Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

Wishing everybody a Happy and Safe Year in 2011!

My term as Mayor of Grand Marais officially ends Monday, January 3.  On January 4, 2011, I will take the oath of office for District 3 Commissioner.  I am looking forward to serving Cook County.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Getting Up to Speed!

I've been trying to wisely use the time between winning the election on November 2 and being sworn in on January 4.  In an effort to get up to speed as much as possible, I've been attending the County Board meetings on a regular basis.
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County Department Tours & Training
Last week I met with David Betts and Russell Klegstad of the County Highway Department for a department overview.  I also had the good fortune to meet several of the Highway Department personnel, tour the office and garage facilities and take a closer look at the equipment.

Today I met with Braidy Powers, Cook County Auditor-Treasurer.  Braidy and I discussed the overall responsibilities of the Auditor-Treasurer's Department.  Braidy gave me a tour of the department and a brief explanation of what each member of the department is responsible for.

Jim Wiinanen conducted an Emergency Response Training for Elected Officials, which I attended.  During this training we learned about our individual roles, and also how the various County departments and agencies need to respond and work together in emergency situations.  As Mayor, I've already received some of this training and information, but it's extremely important to stay current in understanding our roles so we are prepared should the need arise. 

Touring these departments was extremely helpful to me as an incoming Commissioner, and I appreciate the time taken by David, Russell, Braidy and Jim to help get me up to speed.  I hope to meet with all of the Department Heads in the coming weeks as their work schedules allow and am in the process of contacting them now.

County Government 101 Training
On January 26-27, I'll be attending a 2-day training sponsored by the Association of Minnesota Counties entitled, "County Government 101: An Essential Conference For All Newly Elected County Officials".  This conference is designed for all newly-elected county officials to learn the basics of county government and how to get started in our new positions.  I'm really looking forward to this training session in St. Paul.