GRANITE FALLS - Mayor Dave Smiglewski of Granite Falls is among 24 leaders being introduced today as Bush Fellows in 2016.
The 24 Bush Fellows were among 465 applicants from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Native nations that share this geography.
Smiglewski has served on the Granite Falls city council for nearly four decades and as its mayor for the past 20 years, according to an announcement by the Bush Foundation. “Dave Smiglewski knows first-hand the challenges and joys of community service. He is witness to an alarming decline in civic and community engagement particularly in rural areas, and wants to encourage young adults in his region to reverse the trend,’’ stated the announcement.
“Through his Bush Fellowship, Dave will finish his bachelor’s degree and pursue post-graduate education, studying the best methods to incubate, model and drive civic engagement.’’
He is currently serving as publisher of the Advocate-Tribune newspaper in Granite Falls and Clarkfield. He recently announced his intentions to leave the paper to pursue other interests.
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The Bush Foundation was founded in 1953 from the estate of Archibald Bush. He was a native of Granite Falls who joined Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing in 1909 in Duluth.
