Many familiar faces along with some new ones were seen at numerous first meetings of the year of area City Councils and other local governmental boards, as well as the Wright County Board of Commissioners. New Wright County Commissioner Rose Thelen of Clearwater Township was sworn-in for her first-ever term on the Wright County Board. You'll remember that multi-term Commissioner Karla Heeter did not file for re-election last fall to another term in District 1, instead accepting the position of Executive Director of the Buffalo Hospital Foundation Board.
New mayors were given the oath of office this week in Annandale, Clearwater, Maple Lake, Montrose and Otsego. The new mayors are "Buck" McAlpin in Annandale, Lee Monk in Clearwater, Mike O'Loughlin in Maple Lake, Andy Kauffman in Montrose, and Jessica Stockamp in Otsego. Many new City Council members also attended their first meetings this week, including new Councilman Steve Downer in Buffalo.
Some major challenges face all local governments as the new year unfolds as significant state aid amounts have been cut recently by Governor Pawlenty affecting the budget of Wright County and virtually all cities in throughout the area. Local boards and councils are bracing for some very tough decision making on how to keep their local budgets balanced amid the uncertainty of how much, if any, state funding will be available to help.
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