It is late summer, which is the season when the City of Northfield encourages all interested parties to consider joining one of the many municipal boards and commissions.
Members of the city boards and commissions participate in advisory, regulatory, governance and oversight activities in a wide variety of fields including housing, transportation and the arts. Other boards oversee specific city owned institutions like Northfield Hospital + Clinics and the Northfield Public Library. While some are purely advisory positions, others like the Planning Commission and the Heritage and Preservation Commission have quasi-judicial roles to fill from time to time in issuing building permits and certificates or ruling on a zoning appeal. A statement issued by the city said more than 145 community members annually provide valuable leadership to the City through their participation on these groups and special study committees.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said there are plenty of spots for people with varying interests to fill.
“It’s an excellent way to help us move our community forward. You can be right there at the table giving us your perspective, your guidance, and so if you’ve got a skill or expertise or a general passion about any one of our boards and commissions, please go on the website and fill out the application and submit it today. It’s just it’s a wonderful way to be able to give back to our community.”
Candidates for the boards are appointed by the Northfield Mayor with confirmation by the City Council. The mayor typically meets with candidates one-on-one as she seeks to fill the appointments.
A cursory glance at the Boards and Commissions page on the city website showed dozens of positions with expiring terms or boards with vacant seats.
For more information on the individual boards and commissions, as well as an electronic application visit the boards and commissions pages on the City of Northfield website. Paper applications may be obtained at the Administration Office in City Hall, or at the Northfield Public Library.
Primary elections to be held next week
The statewide primary election is set for this Tuesday, August 13th. In Northfield, voters will be asked to choose two candidates from a field of seven for mayor. Voters in City Council Ward 2 will be asked to shrink the field of three candidates to two. Members of both parties will be asked to vote on candidates for Congress in the State’s 2nd District, and on candidates for United States Senate.
KYMN’s election coverage will begin in earnest over the next few weeks when we publish our Election Guide for 2024. In the meantime, in order to help voters decide on their mayoral preference, we have now published interviews with six of the seven people who will be on the ballot.
Over the past month, Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson, assisted by Jeff Johnson, have spoken with Mayor Rhonda Pownell, City Councilor George Zuccolotto, former City Councilor Erica Zweifel, former school board member Ruth Dahl, mayoral candidate Adam Gebler, and mayoral candidate Tim Babinni. These interviews centered around a standard set of questions that gave the candidates an opportunity to express their vision and ideas for the city, and to differentiate themselves in a crowded field. Each of those conversations may be found on our website at kymnradio.net by searching The Northfield Candidate Show. A show page will be posted to our website in the coming days.
KYMN’s election coverage, as always, will seek to support the people of Northfield in making an informed decision as they head to the ballot both on Tuesday and in November.
September’s Northfield Rotary Bike Tour registration opens
And registration is now open for the 30th Northfield Rotary Bike Tour on Saturday September 7th.
Bicyclists will be able to select from several planned rides including road courses that will run for 25, 50, or 100 miles, gravel courses of 36 and 64 miles, or families may choose the 6-mile Family Fun Ride. All of the routes will run East from Memorial Field in Dundas. Each will be staffed by volunteers at rest areas offering food and water.
Once the ride is over there will be live entertainment for all riders at Memorial Field, the home of the Dundas Dukes, in Dundas. Each rider will receive a voucher for a beer, or a root beer provided by Chapel Brewing.
This is the second year in a row that Rotary has partnered with the Dundas Dukes for the ride, and they offer it as a bit of an alternative to the hustle and bustle of the Defeat of jesse James Days. Mike Ludwig of the Dundas Dukes said events like the bike tour were part of the reason for the improvements that were made over the past few years at Memorial Field. He said, while the park is a baseball facility first, they are hoping to do more and he’s really pleased that Rotary has been so enthusiastic about coming back.
“It’s a passionate endeavor for a lot of people and you know, we want to make it as welcoming as possible. It’s great to hear that they’ve had a great experience out there and we want to continue to have other events out there. We have a long-term vision for some other improvements out there; lots of live music. We’re happy to host and we’re thankful that the Rotary has been such a great partner to work with.”
Registration for a single rider 19 years and older is $40, and $30 for those 6-18 years old. Rotary is offering a family rate of $90 for up to 2 adults and five total riders. The Family Fun Ride is $40. Kids 5 years and younger are free.
The Rides will have staggered start times, with the 100 mile ride beginning at 7am, the 64 mile gravel ride at 7:30, etc., until the 29 mile road tour sets out at 9am. For more information visit the bike tour page at northfieldrotary.org
KYMN Daily News 8/9/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
