The people have spoken (at least 14{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} of them that could)
The official results are in for Northfield City Council Wards 2 and 3. Come November, Ward 3 incumbent Erica Zweifel will face business owner, Norman Butler. Zweifel received 322 votes to Norman Butler’s 98, Jon Denison followed behind with 70 votes. In Ward 2 incumbent David DeLong garnered 100 votes to Jack Hoschouer’s 95. Mark Hofstad received 49 votes and Ken Engen got 32. Of the 5500 registered voters in those Wards, 766 voted, that’s about 14{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}. To find all the official results click on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
Nfld Police search for suspicious male
The Northfield Police department is asking for your help. Over the last several months, they have fielded at least 5 calls regarding suspicious activity. A man has approached adult females, asked them questions and then exposed himself, asked for a hug or some similar request. Police Chief Monte Nelson said the information on the suspect is sketchy as some of it is second-hand, “so right now, we’re just trying to get the notice out there and get people to pay attention and hopefully someone will call”. The suspect is described as an Hispanic man, possibly in his 20’s, standing about 5’ 8” tall. He has been on foot as well as in a vehicle which is reported to be a light colored 4 door sedan. No one has been injured. Nelson said there’s no need to be paranoid, however, “the main thing is that you just pay attention to what’s going on around you and if someone does approach you, give it the smell test. If it doesn’t sound right… trust your instincts”, he added, “this is an example of our connections and partnerships in the community are important. Our officers are not likely to be the ones that find this person. It’s more likely going to happen that someone in the public happens to be approached by him, is paying attention, calls us right away and gets a plate number or something that helps us track the person down and identify him”. Call 507-645-4475 or 911 depending on the circumstances. Full press release with other safety tips Suspicious Activity – NPD Press Release – 081016
NDDC gets $ but not with full support
Northfield Downtown Development Corporation Director, Scott Covey, asked Council for the 2nd half of money the City owes from the $35,000 consulting contract they agreed to early this year. Speaking of what they’ve done to date, he said they are in the early stages of a downtown work group in which they’ll use previous work from other groups, “to try to come up with something that we can use … to present to developers and that kind of thing”. In terms of action, Covey created a map of downtown parking for apartment residents and weekday businesses, which showed, in his estimation, there is a deficit of 60 spaces. He also created a calendar of events that he puts out twice a year, “to help businesses know when they can expect crowds”. He gave an example of Carleton Graduation that crowded the stores and they didn’t have enough staff. While Councilors Pownell, Zweifel, Peterson White and Nakasian were enthusiastic, Ludescher and DeLong were not. DeLong asked what they were spending their money on. Covey said, “a fair amount of what we’ve been paying for is payroll”. Mayor Graham said on KYMN that he is 100{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} for the NDDC, an advocate for downtown businesses, but, he’s, “100{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} against giving them money”. He said he doesn’t believe they’ve lived up to the terms of their contract which calls for them to work with the EDA. Graham is on the EDA and they’ve never seen Covey or any NDDC representative. As the City comes closer to hiring an Economic Development Coordinator, DeLong believes they should be handling most of the items Covey discussed including working with developers. The NDDC has been in existence for 16 years. I’ll have the contract and other documents on kymn.net.
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