On our podcast earlier this week, we began spreading rumors about candidates for Northfield City Council this fall… people who either might be considering filing or who are being lobbied to run for council or mayor by others. Since then, I’ve heard a few more names.
- Betsey Buckheit
- Dana Graham
- Dave Hvistendahl
- Dave Maroney
- Dixon Bond
- Jane McWilliams
- Jessica Peterson
- Jim Pokorney
- Ken Malecha
- Kris Vohs
- Lee Lansing
- Noah Cashman
- Ray Cox
- Scott Davis
Expiring terms:
- Lee Lansing — Mayor
- Kris Vohs — At-Large
- Scott Davis — Second Ward
- Arnie Nelson — Third Ward
Who else would you like to see run for council/mayor? Attach a comment. In a week or so, I’ll create a straw poll.
According to this positions open/candidates needed page on the LWV site:
NORTHFIELD CITY COUNCIL
OPEN SEATS: 2nd Ward, 3rd Ward, one At Large
FILING PERIOD: July 1-15, 2008
(last date to withdraw, July 17)
FILING FEE: $5.00
WHERE TO FILE: Northfield City Hall
801 Washington Street
PRIMARY ELECTION: September 9
(If more than 2 file for one seat)
GENERAL ELECTION: November 4
LENGTH OF TERM: 4 YearsNORTHFIELD MAYOR
OPEN SEAT: Mayor
FILING PERIOD: July 1-15, 2008
(last date to withdraw, July 17)
FILING FEE: $5.00
WHERE TO FILE: Northfield City Hall
801 Washington Street
PRIMARY ELECTION: September 9
(If more than 2 file)
GENERAL ELECTION: November 4
LENGTH OF TERM: 4 Years
177 Comments
I see Betsy Buckheit at the top of the list and I hope she will run. There are other good names on the list, plus a couple I’d rather not see on the ballot.
Remember, Commissioners Gillen (Dist 1), Plaisance (Dist 3) and Brown (Dist 5) come up for renewal on the Rice County Board in November, as well. The fact that meetings are scheduled during the work day continues to limit the number of qualified candidates.
Thanks, Stephanie… we’ll do other blog posts on the races for county commissioner and school board.
I just blogged this: David Hvistendahl, mad as hell, announces run for mayor.
The word on the street is that it would be best for Northfield, our community and its government if all seven seats on the Council were able to be contested in November. Three of the seven terms would be for two years only (I suppose), but those three incumbents would surely receive a needed, and deserved, vote of confidence from our citizens if they risked all and won again.
Norman,
With only three seats up for reelection this year, how would you suggest going about putting the other for four councilpersons’ positions up for a vote?
Felicity: Actually, there are four seats up for re-election, because the Mayor is also. And each is a single council vote. That means a majority.
It has been suggested, however, that not all the “problem” lies with the council.
Therefore , the thrust for change should be for independent thinkers who are not afraid to assume the role and responsibility of policy makers.
There has been talk, on the street, of recalling the three that are not up for election in this cycle; that would be a nearly impossible task, and not possible in the time before the July filing, although some have said there must be a wiped-clean slate.
There are 4 seats up for election/re-election, 3 council seats and the mayor:
Mayor: Lee Lansing
At-Large: Kris Vohs
2nd Ward: Scott Davis (Southeastern fourth of town roughly)
3rd Ward: Arnie Nelson (Northwestern fourth of town including the St. Olaf campus roughly)
Maybe one of the mighty triumverate could post a ward/precinct map under this blog subject.
Jon Denison
Councilperson, 4th Ward (Southwestern/central part of town, the oddest shaped ward of them all primarily because two industrial/business parks are in it causing a smaller population base in a wider geographical area)
After posting and then re-reading my previous comment, I realized i maybe should’ve used the word “equal” instead of “smaller” population in my ward. All of the wards must have close (within 10% of each other) population numbers.
Jon Denison
The fourth ward is an illegally constructed, i.e.gerrymandered ward.
The three requirements are approximate numbers, contiguity, and “communities of interest”.
The fourth ward only meets one of the three requirements: approximate numbers. Contiguity is not even approximated, and communities of interest is somewhat difficult to prove, and may be an outdated concept. When the ward/precinct map was changed, the fourth ward was configured the way it was to allow two seated council members to retain their seats without having to run again.
The League of Women Voters had to decide whether to challenge the Northfield or Rice County redistricting map in court. They chose to challenge Rice County, and won, creating some case law in the process.
