The filing deadline for those wishing to run for Northfield’s City Council was yesterday, and we now have a better
idea of what the city council might look like next year.
Kathleen Holmes and Ricky A. Livingston have both filed to represent the First Ward and hold the seat being vacated by Councilor Suzie Nakasian, who is stepping down after four terms.
Councilor Jessica Peterson White has represented the Fourth Ward for ten years. She is seeking re-election and will be opposed by Aaron Schindler.
And with Councilor Clarice Grabau stepping aside to run for State Senate, the race for her at-large seat is drawing a crowd. David DeLong, a former multi-term councilor who lost his seat representing the Second Ward in 2020 will face Davin Sokup, who, if elected, will be the first trans member of the City Council. Thelma A. Estrada makes this a three way race.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.
District is ‘all in’ on school security
In the wake of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann
is offering reassurance to the community that the Northfield School District takes the threat of an armed shooter very seriously. Not only is there a plan in place to deal with the situation should it arise, but the district is also using a strategy to prevent something like that from happening in Northfield.
Hillmann said district has broken the program into three categories: physical school safety, training of staff and educators, and relationship building with the students. Each category has multiple branches. Hillmann and those who work in the district believe that the combination of all three will work to protect Northfield students and keep them safe.
The most obvious and apparent category of course, is the physical security in the schools.
Cole Nelson, the district Director of Facilities said there are standard protocol in place to keep someone from entering the school who shouldn’t. After the school day begins, each district building has one point of entry, giving them an entrance that is secure and easily monitored by school office staff. In order to gain entry to the building, an individual would have to either come in through the school office, or through an electronically locked door that can only be unlocked from one vantage point.
“Anyone coming in,” Nelson said, “has direct interaction with someone in the office.”
He said all classroom doors are now able to be locked from the inside, which was not a standard feature for any classroom in the country ten years ago. They are also able to cordon the schools to keep situations contained in certain parts of the building if necessary.
The lockdown system is extensive and is tested regularly. A button in every school can immediately institute a building lockdown and dial 911, and a button in the district office can do the same thing for every building at once. There is a district-wide lockdown drill once a year, and each building has four more lockdown drills throughout year.
Hillmann said the district has invested in this type of security for one important reason.
“We are all in on making sure that we prevent these kinds of circumstances. Can you prevent every circumstance? Of course not. But with all of these tools in place we do feel like we are doing everything we can to love our children. I think that’s what everyone in the community wants is to love our children.”
We will look at the training the faculty and staff go through, as well as the way the district works with the students to prevent a tragedy, tomorrow.
Lippert reminds legislators ‘We need one another’
Representative Todd Lippert may well have finished his legislative career. Unless Governor Tim Walz calls a special
session to finish the work left undone when the time ran out on the regular session, there will be no more work for Lippert to do before his term expires at the end of the year.
If that is the case, he was able to see some fruits of the labor he has put into his job for four years as the session was coming to a close.
Funding to expand Broadband internet has long been one of Lippert’s priorities, and one of the bills passed by both the House and the Senate gives $50 million in state funding to expand broadband into rural areas with an emphasis on townships and very small towns. More importantly, it meets the key requirement in order to receive another $160 million in federal funding for the high-tech internet service. So, Lippert said, the project will receive an infusion of more than $200 million.
He said drought relief, something he fought for during the session is coming through the Ag bill that was passed. That bill will also offer funding to the state veterinary lab to help manage the Bird Flu outbreak. On top of that, it has money for planting trees. While it won’t cover the 5.6 million trees Lippert had proposed, it is important, he said, that the state keep planting trees at a steady rate, and he was happy to see the funding come through. He also said there will be money for soil health grants, and for emerging crops like Kernza, both of which were among his legislative priorities this year.
As a retiring member of the House, Lippert addressed his colleagues from the floor last week, and reminded them that they have to work together in order to create any real success for the state.
“We need one another. We can’t be in this rural community versus Metro. We have needs that we share across geography and across race. And I see hopeful moments in the chamber. There are times I see the chamber really listening across party lines. I see relationships built across party lines that can matter. But I also said Minnesota deserves more of those moments.”
Representative Lippert is the final person to represent District 20b. DFL endorsed Kristi Pursell of Northfield is facing Republican endorsed Gary Bruggenthies of Wheatland Township this fall to represent the newly drawn District 58a.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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