The Northfield Human Rights Commission held its annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Emmaus Church last night.
The theme of the event was “Shifting the cultural climate through the study and practice of nonviolence.” Carleton College Chaplain Schuyler Vogel gave the keynote address, discussing the role civil disobedience plays in our society, and his belief that attitudes toward activists and activism need to change.
The event also serves as the platform for the annual announcement of the recipient of Northfield’s Human Rights Award. This year’s recipient is Scott Wopata, who is the Executive Director of Community Action Center. In presenting the award, Human Rights Commision Chair Adam Wale noted that Wopata was the driving force behind the Hillcrest Village housing development. The project, which was years in the planning and building, was finished last year and has received rave reviews across the country. Incorporating environmentally friendly building practices and features that give it a zero-carbon footprint, Hillcrest Village offers affordable housing, transitional housing, and emergency housing to those in need. Wopata was honored, in part, for showing that the issues of climate and housing can be addressed at the same time.
Characteristically Wopata was humble in his acceptance, thanking the members of the community for their trust and caring.
Township filing will be available from 1-5pm today, ahead of deadline
The Iowa Republican Caucuses were held last night, beginning the 2024 series of election events that will include the Minnesota Primary on March 5th, and will culminate with the general election on November 5th.
Another of those events is Township Election and Meeting Day, which is always the second Tuesday in March, and today is the deadline to register as a candidate for township elections.
One seat on each township’s boards of supervisors will be on the ballot, except in Bridgewater Township where two three-year supervisor’s seats will be up.
The clerk’s seat is up in 11 of the county’s 14 townships. The clerk is an appointed position, not an elected one, in Bridgewater, Forest and Webster townships, therefore it will not be on those ballots.
Northfield Township voters will have two questions on their ballots. One seeks authorization to change the clerk’s position to an appointed one, rather than an elected one. The other asks whether Rice County should be permitted to issue intoxicating liquor licenses to township establishments.
Candidates for township board must:
• Be eligible to vote in Minnesota
• Not have filed for another office in the upcoming primary or general election
• Be 21 years of age or older upon assuming office
• Have maintained residence in their district for at least 30 days before the general election
Candidates must file with the town clerk, who should be contacted to learn the process for accepting affidavits for candidacy. Statutorily, offices are required to be open today from 1-5pm.
In addition to completing an affidavit, candidates must pay a $2 filing fee.
A full listing of Rice County township clerks taken from the Rice County website:
BRIDGEWATER: Lori Noreen, 507-645-1656, clerk@bridgewatertwp.org
CANNON CITY: Marilyn Caron, 507-384-1998, caronmarilyn11@gmail.com
ERIN: Sharon Kaisershot, 507-364-5537, skaisershot@frontiernet.net
FOREST: Ashley Anderson, 507-213-7116, foresttwpclerk@gmail.com
MORRISTOWN: Dawn Nuetzman, 507-456-8772, morristownmnclerk@gmail.com
NORTHFIELD: Diane Lyman, 507-581-1383, clerk northfieldtwp.org
RICHLAND: Robert Sommers, 507-491-1339, richland.ricecounty@gmail.com
SHIELDSVILLE: Sue Ceplecha-Novak, 507-330-1485, suecnovak@gmail.com
WALCOTT: Benet Freund, 507-334-8655, walcottownship@gmail.com
WARSAW: Michele Voegele, 507-210-0910, warsawtwp@yahoo.com
WEBSTER: Roger VanVeldhuizen, 612-865-7677, webster.township@yahoo.com
WELLS: Jim Zahn, 507-838-0236, jpzahn46@gmail.com
WHEATLAND: Jim Duban, 507-744-2742, jkduban@lonstel.com
WHEELING: Rebecca Vergin, 507-330-4496, wheelingtownship@gmail.com
Branding Commission will make final recommendations tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall.
The agenda itself is quite light, but there are impactful presentations to be made this evening, including the results of the branding project that has been underway for nearly 18 months. Not only will the commission present its recommendations for a new city logo, slogan, color scheme and tagline, but acceptance of those recommendations is scheduled for a vote on the consent agenda as well.
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott will make two presentations to the Council tonight. The first will be alongside Rice County Behavioral Health Services Unit Supervisor Dante Hummel-Langerfeld regarding the Police Assisted Recovery and Deflection (PARD) program. The second will be Elliott’s quarterly police activity report to the council.
A review and discussion of amendments to the Council Rules of Business and Appendices is the only item on the regular agenda this evening. Based on highlighted items in the council’s agenda packet, the conversation is likely to revolve around public comments and meeting decorum, most likely due to unruly outbursts that have occurred during public comment portions of recent meetings.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
It should also be noted the Northfield School board will meet in a special work session in the Northfield High School Media center to further discuss options for a bond referendum asking for funding to either renovate or replace the High School facility.
The School Board work session will begin at 5:30pm. Tonight’s council meeting will begin at 6:00.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