Unfortunately, (some might think fortunately) our (LWV) coffers have not yet fully recovered, but there may another map challenge in the future.
Well said, John. Much appreciate your post. Just a suggestion…but if you were to ‘risk all’, I am sure the other two (Noah Cashman & Jim Pokorney) may be tempted to support your initiative. Then we would have a break from the past and optimism about the future.
Kiffi - that comment was actually from Patrick. We’re now working on a system to avoid mistakes like that. But I do agree with the comment made in my name. There will be enough confusion in the next election, without voting for six councilor seats. Also, as has been pointed out, there is the possibility that all four seats will turn over, changing the majority vote completely and thus in my mind nullifying the issue.
On another note, I would really like to encourage everyone seriously considering running for mayor to announce their candidacy as soon as possible. While I applaud David Hv, I know he won’t be the only one brave enough to face this challenge, and as citizens we will need considerable time to compare the potential candidates.
Norm: Are you actually suggesting that the three councilors who are NOT up for election, vacate their seats and then re-run… to accomplish the “clean slate idea” with what would essentially be a vote of confidence?
I don’t see anything that dramatic happening, do you?
Didn’t you mention seppuku somewhere? or am I just remembering your story about the Brit who in HenryVIII’s time was hung, taken down alive, and as he saw the knife raised to “draw and quarter” him said, “Sweet Jesus, yet more trouble?”
In addition to each mayoral candidate’s top five prioritized issues, I’d like to hear each candidate’s views, including reasoning, on the following:
This is GREAT!
For once, it is nice to have to deal with an early election season.
It is going to be a great season of debate this summer.
Kiffi. Yes; a clean slate, a vote of confidence is what is needed after this last annus horribilus (sp?).
Norm : I agree that a clean slate would be good for all; except for those whose terms have two years to go ,and probably feel they aren’t the problem. I would think that from hearing them speak , the three that AREN’T up for election definitely do NOT think they are the problem.
What do you think about this observation, Norm … the three who are not up for election are all very sympathetic with the city administrator … so if one of the newly elected (next Nov.) is also, then we are still in a POSSIBLE dynamic of power struggle within city hall. And that observation presumes that power issues are some of the problem, not just the personality/style or actions of the current mayor.
What say you, Norm?
I tend put myself in their shoes, Kiffi, and consider that a vote of renewed confidence in myself and my judgments as a councilor would be just the tonic for the next two years of council work. Indeed, it would place something akin to a leadership role on the reconfirmed’s shoulders. And I think all it would take for all three to seek affirmation is just one of them to do so (Jon, Jim or Noah). I not not the mechanism but I am sure there is one.
Norm, I’m not at all sure a mechanism exists to do what you suggest. The charter (or perhaps code, can’t recall which) clearly specifies terms for each seat. If all six councilor spots were put to vote this time, how would they then cycle in the future?
Would you punish the 3 who would put themselves up for re-election early (under your schema) by then putting them back thro re-election two years later?
Conversely, would you give them four year terms, but give the new folks 2 year terms?
Well, you are a super confident Brit entrepreneur so you are not hesitant about putting yourself on the line. That characteristic of yours has been proven.
I just can’t imagine the three whose terms ARE NOT up, putting themselves “on the line”, for the sake of a clean slate. As I said, I doubt they think they’re part of the “clean slate problem”.
BUT, assuming they would do such a thing, (just for the sake of speculation) I also can’t think how exactly it would it would be done. Considering the dates and rules of vacated seats, it would get pretty dicey with the primary filing the 1st week of July…
Anybody got any ideas? Help Norm and I out with this one…
I have a question I hope someone can answer…
How are commissions, such as planning and zoning, handled this election year. Are they elected or nominated?
Would this upcoming election result in a change to the planning and zoning commission?
How about the building inspector? That is a hired city staff position correct?
If anyone can enlighten me with an answer, I would appreciate it, so that I can better understand what is/will occur.
John,
I would love to try to explain your questions to the best of my understanding, but I think everyone can tell what responses I get even when all I’m trying to do is explain or clarify what I might consider a straight forward question.
Please feel free to call me at 507-412-1259 or email me at jon.denison@ci.northfield.mn.us anytime.
This goes for anyone!!!
John, the information on the boards and commissions (mayoral appointments confirmed by council), including application forms and description of the process, can be found on the city website. Sometimes, the term dates are included.
