By Rich Larson, News Director
Last week the City Council held the first of what promises to be many discussions about a proposed amendment to the City Charter. 
As the city and Northfield Hospital & Clinics have adopted what they call a “playbook” that clearly defines the relationship between the city and NH&C, which is municipally owned, the idea of expanding the pool of people who can be recruited to join the Hospital Board has been brought forth. Currently the residential requirements of the board allow for two members who live outside of the Northfield city limits but do live in the Northfield Public School District. The hospital has requested that number be expanded to three. Another request would allow for a certified physician who works for NH&C to be appointed to the board. Currently no hospital employee is eligible.
Northfield Hospital & Clinics President & CEO Steve Underdahl said that the two requests go hand in hand. Physician representation on the board is vital due to the expertise they have, but not allowing a hospital employee on the board makes that nearly impossible, as any physician in the area not employed by NH&C is obviously employed by someone else.
“The physician component – it’s really important for us to have physician voices on board. So now we find ourselves in the predicament that if we want to have an active, practicing physician in place on the board, it’s difficult to find such a person that isn’t also one of our active competitors.”
The council was largely receptive to the idea. Questions were asked about changing the area of residence, with Councilor Brad Ness wondering if it might make more sense to expand the residential area from the school district to the NH&C service area. Ness also asked if the medical professional absolutely needed to be a physician, or could that person be a nurse or other medical professional. Underdahl was receptive to both requests.
The move to amend the charter has already been brought to the Charter Commission which is expected to vote on the matter next month. A charter amendment requires a majority vote by the commission and a unanimous vote by the City Council.
Draheim expresses concern over federal government agenda
State Senator Rich Draheim said yesterday that he is troubled by a number of things happening with the federal government right now.
Draheim has long been a critic of what he considers to be excessive government spending and has spoken with disapproving tones about the amount of money the federal government has spent on the last two Covid-19 relief packages. He has warned that the sudden influx of over $4 trillion dollars into the economy in a matter of four months can lead to inflation and a false sense of economic security.
“I know [Elon] Musk and Warren Buffet are really throwing some alarms up that we have a big bubble coming up with the false economy that we are creating. So, people should be mindful of that.”
Another federal government bill Senator Draheim is leery of is HR 1, or the For the People Act, that will set election laws in place, superseding recent state laws passed around the country. He said for as long as the United States Constitution has been in place, states have been allowed to set their own election laws, and he sees an effort to put federal election laws into place as something that goes against the intent of the country’s founders. Still more issues he finds troubling include the commission President Biden has put together to study the number of justices on the supreme court, and the ongoing debate over the Second Amendment.
“These are structural changes to the way our founding fathers structured our country. Not that we always agree with everything that every politician does, but when you start changing a basic formula that has worked for hundreds of years, that’s very scary to me.”
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Senator Rich Draheim can be heard here.
May 1 is ‘Clean Up Day’ in Northfield
The Northfield Public Works Department has set Saturday May 1st as Spring Clean Up Day. From 7am-11am Northfielders will be able to bring garbage and unwanted items to the city’s Street Department building at 1710 Riverview Drive.
Items accepted without a a fee include household garbage, bulk items and some construction waste, including doors, lumber, shingles, sheetrock and scrap metal.
Appliances will be accepted for a $25 fee. Air conditioners, freezers, and mattresses and box springs will be accepted for $35 each. Computers, monitors and other electronics will be accepted at $40 each. Tires will be a $5 fee, tires with a rim will be $10, and tractor tires will be $40 each.
Items that cannot be accepted include Batteries, fertilizer, liquids, paint, pesticides, sludge, tar, thinners, yard waste and brush.
The city will be taking cash only and ask for exact amounts as no change will be available. Anyone dropping something off will need to prove residence, so the city asks that you bring your ID. All items must be unloaded by residents.
