After months of speculation and some unofficial pronouncements, Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Chief Gerry Franek has finalized
his plans for retirement.
Last week, Franek sent a letter to the NAFRS Board, stating that his final day as Chief will be next Tuesday, January 18th.
“While it has been an honor to serve our Northfield community in firefighting and my later years as Fire Chief,” Franek wrote, “I feel the time has come to pass the baton along to our next generation of firefighters – of whom I am confident will do well in serving on behalf of the Department.”
Franek joined the Northfield Fire Department in 1985 and has been Chief of the Northfield Department and later the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service for nearly twenty-five years.
NAFRS Board chair Brad Ness said the board has great respect for Chief Franek.
“The Board is very proud how Gerry has run the Fire Dept as Chief for the past 24 years,” said Ness in a statement. “We will miss his leadership and determination to make NAFRS the best department in Minnesota.”
Questions have been circling around the department about what comes after Franek’s tenure. An organizational report they received recommended that the position of Fire Chief be converted to full-time. It was the third such report to make the recommendation. Ness has said the board will discuss the matter in the coming months. In the meantime, First Assistant Chief Tom Nelson has been tapped to serve as Interim Chief until a decision is made.
Ness said Franek is leaving the department in good hands.
“Everyone in the department knows that Gerry’s departure may be difficult, but [we] also know that the training that Gerry has given Tom will make for a smooth transition.”
Franek said in his letter that it will be a “true-life transition” to leave the department after thirty-six-and-a-half years, and he is grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside what he called a “great team of firefighters.”
Lippert discusses his reasons for stepping away from the House of Representatives
State Representative Todd Lippert said on Friday that the reason he will not seek re-election this fall is because he feels the need to focus his attention elsewhere in order to help his party.
Lippert said since the 2020 election, and especially after the riot at the Capital in Washington, D.C. last year, he has seen the need for not just the State DFL party, but for the National Democratic Party to re-connect with people who live in rural areas.
“I’ve been engaged in that conversation, and really drawn to it,” he said. “I want to give my full time to this work, and I need to step aside from the House position to do it.”
Judging from the results of the 2020 Census, there is an assumption that Lippert’s district will grow geographically. That will, in theory, add more conservative voters to District 20b, making his re-election, or the election of any Democrat to that seat more difficult, but he disagreed with that assumption. He sees the City of Northfield, which has been shown to be a more left-leaning community, remaining in the district, nor does he think a new district boundary would split the city. And because of that, he expects the district to remain a DFL stronghold. The work he wants to do after leaving the House of Representatives, will enhance that position.
Lippert’s announcement came as a surprise, but he said he had discussed his decision with DFL Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and other leaders. And while he is offering no endorsements yet, he did say he has been contacted by one Democrat already who will likely announce a run for the seat very soon.
Finally, he said even though this is his final session in the House, there are still things he would like to accomplish. In fact, he said, he will be far from the only person in the legislature serving out their final term, and they will all have the same respect for their positions.
“I’m excited about the work that’s ahead. I have priorities in mind and things I would like to accomplish that are important for the district and important for the state. There are other members from both parties who are stepping aside and retiring, too, and we’ll all be engaged and wanting to make this session effective and important as possible for the people of Minnesota.”
The new legislative session will begin on January 31.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with State Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
Library will offer homework help beginning next week
The Northfield Public Library will soon begin to offer a new service in collaboration with Carleton College to offer free homework help for K-
12 students in Northfield.
Emily Lloyd, the Youth Services Librarian, said they had been thinking about this idea for some time. With the difficulty many students have had during the pandemic, be it because of distance learning, or the need to get caught up, Lloyd said it was apparent that this would be a good time to put the program in place.
The library approached Carleton College to ask if there would be students willing to volunteer. The college actually took it a step farther by creating work study positions for the library tutors.
Beginning Tuesday, January 18th (the library will be closed on the 17th for the observance of Martin Luther King’s birthday), the Carleton students will be on hand from 4-6pm. No appointment is necessary. Kids can simply show up and ask for the help they need. The program is for all students, kindergarten through twelfth grade, said Lloyd, and the tutors will be able to assist on any subject.
She said this is an important new program that the library is offering, and she hopes that it will garner some word-of-mouth promotion.
“We knew there was a community need for this, now more than ever after two years of a pandemic. Kids can drop in. Spread the word, folks, because we’re really excited about this. We want to help Northfield Youth succeed, and so do our fantastic new tutors.”
For now, said Lloyd, the tutoring will be in English only.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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