Information on the planning commission/ZBA is at http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/cityhall/boards/planningcommissionzba.
Tracy,
The link is helpful, but does not help me determine how many seats on the PZC are coming up for change?
As a member of the PZC, you know there are 7 members. How many members will be selected by the new mayor, and confirmed by the council after the next election?
Term expiration dates are not listed on the City website. Can you help?
Councilor Jon Denison wrote: “Maybe one of the mighty triumverate could post a ward/precinct map under this blog subject.”
Great idea. Here ’tis, Jon.
http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/assets/v/votingmap.pdf
Kiffi wrote: “When the ward/precinct map was changed, the fourth ward was configured the way it was to allow two seated council members to retain their seats without having to run again.”
Kiffi, could you let us know what year this was and who those two councilors were? I think some folks might infer that this involved current council members.
FYI, for others, info on the lawsuit Kiffi’s referring to: Hilary Ziols v. Rice County Board of Commissioners.
John: You should talk to the Chair of the Planning Commission to find out how many/if any, seats will be coming up for replacement. If you are interested you can put an application in any time during the year. he council discussed a slightly earlier time schedule for review of those applications, so I’d do it by the first of November.
Yes, the Building Inspector, who works under/with the Building Official, is a hired city employee.
Hope you left a comment on the city’s website if you thought it was lacking in some area of information, because i think they are interested in improving its usability.
Griff: I can’t remember the exact year, you can determine that from the lawsuit. I t was either the year the lawsuit originated ,or the previous year. It was two city administrators ago, and the two council members whose seats were retained, without new election, are no longer councilors, for reasons that have nothing to do with this discussion.
Since there is also discussion on this site about what and how people write, and how that writing is interpreted, I went back to look at what I’d said about the map change, and the council seats, and I thought what I said was just a pure statement of what happened, no inference.
Goes to being careful how you phrase things…
Just to be perfectly clear, I have no intention to run for public office, or the PZC.
I am more curious about the change of command of that particular commission, and will go and find the information.
Thanks Kiffi.
Erica Zweifel plans to run in Ward 3!
Jon D. I assure you that we would all benefit from the clarification that you are offering on a one-to-one basis to John T and others. Its rare and precious when a councilor gives us the benefit of their particular knowledge, understandings and insights, for you are privvy to much that we are not. So, by all means please share these and ignore the brickbats.
John T., when I was on the EDA, the terms of each member were posted on the website. I’d suggest calling Kathy Frederickson at City Hall and requesting that information be posted for all the boards and commissions.
For the Planning Commission, here’s the current status, terms expiring Dec. 31 of the year indicated:
Ross Currier (2009)
James Herreid (2009)
Joe Hargis (2009)
Greg Colby (2010)
Ronald Griffith (2010)
Tracy Davis (2008)
Alice Thomas (2008)
There! Straight answer to a straightforward question. (It took five minutes internet time, three minutes on the phone, and five minutes drumming my fingers while waiting for the info to come in via email, and another four minutes to post it here….. just to follow up my comment made in the delurking thread about why questions sometimes go unanswered)
Tracy… Thank you so much. That helps.
Norm: Looks like your “clean slate” proposal has garnered little interest, and that only being on the mechanics of how a clean slate option would work, not the reason for/or substance of, your proposal .
Too bad. I thought it was an interesting thought, given a broad overview of the personality dynamics, and how they might or might not change with the fall election.
Maybe you should use it for a discussion topic at “Politics and a Pint”, Norm…
Then you might get some public opinion.
I’ve spoken to a couple people who are trying to convince Margit Johnson to run for Mayor.
Another person being discussed, I just found out: former Mayor and current school board member, Paul Hager.
Alright! Alright! Stop calling me! Stop the constant barrage of pleading e-mails and pigeon-delivered telegrams. Stop.
I’ll do it. I’ll run for mayor. O.K.? Happy now?!
Here’s my proposed motto: “Brendon Etter: Mayor-y Me”
or — “Brendon Etter: He’s Less Stupider Than You Might Think”
or — “Brendon Etter: Ribbed, For Your Civic Pleasure”
or — “Brendon Etter: He Know Things About You And Your Family That Your Vote Might Help Keep Under Wraps”
or — “Brendon Etter: Probably Fighting Terrorism”
I just need a campaign manager… Tracy?
Brendon: I love your possible campaign slogans. If you run, I would be happy to represent your legal interests. At my standard billable rate, of course.
