EGF Mayor Gander endorses City Council President Olstad for mayor in final State of the City address
Apr. 26—EAST GRAND FORKS — During his final State of the City address, East Grand Forks Mayor Steve Gander endorsed current City Council President Mark Olstad to replace Gander as mayor when his term ends later this year.
"I wholeheartedly endorse Mark Olstad in his campaign for mayor," Gander said. "I have total confidence in his ability, his integrity, his effectiveness. I only hope he has someone like him to work with as the next City Council president."
This was Gander's last address as mayor, who decided earlier this year he will forgo reelection and instead will run
for the area's seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
District 1B, which encompasses the entirety of Polk, Red Lake and Norman counties and parts of northern Clay County, will have no incumbent, since current Rep. Deb Kiel, R-Crookston, is retiring from the Legislature. Olstad, the current East Grand Forks City Council president and now
mayoral candidate
wished Gander well on his campaign bid.
"He wants the best for you and the best for the city," said Olstad. "I wish him luck in the November election and look forward to addressing him as Representative Steve Gander for House District 1B."
During the Thursday luncheon address, Gander said he loves the city and that even after his two terms as mayor, there's always work to be done.
"It's hard to think of concluding my time as mayor. We have so many things in the hopper, so many good things partway through completion and so many things that we're looking ahead to still get done," Gander said. "But that would be true in four years, eight years, 12 years from now, true forever. I would just never leave. I'd just go die up in the city's mayor's office."
The theme of this year's State of the City address was "Embracing Change — The Catalyst for Progress." In the last year, the city has gotten
a new city administrator,
a new parks and recreation superintendent, and has begun the process of transitioning
to a new economic development director.
In the upcoming year, the city will be voting for a new mayor, whether to
pass a sales tax increase
and likely new members of the City Council.
In addition to changes in city government, Gander also highlighted other local changes, like the East Grand Forks School District's
next superintendent, Kevin Grover,
who starts in July, and Northland Community and Technical College's recently-announced
interim President Shari Olson, who will serve
during the search for a new president.
East Grand Forks City Administrator Reid Huttunen also spoke on Thursday, highlighting several promotions of city staff that have occurred in the last year. Brenden Jones was promoted to supervisor of ice arenas, Jeremy King was named Parks and Recreation Superintendent, Nick Korynta and Jake Schiller were promoted to corporals in the police department, Josh Krostue was promoted to public works foreman, and Erika Perez was promoted to public works supervisor.
King, during his brief speech, highlighted some of the major projects underway in the city's parks and recreation department. One of the
biggest is the LaFave Park project.
The city was awarded a grant from the Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission for improvements to the boat ramp and connections to the Greenway.
Also, this year, staff will be working on a citywide sales tax vote. If passed, funds from the tax will help fund improvements and repairs to the city's Civic Center and VFW Memorial Arena.
"The goal of the reinvestment plan is to take care of and improve upon what we already have," King said. "It's critical that we prioritize reinvestment in our facilities, ensuring that they are maintained and available for the enjoyment of future generations."
Gander concluded the event by encouraging the continuation of the progress the city has made in his eight years as mayor.
"So let's allow a new mayor, along with some very capable City Council members, city staff all of our department heads, the whole community behind you, (to) carry on the good work," Gander said. "Thank you for the privilege of serving as your mayor."
