WILLMAR - The Willmar Charter Commission has decided to act where the City Council has not to fill two Charter Commission vacancies.
The Charter Commission voted Tuesday afternoon to ask the city attorney to petition District Court Judge Donald Spilseth to appoint two citizens from a list of six suggested names to fill the two vacancies. State law requires the court to make the appointments.
The names of the citizens are Todd Engle, Brad Hanson, Bob Bonawitz, Kelly Welch, Jill Benson and Sue Quist.
The judge will fill vacancies created by the departure of Ron Andreen and Laura Becker, whose terms expired Dec. 31, 2014, and who asked not to be reappointed, according to minutes of the last Charter Commission meeting held Jan. 27.
Charter Commission Chairman Shawn Mueske said names can be suggested by the Charter Commission, and names can also be suggested by the mayor with council approval.
Commission members decided to act because the council has tabled Mayor Marv Calvinâs suggestions. Four names have gone through the council in the past 30 days; Engle and Hanson were tabled twice, and Bonawitz and Welch were tabled once.
Bonawitz withdrew his name from mayoral consideration because he is questioning the councilâs leadership, Interim City Administrator Kevin Halliday told the commission. But if his name surfaced at the Charter Commission, he would like to be considered, Halliday said.
Besides the four names that have been in front of the City Council, Mueske said Benson and Quist asked to be considered.
Charter Commission member Richard Falk said the City Council cannot seem to agree.
âI donât know why we canât send all these names to the judge,ââ Falk said.
Mueske said Spilseth will interview each candidate personally and make the appointments.
âHe takes this very, very seriously,ââ Mueske said.
Commissioner Richard Larson said the council has twice had an opportunity to suggest names âand they havenât done it. So letâs submit all six names to the court.ââ
Before the vote was taken, Mueske said he would abstain from voting because he is a candidate in the Nov. 10 special election to fill the Ward 4 vacancy on the City Council. If he is elected, Mueske said he would resign from the Charter Commission.
Engle is a business analyst with the Minnesota Department of Human Services in Willmar.
Hanson is Rice Memorial Hospital ambulance operations manager.
Bonawitz is a former Charter Commission chairman. He worked in industry and has been active in local, regional and state boards and organizations.
Welch is a former City Council member and is a retired Willmar High School communications teacher.
Quist is a former group health, dental and vision insurance claim provider and supervisor. She has been active in Calvary Lutheran Church, Willmar Public Schools, Boy Scouts, American Cancer Society and the Republican Party.
Quist asked to be considered because she said unity and security among people is achieved by setting and following rules of law. Quist said she loves people and the community and said she wants to serve as one of their voices.
Benson is reading and writing instructor at Ridgewater College where she said staff are encouraged to be active in the community. She said the Charter Commission fits in the civic arena and is an area in which she has not been active before but would like to be. She has served on Bethel Lutheran Church, school and theater boards, and is one of the founders of Willmar Music Matters.
Current Charter Commission members, and the years when their appointments expire are as follows: Pat Curry, December 2017; Richard Engan, December 2015; Richard Falk, December 2015; Richard Larson, December 2016; Shawn Mueske, December 2016; Dan Reigstad, December 2017; and Joe Thompson, December 2016.
Willmar is a home rule charter city and the charter is considered the cityâs âconstitution.ââ
According to the city of Willmarâs website, the Charter Commission is charged with the continual review of the charter to offer amendments to its rules for council approval or to take proposed amendments to a vote of the people for recommended changes.
The nine-member commission must meet at least annually and certify its work results to the district court. The nine members serve four-year terms. Meetings are called by the chairman.
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