Advertisement
Petersen is temporarily replacing her husband’s seat on the board, representing District 5. Fred Petersen is out on assignment as a bush pilot in Alaska. He hasn’t been to a meeting since May 4.
At the end of the meeting, she made a comment about her new position, and took a bit of a twist on the traditional oath.
“For every good man, there’s a woman to replace him,” she said.
— Britt Johnsen
Thrifty, if not by our neighbors’ standards
Winonans are thrifty.
So says a recent survey called the Nest Egg Index from the brokerage firm A.G. Edwards, which ranked the 934 communities that make up more than 90 percent of the nation’s population by how much people save. The survey used a dozen factors, including personal debt, home ownership, and retirement savings.
Still, the money we bank is relative peanuts compared to residents living in 16 other cities in the state, including Rochester (12), Red Wing (17), and Owatonna (30).
Winona tied for 231st place with Salinas, Calif. and Canton-Massillon, Ohio.
At least we fritter away fewer dollars than Marshall (251) and Worthington (269).
— Brian Voerding
Form vs. function
At a Goodview City Council meeting the other day, an exchange between Police Chief LaVern Hauschildt and council member Dennis Meyer over extra part-time hours for Hauschildt’s department turned into a battle of aesthete versus utilitarian.
Hauschildt had requested an additional 666 hours between October and December to cover sick and vacation time. Meyer asked Hauschildt how the city could afford it. Hauschildt offered a straightforward solution. Meyer knew it would work, but decided a line needed to be drawn somewhere when it came to public perception of the city’s creative management of recent budget shortfalls.
Meyer: “Are there any other revenues you’re looking at?”
Hauschildt: “Well, we could set up a speed trap.”
Meyer: “That’s not what I was thinking about.”
Hauschildt: “It sounds like a good idea to me.”
Meyer: “That’s not good PR, though.”
Hauschildt: “Well, we’d make money.”
Meyer: “Still.”
In the end, they both won when the council decided to cover the hours with different funds. And the city got an added bonus: It wouldn’t have to explain why it would have used a speed trap to cover part-time hours for, in part, officers running the speed trap.
— Brian Voerding
Not Quite Ready for Page One features quips, quotations and ideas provided by Winona Daily News staff members as well as welcoming submissions from readers. If you have something you think isn’t quite ready for page one, please e-mail news@winonadailynews.com, or write to Not Quite Ready For Page One, Winona Daily News, 601 Franklin Street, Winona, Minn., 55987.
