Mary Rossing, Mayor of Northfield

I blogged before the election that I was ready (at least to serve at Kong Pong!) but now it is official, according to the Northfield News article of Saturday, December 27th.

I am scheduled to be sworn in as Mayor of Northfield on Monday, January 5th. This is the first official order of business at the council meeting, and joining me will be two new council members, Betsy Buckheit and Erica Zweifel. The meeting is scheduled to begin shortly after 7:00 p.m. If you can't attend, be sure to tune in to NTV for a rebroadcast later in the week. (I wish we could broadcast them live via the internet or KYMN, but that is a topic for a future discussion.)

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of meetings for me as Mayor-elect.  In order to have many appointment recommendations ready for the first of the year, I have been meeting with representatives of each of the city’s boards and commissions. We have discussed the make-up of each group, what each member brings to the table, and what skills might be added to make their group stronger. We also talk about goals, direction, communication with the council, and projects on the horizon with which they may be involved. 

Meanwhile, I have also been reviewing the applications for each opening. For some there are many, for others, just a few. Current vacancies are listed on the City of Northfield’s website. If there are still openings after the first of the year we will advertise this information.

We won!

As the hours clicked by and the numbers rolled in, a collective sign of relief was heard, followed closely by enthusiastic cheers.  I celebrated my victory with supporters at the Contented Cow in downtown Northfield on election night, November 4th, and am so gratified to know that it is a new day for our community!  Never have I felt this amount of enthusiasm and excitement for an election—both here and nationally.  We made history by electing our nation’s first black president, and also Northfield’s first woman mayor!  

It will be a busy month.  Please come to listen, participate and ask a question!

Tuesday, October 7th, 7:00p.m.
Mayoral forum
Severence Hall on the Carleton Campus

Thursday, October 9th, 12 noon
Rotary luncheon with the mayoral candidates
Ammerman Pavilion at Spring Creek Park

(Read on for information about four more events... )

I am taking time over the next few weeks to meet with at least one member of each of the city’s boards and commissions to listen to their thoughts, their goals, their concerns and needs. 

We need to recognize the important work that these citizens do for our community day in and day out, sharing their expertise and valuable time. We are lucky to have such an engaged citizenry in Northfield! 

If you currently serve on a board or commission and would like to share your thoughts over a cup of coffee, please contact me!

“Mary for Mayor” lawn signs have been suffering a bit from what we refer to in the retail business as “shrinkage”. I am confident that this is mostly because they are so attractive (thanks Don!) and because nearly everyone has a friend named Mary.  If you have a friend named Mary that might need one for Christmas, I ask that you wait until after the election. Meanwhile I am hopeful that the rogue signs are being well cared for in dorm rooms on both sides of town and that they will bring in votes on November 4th!

If you would like a lawn sign to display in your yard, there are still some available. Please email me for a delivery or stop by Present Perfect at 419 Division Street to pick one up yourself. (Remember to display 12 feet back from the right-of-way.)

I include here a letter to the editor that I wrote that was published in the Northfield News on September 13, thanking all of you to all who have supported me thus far. I am truly honored.

To the editor:

I would like to publicly express a heart-felt thank you to all of the citizens of Northfield that turned out to vote on Tuesday in the primary election. What a great turnout — a huge increase from the previous primary. This shows that the citizens of Northfield are engaged, interested, well informed and ready for a positive change!

Thank you to all the people who attended the primary forums and who contacted me through my web site with questions and concerns. I look forward to more conversations online and in person over the next months....

The votes have been counted and approved by the council. With seven candidates in the primary elections, I received 40% of the total votes cast! What is perhaps as significant is that I won in every precinct, and by a considerable margin. This is particularly gratifying since it means that I am not favored by one special interest group, but that my message about moving Northfield forward resonated with every neighborhood, age group and demographic. Now we need the rest of the voters to come on board! Lawn signs and buttons are available at Present Perfect, 419 Division Street in downtown Northfield.

For more coverage of the primary, see the post-primary article in the Northfield News as well as RepJ Bonnie Obremski’s audio piece posted on locallygrownnorthfield.org.

I will be continuing to schedule “Rossing Rallies” throughout October. Please contact me if you would be willing to invite 5-25 friends to your home to talk about issues for one hour some weekday evening or on a Sunday afternoon.  It is a comfortable and casual way to have a conversation about the future of our city and I learn as much from  those attending! I will keep you posted about public events and forums as they are scheduled.

Here are my responses to a Mayoral Candidate Q&A published in yesterday's Northfield News. The questions came from News readers, staff, and the League of Women Voters.

1. Given the tensions of the last year between some councilors and mayor what, specifically, will you do as mayor to improve communications between council members and ensure the council works towards common goals?

As mayor I will sit down with each of the council members individually, inviting them to share their goals and what they want to accomplish during their tenure. The best way to understand the group dynamics, as well as how to best make use of each council person’s unique skills, is to understand their motivation for serving. This will set the groundwork for a council that respects each other’s opinions even during difficult discussions.

As promised, my video interview with representative journalism reporter Bonnie Obremski is now online and available on Locally Grown.

Watch the video.

We jumped the gun a bit on posting the interview with the Northfield News. The post has been taken down until after its publication on September 3. Sorry!

However, I did a video interview with representative journalism reporter Bonnie Obremski this morning which should be online soon. We'll post a link when it's available on LocallyGrown.