Mayors Awards

Thank You, Volunteers!

I know that I speak for the entire Council when I say that we appreciate all that each of you do for our community.  We have accomplished many things that otherwise may not have been achieved without your input and dedication.

I would like to thank our Library Staff: Pat, Debbie, Glynis and Lindsay for running just a great library for our citizens.  Many people in our town and surrounding communities would find it very difficult to get the books, computer time and information they need without this wonderful staff.

I want to thank the members of our Fire Department and 1st Response Team.  Chief Wolf and his department make a tremendous contribution to the community.  We all know we can sleep just a little bit easier at night knowing that this group will be there a a moments notice.

We are very fortunate to have our Care Center Campus with Gene Gustason, the Board of Directors and Staff who take wonderful care of the residents.  Thank you for helping us to know that our relatives and friends are given the care and dignity they deserve.

I want to also recognize our Public Works Department.  Mark and his crew work with our citizens on a daily basis and do just a great job of maintaining our city properties, streets and parks.  They keep our city buildings and properties looking top notch, our parks are the envy of neighboring communities and they are out maintaining our streets, water/sewer lines at all hours - when the need arises!

It's important that we recognize our City Staff: Administrator Bill Schimmel, City Clerk Cheryl Roeder, Finance Director Barb Neubauer and Utilities Clerk Laurel Jacobs.  I work with these people on a daily basis so I know first hand the contribution that they make and the dedication that they bring to their work. 

These people are the backbone of our City Hall. The Council and I, the Mayor, may make the decisions but these people are the front line who have to carry those decisions out.  When you surround yourself with such hard working, dedicated staff, my job and the job of the Council becomes so much easier.  I really appreciate each one of them!

I want to thank my fellow Councilmember's:  Roger Hanson, Joel Packer, Lori Miller-Beach and Gary Stensrud.  These people have offered up their time, services and dedication to help make Stewartville the twon we all know it can be.

I want to recognize the Dodge/Fillmore/Olmsted Corrections Agency. We appreciate all the help they give us in our parks and by helping us out with other projects.  They save the City a lot of money!

We also recognize people who have been great supporters to us at City Hall and our Community:
 *Dr. Dave Thompson and the Stewartville School Board
 *Matt Flynn, Olmsted County Commissioner
 *Sheriff Steve VonWald and his Dupities and Staff
 *Deputy David Satzke - who does so much for our Community! We are fortunate to have him!
 *Mike Sheehan, Olmsted County Engineer
 *Chuck Willinghanz and Lyle Plumhoff, Olmsted Couty Building Inspection Division
 *Joe Guzinski, City Attorney
 *Tom Wente, Smith Schafer Associates
 *Dave Gartner and Jeff Harrison, Peoples Service
 *Don Borcherding and David Strauss, Yaggy Colby Associates
 *Tim Clawson, Peoples Cooperative Power
 *Rebecca Giesel, Alliant Energy

Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce, President Mark Rusciano and Kami Roger's the Chamber Coordinator for all her hard work!

I'd like to thank the staff at the Stewartville Star for their positive coverage of all of the city and community activities throughout the year. They are a huge asset to our town. Bill, Judy, Sharon and Mark spend countless hours covering stories and meetings around town, their stories and photos bring smiles to many of us and our friends, relatives throughout the country! Home Town Proud!

At this time, I want to recognize a number of people who have completed their terms of service this year. They have all made a great commitment of time and talent to make Stewartville the kind of town we have all come to know and love to call our Home Town.

Retiring from EDA Greg House
Retiring from HRA Ron Wibben & Jarett Jones
Retiring from Planning & Zoning Mike Wiginton and Jarrod Wellik
Retiring from Stew 19 Mike Hintz
I want to thank the Heartland Express Committee- Amy Renken, Pastor Emily Carson, Nancy Momeny and Beth Thompson.

I'd like to thank the staff at the Stewartville Star for their positive coverage of all of the city and community activities throughout the year. They are a huge asset to our town. Bill, Judy, Sharon and Mark spend countless hours covering stories and meetings around town, their stories and photos bring smiles to many of us and our friends, relatives throughout the country! Home Town Proud!

At this time, I want to recognize a number of people who have completed their terms of service this year. They have all made a great commitment of time and talent to make Stewartville the kind of town we have all come to know and love to call our Home Town.
Retiring from EDA Greg House
Retiring from HRA Ron Wibben & Jarett Jones
Retiring from Planning & Zoning Mike Wiginton and Jarrod Wellik
Retiring from Stew 19 Mike Hintz
I want to thank the Heartland Express Committee- Amy Renken, Pastor Emily Carson, Nancy Momeny and Beth Thompson.

I’d also like to recognize Rick Jaacks.  As many of you know, Rick has taken a position as President/CEO of Community National Bank in Austin.  Rick currently sat on our Economic Development Authority and Planning & Zoning.  He also held a seat on the Care Center Board.  His time with us has been very valuable and he will be missed.

THANK YOU JOEL!