Britt, I hope you would volunteer your time. Enthusiastically. This is about civic involvement! Fighting for a cause much greater than yourself: Myself.
Hey, Brendon. If Jesse Ventura could be governor (he was actually pretty good. He knew how to wrestle with the issues.) of Minnesota, then I think you have some hope. But, considering the roastings that have gone on in the Northfield political theater this last year, I think running “from” the mayor position would be a better moniker. What would your first and second “acts” entail?
All kidding aside, Margit Johnson and Paul Hager are both strong names I could support.
That’s just fine, Stephanie, I didn’t want your support anyway… I mean why fight for mature, reasonable, thoughtful voters? They’re so much harder to fool.
John G… I think I would be able to handle the political roastings. I have a very broad, savory political baste.
Back in # 18 Felicity asked: How, Norman would you construct a clean slate since three Councilor seats are not up for election — each of those having 2 plus years remaining in their terms.
Very easily accomplished … if the councilors in question were inclined to face the public mid term.
Felicity wrote
Here’s how. Each of the three : Denison, Pokorney and Cashman submit resignations today …. effective the day of the election in November ‘08 … Nov. 4?
Having made that move, their respective seats are then up for election for the remaining part of their original 4 year term — from November ‘08 through December 31 ‘10.
Having announced their resignations, the full council then sets the rules (By Charter, their prerogative) for the seating of the to-be newly elected Councilors to the three vacated seats. The other four seats of regularly scheduled elections, hold their office through Dec. 31.
Those seeking office file for the seat of their choice. This is likely to include all those who submitted resignations.
So, the three seats effected by the resignations are included in those voted for on Nov. 4 and the winners of those take office immediately upon the canvassing of the vote by the remaining four outgoing officials.
Assuming some or all of those who resigned sought re-election, they might win … and be immediately re-seated, losing no time on the job.
Those who do not vie for or win election, vacate per their earlier resignation.
So the question of the cycle of terms, is not interrupted. Wards Four, and Two and one At Large seat run again in two plus years, Nov 2010.
RESULT: The scalawags faced the voters and took their chances.
Brendon- Love it! And from a seasoned professional, too! Some issues are worth brushing aside.
Stephanie- Spoil sport! I suppose your right, though. We should probably be serious about this, but it is such a drag!
Victor,
Very clever, but I don’t think calling our elected Councilpersons “scalawags” is going to help convince them to follow your suggestion. And I see no other reasons why they should.
They’ll be up for reelection when their terms end.
Opinion on Norm’s “clean slate” idea is definitely divided, Patrick.
There are many people of all different sorts, who have said that the dynamics will not, or may not, change unless all of the current councilors are up for election.
This has not been an isolated thought.
Norman Butler can fill you in on more detail of his ideas on the matter.
The three who are NOT up for election could choose to show their good intentions for a more productive, less contentious future by voluntarily putting themselves up for re-election thus garnering a renewed mandate for their actions.
They could. They have little incentive to do so.
Patrick: I agree “they have little incentive to do so” … but think how much more “comfortable” it would be for them if they had a new approval, and were not always having the old negative dynamics thrown up to them.
And maybe that would not happen if all went well with the mix of newly elected.
The clean slate requires two extraordinary things. First, a group of four who come to the table as a ready-made “clique”, or they will end up forging (or being cajoled) into joining with the “Residual Three (TM)”. Second, a group of four strong minded and knowledgeable people, NOT knowledgeable about the issues, but knowledgeable about the workings of this city’s staff.
First, as a ready made clique they might be able to avoid some of the pitfalls of small group coalition dynamics. Anyone can run for office, even a populist demagogue. But it takes a politician to change things (using politician in the non-derogatory sense).
Second, one of the primary shortfalls of “term limits” as a strategy for keeping the elected officials from becoming entrenched insiders is that the full-time staffs they rely on become the center of power because of their long-term memories of where the skeletons are. Heck, the new guys sometimes can’t even find the closets! And we’ve seen the sorry state of the relationship between staff and council in Northfield.
They wouldn’t be any more comfortable at all. As far as I can tell, there seems to be a very small, but vocal, minority of persons who offer the majority of criticisms leveled at the three Councilpersons you would like to have resign from their offices.
I see no reason to think that, even if the Councilpersons in question resigned and were soundly reelected to their posts, that that vocal minority would cease their criticisms.
Kiffi, I don’t think I have anything else left to offer on this topic. Anyway, as you said in post #9: “I don’t see anything that dramatic happening, do you?”
