The Excelsior Fire District board has voted to remove Fire Chief Curt Mackey after an outside investigation concluded he took tens of thousands of dollars in unapproved compensation, dragged his feet on reporting a costly fire engine crash, and failed to properly handle discrimination complaints inside the department. Public deliberations in early April laid bare a sharp divide among the elected officials who oversee fire service around Lake Minnetonka and left residents wondering how the district will steady itself. While some board members credited Mackey with shoring up staffing, others argued that repeated nondisclosure had eroded trust at the top.
Investigation findings
An investigative report by Soldo Consulting found that Mackey collected $42,938.06 in extra hourly compensation for duty shifts from 2022–25 and received $61,550 in contributions toward a second pension without formal approval from the fire board, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Investigators also determined that Mackey waited two months to bring a $51,409 invoice for a new fire engine to the board and took several weeks to alert members to a December 2025 crash that caused about $88,400 in damage and sidelined a vehicle. Those findings, which grew out of complaints that surfaced last summer and the district’s decision to hire an outside investigator in November, were laid out to the board and dissected at an April 8 disciplinary hearing.
Board reaction and split
Board members clashed over whether Mackey’s actions added up to intentional misconduct or reflected fixable management lapses, according to KSTP. One member warned that the pattern “opens the department to serious liability,” while others pointed to Mackey’s role in bringing staffing up to full strength. Public records show the board has already begun the early steps of searching for a permanent replacement. For now, an assistant chief is filling in as interim leader.
Where this matters
The Excelsior Fire District provides fire and rescue coverage for Excelsior, Deephaven, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay, according to the Excelsior Fire District. Station No. 1 is listed at 24100 Smithtown Road in Shorewood, and district records identify an assistant chief handling day‑to‑day operations while the board works through the transition. The leadership shake‑up lands squarely on the radar of small‑city budget writers and officials tracking big-ticket equipment purchases already in the pipeline.
Discrimination complaints and internal oversight
The investigative report concluded that Mackey did not open formal investigations, document repeated harassment complaints or notify the board as required under district policy, and that at least one staff member was told a colleague was “set in his ways,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Investigators further found that Mackey “initiated and supported behavior perceived by some personnel as prohibited religious and race‑based discrimination,” citing incidents that included a nickname and a decal placed on a vehicle. The board determined those lapses violated department rules and could leave the district vulnerable to legal claims.
Legal implications
Board members and investigators warned that the undisclosed pay arrangements and the lag in reporting vehicle damage could be treated as unauthorized spending and potential conflicts of interest, exposing the district to civil liability, according to KSTP. “This opens the department to serious liability,” a board member said during deliberations, and the investigative findings called for tighter financial reporting and human resources procedures to cut down the risk.
What’s next for the district
With an interim chief in place, the board says its near-term focus is keeping operations steady while it reviews potential changes to policies on reporting, compensation and purchasing. Public meetings and follow-up sessions are expected as officials decide whether to pair a new chief with additional training or broader rule changes. In the meantime, residents in the district’s five cities will be watching how their representatives juggle accountability at the top with the need to keep emergency services running without a hitch.
