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• Hudson Community activist Sandy Griswold succumbs to cancer
• Update: Deputy demoted after arrest

By Meg Heaton

mheaton@rivertowns.net

As word of the death of Sandy Griswold spread earlier this week, friends and co-workers said the Hudson community had lost one of its best assets.

Griswold, 63, died of leukemia at St. Joseph's Hospital in St Paul on Monday. She had been diagnosed with the disease in December. She is survived by her husband, Gary, her sons, Galt and Cort, and their families. The Griswolds Hudson home is in the town of Troy.

Griswold worked as a guidance counselor at Hudson High School from 1989 to 1997. District Director of Personnel and friend Nancy Sweet remembers being on the committee that hired Griswold. During her time at HHS, she was instrumental in the establishment of an alternative night school for at-risk students. She became the school's first alcohol and drug prevention coordinator and its first gifted and talented resource counselor. Sweet said that after Griswold retired from the district, she went into private practice as a counselor, and much of her work was done pro bono.

Throughout her life in Hudson, Griswold earned a reputation as a tireless volunteer with much of her effort being spent to benefit youth in the community. As a member of Community Action she established the SMART Mentorship Program to match adults in the community with students experiencing problems at school. She was also an active member of Rotary, helping guide several initiatives by the club to benefit youth and the community. Other volunteer efforts included The Phipps Center for the Arts, the Salvation Army and as a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Hudson.

Ruth Misenko, owner of Seasons on St. Croix and a former school counselor, was recruited by Griswold to join Community Action and become involved in the SMART program. She said Griswold's gift was not only her own volunteer work but in her ability to motivate others to do the same.

"She was great at identifying people who would be good mentors or volunteers and then convincing them to give it a try. She believed we all had something in us to give, and if you didn't already know that, she saw to it that you found out. And because she was always doing a million things herself, how could you say no to this one thing she was asking?" said Misenko.

Misenko and Sweet both said Griswold was particularly good at getting new programs or initiatives off the ground and then finding someone else to take over.

"She never needed the limelight. She was an instigator. She would put a fire under people, get something going and then move on to the next thing. She never stood still," said Misenko.

Wins award

In 2002, Griswold's efforts were recognized when she was named the Hudson Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year. In accepting the award, she said, "Many in this room could be up here with me because volunteer work is teamwork. I'm proud to be a part of this community and this team. It is great to see projects come together with positive results. It doesn't get any better than this."

Her description of herself as a member of a team reflects what friends and colleagues remember about her. In working with young people, Misenko said Griswold didn't think of her work as charity but more like a collaboration to make their lives better.

"She didn't work for kids, she worked with them. She helped them discover their own potential to make life better. Everything she did had a ripple effect."

Both Sweet and Misenko mourn not only the loss of their friend but all that she had still planned to do. Said Misenko,"She wasn't done. Losing her now feels like a real injustice."

Said Sweet, "Sandy's loss is heartbreaking. She was a remarkable person -- unassuming, caring, intelligent, funny. Sandy was a selfless and tireless contributor for the benefit of our Hudson youth and community. She was at the center of her family and a special friend to many. She will be missed terribly."

Funeral

Griswold's funeral is Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 1500 Vine St.

The interment will be private.

Visitation is Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, 1901 Vine St., and one hour prior to the funeral service at St. Patrick's.

Memorials are preferred.

For more information, contact O'Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson, (715) 386-3725 or www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com.

By Jon Echternacht, RiverTown Staff

A St. Croix County deputy has been demoted and suspended without pay following an OWI arrest last week.

Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said Monday that Mike Winberg, 36, was demoted from patrol captain to lieutenant and suspended for 30 days without pay after Hillstead reviewed the incident Friday.

Hillstead said it was a tough decision and the penalties are harsh but he added, "Law enforcement is and should be held to a higher standard."

Winberg was arrested for OWI in Grand Chute in the northeast part of the state about 10:30 p.m. May 4. He was driving a county-owned car to a week-long management seminar in Appleton, the sheriff said.

"He was held in the Outagamie County Jail for about 10 hours," said Hillstead. St. Croix County sheriff's personnel traveled to Grand Chute Monday to bring back Winberg and the car.

Winberg was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending a review of the incident according to state statute, the sheriff said. He said Grand Chute authorities notified him about 1 a.m. May 5.

"You live in a glass house when you become a law enforcement officer and a lot of people want to throw rocks at it," said Hillstead.

Winberg was promoted to patrol captain last July and was the youngest deputy to take over the position. The town of Forest native started with the sheriff's department as a full-time employee in 1993.

"It was a tough call to make. Mike has done very well as a deputy. You have to weigh a moment of stupidity against a number of years of good service. In the end, I made the decision that was best for the department," he said.

The sheriff said the result is costly for Winberg, in terms of the demotion to a lower salary and 30 days without pay, and he will have to prove himself to his fellow officers.

The incident was a much discussed topic on a Rivertowns Newspaper Web site blog that prompted a response from Winberg this week.

The deputy took responsibility for his actions and tried to set the record straight in response to bloggers who suggested he got special treatment.

"I spent 12 hours in the Outagamie County jail as an inmate. I was treated like any other individual who would have committed the same violation," he wrote.

"I do not believe that anyone in law enforcement should be given any more consideration for infractions than any other member of the community. I have not been given any," Winberg said.

"I have served the department and the community since 1990. I plan to go forward admitting what I did was wrong and accepting the penalties set forth because of my conduct. I am very apologetic for my behavior and for the position I placed the Sheriff's Department in. I apologize to the community as a whole and look forward to rebuilding the trust I once had with everyone," Winberg concluded.