Councilmember Joel Packer was born in Lincoln IL., hometown to Abe Lincoln. He went to school, did some college, went to work at the US Post Office and has made quite a mark there working his way up to Post Master at several different locations.  Joel and his wife Barbie along with son Ben and daughter Sara, which Joel will always consider his family to be his greatest achievement, moved to Stewartville in 1995 to run the Stewartville Post Office.  Soon after arriving at his new hometown he jumped right in to offer his time and talent to help however he could.  He became a member of the Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, Stewie Cruisers and chaired or co-chaired Stewartville Summerfest Committees many times.

In 2006 Joel saw another opportunity to help out in his community by running for and being elected to the City Council.  With many years of work experience backing him and a very great deal of common sense, he has given the citizens of Stewartville 4 years of outstanding service and guidance.  Highly respected by all city staff because of his fairness, decision making and open and honest respect for others and we can't forget his sense of humor!  I believe that Joel's mantra could be I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.  Joel takes each and every decision on the Council as the most important decision he will have to make.  Making sure to have as much information as he possible can for both sides so he can make as fair and impartial choice as possible.  He has held a position on nearly every committee and commission that the City has.

I have had the privilege to sit on many of these committees and the council with Joel.  I don't know if I could have had a better role model for being on the council.  But even as seriously as Joel takes this position he also always has a joke or two.  He loves to tell me farmer stories or just tease me about my work.  He asks, Do you know what the fastest animal on earth is with a top speed of 120 ft/sec?  It's a cow.that has been dropped from a helicopter!  Now do the math, how long will it take this cow to go 360 ft?  Everything is a test with Joel!

I have only been on the Council with Joel for two years, two years of some very difficult decisions, some serious disagreements, and very long work sessions. But we always walked away friends.  The better part of one's life consists of friendships.  You could say it was by chance that we met, but it was by choice that we became friends.  Not only a friend of mine but a great friend to the City of Stewartville.  Joel, I will always consider you a good egg of a friend, even though I know you are slightly cracked!  Joel, I will leave you with something to remember: Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night!
Joel Packer you have made your family, your fellow councilmember's and your City proud of you!  Thanks a million!!

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD - MARK & STEPHANIE PETERSON

Tonight's Community Wide Service award was chosen from a list of several worthy citizens.  They say you can tell the quality of people by the way they treat small children and animals and how they act when they think no-one is around to watch. Some folks just know intuitively what constitutes a sense of community, it is what provides humans with a context for our lives. We know who we are partly because of the community in which we live, and how we identify with it or differ from it.  It is the community which gives us our name, and we have needs which can only be met by being in a community.

All of life's major rituals, such as baptism, becoming an adult, marriage, funerals are all milestones which deepen our commitment to our community.  Our recipients give back by showing number of examples of friendship, love and compassion for other people and sharing hope and comfort to everyone they meet.  The names on this plaque tonight live these rituals of life in a community but also do a tremendous job of telling everyone in our community about them. Through their church family they both teach Sunday school and also mentor older students to prepare for confirmation.  They are involved in many community and county groups to help however and whenever they can for Diabetes, Cancer and Heart research.

He delivers meals on wheels every Wednesday, she teaches youngsters to better read to help further their education.  She belongs to the MN Reading Crops which is a domestic version of the Peace Corps.  They both have a love for pets that is much like the love of a parent for a child.  He would make Al Gore proud because he was “green” before it was a fashionable thing to do.  You have seen him all over town either riding his bike or walking.  He uses a push type reel mower because one of his dogs doesn't like the noise of a regular mower.

He has a great deal of pull with Santa Claus, filling in for the jolly elf to bring great joy to many youngsters in Stewartville. She has worked many years at large day cares making sure our young citizens get a good start in life.  Some days and nights it seems like the meetings I attend will never end.  But he goes to more meetings every day and every night, every week for the city, school and community organizations than you or I could imagine going to. He always does a great job of reporting about these meetings for the rest of us to read.  Somehow he always digs up a great community story about our great kids, citizens and community.

I have never moved in a very big circle in my life or travels.  I was born in Stewartville, went to school in Stewartville, married in Stewartville and hope to remain here forever.  He and she on the other hand have made quite a journey in their life so far.Success isn't measured solely by wealth and material things but by the love of family and friends.  Hopefully, Mark and Stephanie will add to my wealth by allowing me to call them friends.

From the letters from family and friends I received, this year’s Community Wide Service Award winners, Mark & Stephanie Peterson, are a very successful and wealthy couple.  What would life in Stewartville be like if these two people had not come to our town?!
 
The 2010 Outstanding Employee award is one of the biggest challenges for me this year.  I had so many great nominations.  What a great problem to have because this tells me that we have an entire staff that is outstanding in his or her area.  From city hall to public works to library staff – with all their combined experience and knowledge they are the strongest link in this chain we call Stewartville.    Each and every one of them faces their job everyday knowing that whatever decision we the “council” makes they will have to act upon it and respond to our citizens.  I can't thank each and every one of them enough.  You make my job easier just knowing that I can rely on your knowledge and experience.
 
As your Mayor I just want to finish up by saying I hope each and everyone of you know that I truly do appreciate everything that all of you do and have done for Stewartville.  I am tremendously proud to have had the opportunity to work with each and every one of you in 2010 and really anticipate a great 2011, knowing such a dedicated group of people are all pulling in the same direction for Stewartville.
 

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