Oh no, Patrick, not you too - with this ’small but vocal minority’ nonsense. Why not just bow out of this particular discussion without firing that last futile, baseless, broadside aimed at no-one in particular, no stated issue, no iteratable (?) comment, if fact nowt of substance at all. C’mon Partrick!
Norman,
I did say, as far as I can tell. I can think of about 6 or 7 names of persons who have expressed a desire to “throw the bums out” regarding the Councilpersons who are not up for reelection.
Compared to some controversies around here, that’s a pretty small minority.
If there are more persons who feel that way, perhaps they should step forward and be counted.
Patrick, you’re doing it again and y’er following the lead of Rudolph the Red’s groupies..the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
No-one has said throw the bums out. I, and others have said that it would be good for the community and the group of three if all seven were to throw their hats in the ring. Civilized, critical, constructive, debatable. And raised as a point for discussion which can be addressed in interesting and unique ways…and eventually let go of - or not.
You characterize it, as others have done on so many issues, as a witch-hunt and as such send us all to our corners to either come out fighting, or fire a broadside and disappear into the crowd, or just plain sulk. It bothers me immensely that this particular tactic is oft deployed as a stopping tactic to prevent further important and relevant and articulate discussion on issues that some of us will not simply allow to disappear or be swept under the carpet for the sake of avoiding further unpleasantness or embarrassing some erstwhile pillar of the establishment.
You imply that the 6 or 7 speak only for themselves and that the vast unspeaking and unheard majority are somehow or other in a different camp entirely and in fact are with you, or him, or her, or Rudolph, or the NNews, or the attorney, or the the government employee who has no axe to grind, or the expert who receives a bag of money for his unbiased, non-partisan pronouncements or some other ‘not-the six-or seven’ who see things clearly, rationally and dispassionately.
Who the are these ‘not 6 or 7′ and what the hell do they actually think on the issues. The issues, Patrick, not the U or not-U, the trouble-seekers and -makers…. the issues!.
Sorry Norman, you’re on your own for a few days. I’m heading out of town.
C’mon, Norm. Play by your own rules. If you want the councilors to stand for a vote before their terms are up and you have the numbers behind you, organize recall elections for all of them. That’s what the mayor’s supporters told the many, many people outraged by his behavior over the last year. If you can’t prove you have the numbers, you speak for yourself — and the councilors answer to the very real people who actually elected them, not an uncounted, anonymous, amorphous group of critics who may or may not exist.
Happily, the charter gives you the perfect way to bring the hordes of critics to the ballot box — and you’ll have such wonderful weather on your side as you circulate the petitions.
Patrick: You mistake my motives: I do not want anyone to resign their office.
I do want the power block voting , which does not well serve the citizenry of this community , to cease. I want to hear councilors express what they think is best for the community, and I hear far too much punitiveness, openly expressed and acted upon. I see disrespect for the citizen Boards and Commissions, which often more honestly express the will of the community, and that is a shame.
But you’re right in making me remember I said, “I don’t see anything that dramatic happening’ …
So if the councilors split there’s unhealthy contention and conflict and if they agree there’s unhealthy bloc voting? Hmmmm…
After watching the first half of the city council work session last night, the hastily and “imperiously ” called meeting with the Charter Commission, I am more than ever convinced that Norm’s idea of needing a “clean slate” is a valid one.
What I call the “dynamics” are just not good. There’s no clearer way to say it.
Two lawyers were brought down from St. Paul to discuss the “roles and responsibilities” (ubiquitous term) of the Council and the Charter Commission. Well, I don’t believe for a moment that each of these groups doesn’t know, as well as any ever do, what their “roles and responsibilities” are. This terminology has become a euphemism for someone thinking someone is out of line.
After 45 minutes or so of beating around the bush, the real situation was brought to the table by Ms. Buckheit, newly appointed to the Chart/comm.
I can’t quote her exactly, but the essence of what she asked was: why are we having this quasi-educational meeting when the real questions/struggles/ conflicts(?) that brought us together tonight are not being addressed?
Well, it was theatre, in the true sense of the word. The two attorneys sat back, and watched , barely containing wry smiles, as the conversation began to take on a more realistic direction. And a lot of barely concealed animosity came out, and not just on the specific subject at hand.
At one point, C. Vohs, turned to the NFNews reporter and said that people should not believe everything they read in the paper, or should recognize that it might not be the whole story, and that the newspaper had been a negative influence in the town’s process. Harsh words; how was it specifically related to the issue at hand?
