The Northfield Charter Commission decided last year to look at each section of the Charter to determine if changes should be made. Member Lance Heisler stated in their meeting last week that Section 3.8 provides that the Mayor is accountable to the Council and shall oversee City Staff. However, it has been largely ignored in terms of reporting by the Mayor. The last documentation of a report was from 2002. Heisler added that this Mayoral oversight is an important part of the Charter. Part
of the issue is there’s no specifics in the Charter as to how/when the mayor must report it. He proposed to add that a Report be communicated to Council by letter at the end of a current Mayor’s 3rd year. That would allow a year to fix anything if necessary. The Mayor could also delegate someone to perform the study and report. The motion was made and voted in unanimously. Now it goes before the Council for a vote. However, Mayor Pownell, sitting in the audience, questioned why that provision was in there at all, noting they hold performance reviews of City staff. Another question is HOW the Charter is enforced. Charter Chair David Ludescher was in studio this morning. His interview is posted under “Morning Show”. Mayor Pownell and Administrator Martig will be in tomorrow morning at 7:20.
Hundreds gather to remember our Veterans
The weather, though cool and breezy, held out for yesterday’s Memorial Day Ceremony at Veteran’s Park as hundreds gathered. Presented by Northfield’s American Legion Post 84 and VFW Post 4393, this year’s featured speakers were retired Col. Kevin J. Larson, Kiara Artley with the Patriots Pen spoke on the America she believes in, “is a place where citizens have bonded so close together they would each take a bullet for each other. Where they have an unspoken pact of truth. To stick together and keep their land free”. And Logan Ledman with the Voice of Democracy. He had visited Washington DC last year and remarked on the WWII Memorial Freedom Wall, “a somber black stone covered in 400 gold stars, each representing 100 American casualties in WWII. At the bottom is engraved the words, Here we mark the price of freedom. The Freedom Wall is another poignant reminder of the men and women who’ve come before us and taken on the ultimate responsibility and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. My responsibility is to never forget by believing in what they fought for, upholding and defending the truth of the American Promise”. The Northfield Beyond the Yellow Ribbon held their first post-ceremony picnic. Virginia Kaczmarek reports about 240 people attended. The entire ceremony is on kymn.net,
Overnight work on I-35 in Owatonna
Interstate 35 traffic will be stopped for 15-minute periods overnight tomorrow night as crewsplace bridge beams south of Owatonna. Mn Dot says the work is expected to begin at 10 p.m. and be completed by 4 a.m., June 1. During this time, five bridge beams will be placed. During the process, the Minnesota State Patrol will stop traffic to allow the equipment to get into place. Each placement is expected to take approximately 15 minutes.
DJJD Ambassadors sought
If you or someone you know would like to be a Defeat of Jesse James Days Ambassador, now’s the time to toss your hat in the ring! The Committee is seeking new ambassadors to reign over the 2017 Celebration. Candidates must be at least 16, unmarried with no children and live or work within the Northfield School District. They’re also looking for Junior ambassador candidates must be 6-8 years old by August 11th. Ambassador Scholarship Program Chair Julie Eddy, “This is NOT a beauty pageant or a popularity contest. Their program revolves around volunteerism and developing leaders that will serve as positive role models. For more information go to djjd.org. or click HERE for the press releases. For more information about being a candidate for 2017 please join us at one of our information meetings:Monday, June 13, 2016 6:30PM OR Monday, June 20, 2016 6:30PM at the Northfield Public Library.
