Posted 2/28/01 Jerry Janssen fills vacant council seat in Rush City By MaryHelen Swanson At its Feb. 26 meeting the Rush City Council appointed 28-year Rush City resident Jerry Janssen to the council filling the seat vacated by Mike Robinson when he went on to become county commissioner for Dist. 5. Janssen was the third-highest vote getter in last fallís council election garnering 304 votes. At that time, incumbants Bill Schneider and Mike Louzek were reelected with 350 and 345 votes respectively. But this week Janssen was selected by the council from the five applicants who showed interest in the council position: Kevin Dahl, Kim Erdman, Jennifer Folkema, Jerry Janssen and Dave Schroeder. Before making his recommendation, Mayor Mike Skalsky reviewed the notes he had taken on the applicants noting that they all seemed to ěhave common threads,î all had a strong desire to serve the community and represent the city, all were involved in community, active in civic organizations, school activities and some were successful business people. And, he said, successful business people give a unique perspective to city government. The mayor noted that each would bring some positive attributes. ěItís good that we have some choices,î he said. So how do we fill the position, he asked the council? He noted that the city has no clear president or path to follow in these matters. Finally, Mayor Skalsky noted that one candidate (Janssen) ran a close election and that he has been in attendance at council meetings. He recommended Janssen for the seat. With a second to that motion from Councilman David Bengtson, the council made the choice unanimous. Applicant Jennifer Folkema was at the meeting and asked why no personal calls were made to the applicants. Mayor Skalsky said he chose not to make this a personal decision, although he said he did get input from others. Councilman Louzek said he did not call any of them either. And Councilman Bengtson said the people of the city ěpretty much told meî referring to the fall election. ěJerry ran a good campaign and did get a lot of votes.î Folkema then asked why the council didnít just make the decision without asking for other applicants. Skalsky said it was important to open it up to the community to see who is interested, who is out there and why they would want to serve on the council. Folkema nodded in agreement. Councilman Bengtson acknowledged that it was a hard decision to make. After the vote, Janssen immediately was sworn in and took his place at the council table. He was promptly appointed to the cityís infrastructure committee. Who is your new councilman? See sidebar. In other business Monday night, the council: ď Approved a joint powers agreement with Chisago County for building inspection services. ď Approved a resolution concurring with the countyís acceptance of the Rush City Correctional Facility access road and its designation as a County State Aid Highway (CSAH). ď Set 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 1 as a special council meeting to conduct the annual taxation Board of Review. It is at this meeting that citizens have a chance to bring up issues regarding their specific taxes to city officials. ď Discussed Clean Up Day and whether or not the city should only provide services to those in the city limits. City Administrator Daniel Hoffman noted that the city loses money on the event each year even though citizens pay a fee for dropping off their items. It is not enough to cover the total cost of the day, he noted and local groups who used to help defray the cost with donations have not been doing so in the past few years. He directed the council to think about it and come back next month with some ideas. ď Was apprised of a court settlement on a matter of an incident at the airport with Steven Hjerpe ordered to pay the airport $1,748.50 for damages. It was noted he has paid the amount. Jerry Janssen Feb. 23 was ěJerry Janssen Dayî at the Chisago County Government Center. Janssen, a 23-year employee of the Sheriffís Department will retire March 1, so the day and the party last Friday was in his honor. He now comes to serve Rush City as the newest councilperson taking over where Mike Robinson left off. In the resolution honoring Janssenís public service as a Deputy Sheriff, it states he ěhas done so in a manner which has consistently placed the protection and welfare of our residents as his primary dutyî and ěhas specialized in the provision of protection and care to young people who have been abused and neglected and, through that special calling has brought relief and positive assurances to those affected families.î He was honored by the Chisago County Board last week. Janssen was born in Pine City, graduated from Pine City High School in 1967 and served two years in the Army during the Vietnam War. He worked at Plastech for seven years prior to becoming a deputy sheriff with the county. In 1991, Janssen moved into investigation and remained there until his retirement this week. Among his many community services he has worked with the Rush City Cub Scouts and served as an advisor for the Chisago County Law Enforcement Explorer Scouts for 12 years. He has worked on church boards, with government groups and most recently was appointed to the Rush City Prisonís End of Confinement Panel. In his campaign statement last fall he said his vision for Rush City was to see that it manages growth and ěadopts the best of change.î He said the city should pursue growth for the betterment of all community members. He showed a concern for surrounding townships and urged the adoption of city goals with citizen input. Janssenís main concerns last fall were the rumors about the ambulance service being cut and placing a moratorium on annexation. The ambulance issue, he said, ěshould be addressed by our council.î And, as for current expanding developments, ěthey should be completed before moving into the townships.î ěCommunication is the key to serving Rush City well,î he said. He promised to actively seek community input. Janssen now has the chance to put his words into action. ©Post Review