One of the matters to be settled between the two groups is the issue of the use of the city attorney’s services. That very real problem , one that needs definition, was barely touched. But why is it such a problem now, when this has not been in the past? “Advocacy”, dollars billed, what’s the real quandry?
Accusations about the Charter commissions intentions, based on the reading of their minutes were made by a councilperson, and defended by the commission’s chair. Although council members constantly reiterate that the Chart/comm is an independent body, they seem to want to control even the parameters of the discussion that occurs at that commission.
If the council wants to have the citizens believe that they are always acting in the best interests of the community, they need to have the same level of expectation of trust for the individuals , who have been picked by the district chief judge, to manage the upkeep of the city’s charter.
Jan Mitchell, League of Women Voters School Board Observer, reported in her blog on the League’s site, that at the Monday evening meeting Paul Hager announced that he wasn’t going to reup for school board because he is running for city council.
School board member and former mayor Paul Hager is running for mayor again, according to this article in the Nfld News.
Interestinly, at Politics and a Pint we labeled the issue of the decision making process as the #1 problem facing the city. Kiff, you said
I think that you are overly generous here, I am willing to bet that in a closed book test the council would give several different answers to the question:
Absent a shared understanding it would be natural for a group of groups (the City Council, the City Staff, and the various commissions) to work and play together poorly at best. It bears repeating, the number one question we thought needed answering?
We will be looking for answers as we move into the final stretches of the election.
I wonder if the Charter Commission could put forward a change to a strong mayor system ? I think a strong mayor could act to fix obvious problems like the dangerous traffic jam at Division and Jefferson by quickly redirecting resources. I also think a strong mayor would go along way to enhance political decision making. The internet and blogs like locally grown are solid tools to check the worst impulses of a strong mayor system. Anything has to be better than what we have going now.
Um, it would help a lot if y’all would carry on the annexation discussion over in the annexation thread instead of here in the mayor/council election thread.
http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3304/
Stephanie, David L, Randy… can you copy/paste your comments over there?> Then I’ll delete them here.
Griff, maybe you can move the whole section? Otherwise they will be out of order as we cut and paste each one.
Okay, all recent annexation-related comments have been deleted here and copy/pasted into the Thoughts on Annexation in the Northwest message thread, comment #41.
Back to the original topic!
I saw Jessica Peterson tonight at her show at Grezzo Gallery and she said, after weighing all the pros and cons with her fiancee, she’s decided to NOT run for mayor.
I think Mary Rossing would make an excellent Mayor.
Thanks Martha. That is very sweet.
Dixon Bond for Mayor, God, Omnipotent and Benevolent Dictator Emertitus Rex. Brendon can be MZ Congestiality! There! Its Settled. Thank you very much.
Not sweet, Mary, just wishful and practical. You are a huge promoter of Northfield, you are fair, you have a gift for defusing tense situations. You are the RX for Northfield’s recovery! Vote Mary Rossing!
Hear, hear! I second Martha’s call for Mary to run for mayor. Her sense of humor, business acumen, and obvious commitment to the community would make her a great candidate.
Not to take anything away from the two already-announced candidates (David Hv and Paul Hager), but we need good choices locally when we go to the polling places in November–the more, and the more diverse their views and life experiences, the better.
please find a qualified mayor anyone but jon denison we can do much better than what we have now. we need a leader to heal our rifts and differences maybe someone like victor summa eh would be ideal he understands process
I had no idea, until last night, that Mary Rossing was considering running for mayor! I think it is a brilliant idea! I do, however, want to see what she is going to do with the chamber.
Mary can you fix the chamber first? Tomorrow fix the city and then the world! If anyone can do it YOU can! Of course, you know, you may have to give up your Sundays making yogurt and granola!
Julie
Regardless of who runs, and who is elected, the most important thing will be to change the dynamics at City Hall.
In my opinion, the entire fault does not lie with the elected officials. Much of it, not all … unless you want to say that they must take charge of the Senior Staff, which of course they should, but have shown virtually NO inclination to do. The bare, red-faced, aggressive body english challenge to the Mayor at Monday’s meeting was completely unacceptable. An employee is not to be denigrated for being an employee, rather than elected; but the authority is simply not the same. An employee should bring their professional skills, if they have them, to bear on a difficult situation, rather than initiating a conflict. More management skill, less raw aggression expressed as concern for other staff, especially those who are able to take care of themselves.
