Ex-A.L. city manager appeals conviction
Former Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman — sentenced in June for using the city-issued credit card for personal purchases — has filed an appeal with the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
The appeal notice was filed at the end of September, according to online court records.
The basis for his appeal has not yet been defined.
Norman, on Wednesday, acknowledged he had filed an appeal but declined to comment otherwise.
He was found guilty in May of permitting false claims against government by a public officer, theft with the intent to exercise temporary control and misconduct by a public officer. The conviction left him with six felonies and one gross misdemeanor on his record.
The convictions involved charging $2,300 of personal purchases during his first few months as city manager in 2010.
He was ultimately sentenced to 90 days electronic home monitoring and five years of probation. Mower County District Court Judge Fred Wellmann also ordered that Norman not be allowed to obtain employment or act in a nonemployment capacity that requires him to be a fiduciary for any other person.
To issue its decision, the Court of Appeals will review arguments from both sides along with the transcripts from the trial, including discussion made on the record but without a jury present.
Court records state Norman will be represented by Lydia Maria Villalva Lijo, assistant state public defender.
Online records state David S. Voigt of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office will be handling the case for the state.