.&uot;

&uot;I had nothing to gain from this,&uot; Gabrielsen said. &uot;They came to me.&uot;

Hanson told the board he didn’t think Gabrielsen should have been involved in the effort to remove Belshan.

&uot;I don’t think that’s something the county employees should be meddling in,&uot; he said.

The letter from Graham asking for Belshan’s removal said board members did not think Belshan was supportive of the cooperative’s mission. Belshan contends that he was targeted because he began questioning the collaborative’s administrative costs.

The county board voted 4-1 to replace Belshan with Public Health Director Lois Ahern on May 20.

Gabrielsen said he will talk to Graham, and promised provide a written response to Bok and Hanson regarding Hanson’s allegations.

The collaborative is a joint project of the county, the city and schools. It receives federal funding to compensate for expenses involving at-risk youth.