I am not the only person who thinks this was a serious violation; several other people of what I would consider to be of widely divergent general views, have expressed the same concern in the last two days.
This is a situation which demands high leadership skills; maybe the only way to manage it is by rigid adherence to procedural rules.
I agree with Kiffi that whomever takes the helm must have a firm grasp on parliamentary procedure, and must enforce Robert’s Rules of Order. We’ve got to follow the rules in order to move forward and make decisions, rather than floundering around in circular debate.
BTW, I was looking for a good link to the latest revised version of Robert’s rules, and didn’t find it (darn copyright protection) but found this cute basic quiz. I scored 80%. I would hope that anyone who wants to be a contender could score a perfect 100%!
http://www.rulesonline.com/home/Quiz.htm
Crap, Britt, I only got 80% too. (But that’s okay, because I don’t want to run either.)
I only got 50%, but that’s because I only knew one for sure, the one about the quorum, and I guessed the rest. However, if you ask me tomorrow, I bet I’d get 100% and know them for the next meeting.
However, I don’t think I’d get elected either way, not around here. ; )
Don’t count yourself out until you’ve tried!
Who should run for mayor? From the list I see above in the intro, I would like to give a nod to Dixon Bond, Victor Summa, and Ray Cox and Even Lee Lansing, and I will tell you why. Now I have not see anyone else in person
on this list, but I have heard Betsy and I will say she is good at listing.
In the case of the four gentlemen, each one has presented himself to me
willingly, generously and with a true love of serving people, imho.
They are passionate but clear headed men, for the most part.
Good luck to whomever decides to run.
Oh my!
Well, Bright’s endorsement will likely stop this thread. Everyone … up, off the floor!
Interesting … hmmm?
What I see in that list, regardless of who’d become mayor is a whole new style on the council; if Dixon, Ray, Lee and i were elected. And, talk about televised drama. Guaranteed high ratings … not to mention full houses every meeting.
Let’s see … Ray’s Third Ward. Dixon, Second or Mayor … and Lee, second or Mayor … and I’m at large!
Well that works. Most of those names are electable.
That was easy. So, why can’t Clinton and Obama work it out? Maybe Bright should give them a call.
Here, billy, billy, billy, here barry, barry, barry.
I’m sorry I couldn’t resist. Living across the street
from Griff has caught up with me.
Living here for a short time it has become very apparent to me that the powers in charge of Northfield are dysfunctional at best.
The citizens of Northfield are the ones to suffer. Common sense, fiscal responsibility and accountability have all been muddled by political infighting.
I don’t know the details on how we got here, but as an outsider this is painful to watch. It seems that even the most simple things have fallen victim to bickering and ill will.
Whoever we decide on to put in next has to be a complete departure from the usual suspects. Remember they got us here in the first place.
I will be looking for a professional businesslike approach to managing city affairs. We as citizen need to demand from our leaders that they have our best interests in mind and more importantly will stand up and be accountable for their actions. I’d rather have an honest member that admits his/her mistakes then a sneaky pretender that hides his/her agenda.
Erica Zweifel is running for Third Ward, according to this article in the Nfld News.
Councilor Scott Davis “has decided not to run for a second term,” according a story on the Nfld News website.
Rice County Commissioner Jim Brown announced last week that he’s not running for his District 5 seat:
http://www.faribault.com/news.php?viewStory=35682
Webster Township farmer Jeff Docken intends to file:
http://www.faribault.com/news.php?viewStory=35724
“District 5 covers Bridgewater Township, Forest Township, Lonsdale, part of Northfield, Webster Township and Wheatland Township.”
We’re less than week away from the opening filing date so I thought I’d add “How about school board and county board?” to this blog post title.
Rice County Board
http://www.co.rice.mn.us/board/index.php
School Board
http://www.nfld.k12.mn.us/schoolboard/members.shtml
The LWV has produced a candidate recruiting guide. Jane McWilliams blogged it on N.org at:
http://northfield.org/content/need-help-preparing-run-office
The PDF: http://northfield.org/files/Recruiting%20brochure-3.pdf
The School Board’s 4 At-Large seats are to be contested… and County Board Districts 1, 4, and 5 are up, too.
I’m running for a seat on the school board. My previous (non-elected) public service includes two terms on the Northfield Public Library Board (two years as secretary) and three years on the school district’s District Educational Program Advisory Committee (DEPAC), serving on the assessment subcommittee. I’ve also been a substitute teacher in Northfield (K-8) and at Minneapolis South High School. I’d be happy to talk about my candidacy after I return from three weeks of vacation, followed by hernia surgery at the end of July!
Hello all. My mom thought it would be funny if I announced her candidacy for Scott Davis’ second ward city council seat, since I’ve been bugging her to run. a Northfield News article should appear on Saturday.
Rob Hardy for school board. Yay! Betsey Buckheit for 2nd Ward Councilor. Yay!
Thanks for the alert, Elizabeth.
Thanks Griff (and Elizabeth)! Yes, it’s true - and I don’t know if “funny” would be the word I’d have used for Elizabeth announcing the news to LoGroNo. More like: it’s nice to have the youthful enthusiasm and support from a 13 year old who is not only my daughter, but is also someone interested in Northfield issues (I know she can at least name all the current Council members and knows a lot more about annexation than she probably ever wanted to after recent debates).
Good to hear about your plans, too, Rob!
Oh Betsey, and you didn’t even give me a hint when we celebrating Dennis and Katherine’s wedding anniversary the other night…
…all that talk about local politics and you sat there uncharacteristically silent…
…although I did seem to sense a Mona Lisa smile.
I guess I’ll have to go to Elizabeth to get all the breaking news.
Elizabeth, I hope your mom hires you as her campaign chair. In the meantime, I’ve removed the “Betsey’s daughter” from your Locally Grown name. You can be your own person here! Next task: get yourself and your mom Gravatars. She’ll never win as a lettuce-head.
I saw Wendy Smith last night. She confirmed that she’s not running again for School Board. And a city hall insider who wishes to remain anonymous told me yesterday that Lee Lansing has filed to run for mayor. Evidently there’s a clause that allows for people to file prior to the opening of filing if they will be out of town during the filing period.
The Nfld News has a story today titled: Local political scene tough but worthwhile?
http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=23046
The too-small-to-read-on-the-web graphic of who’s running and who’s not for council/mayor/school board says that Katy Hargis is going to run for school board again.
In the body of the article:
I hadn’t heard this. The web pages for both show that he’s still a member of both:
http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/government/boards/economicdevauthority
http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/government/boards/chartercommission
Last night there was a rumor going ’round the JuneBug that Wendy Smith was going to challenge Kris Vohs for the at-large seat. I see today in the News that she’s not running for re-election to the School Board in order to pursue other challenges. She’s got community-wide name recognition, is a few decades younger, after eight years on the Board knows how to play vigorously but respectfully in the school yard, and is a talented singer and guitarist. It’s a pretty appealing package.
I have to mention another name for the at-large seat, David Koenig. We have been hearing from him lately on Locally Grown, and he has a great column in Saturday paper comparing city manager and strong mayor forms of government. He served two years on the Council in the past, and his expertise in the area of finance is unsurpassed.
Mary Rossing is running for Mayor. Here’s her press release:
Mary,
You are a great leader, and I am happy to hear that you will run for mayor. You can count on me to help you with the campaign.
I have much admiration for all of the candidates in the upcoming mayoral election (as well as for those choosing to seek council seats). To run for office requires a significant amount of passion and concern for this community — it’s much easier to talk about “change” vs. being an actual agent for change.
With that in mind, I am pleased to learn of Mary’s candidacy. Yes, I admit she’s a good friend. And as such, I’ve witnessed first-hand over the years her ability to “build bridges and mend fences.” Her enthusiasm for this town is such an inspiration — and I thank and credit her for my own civic involvement. When I moved here six years ago, I didn’t know anyone. But with her encouragement, I took the plunge. Now, I can’t imagine not being involved. I love this town and it’s people like Mary that make it such a wonderful place.
I very much look forward to the upcoming election. We are very fortunate to have a group of committed citizens willing to push up their shirt sleeves and work hard to better our community.
Mary,
I think you would make a great mayor! You understand the dynamics of what is involved. You are a fantastic people person, one who really cares about Northfield and the residents. Your community involvement has shown all of us what kind of mayor you would be.
All the best to you!
Julie
Alan Lindberg has filed for Ward 3. Anyone know anything about him?
Anne Maple has filed for School Board.
Jake Gillen has filed for his seat, District 1. Jerry Anderson has filed for Rice Cty District 5. Both of those seats involve Northfield Wards.
Milt Plaisance has filed for his seat, District 3. And Gary Wagenbach has file for District 4.