In my totally biased opinion, Becker remains the best community in Minnesota to live, work and raise a family.  For generations, the spirit of cooperation has been a cornerstone of our community’s character, and it provides a solid foundation from which we can continue to pursue our immense potential.

However, we also know that “good is the enemy of great” and so there is always more work to be done to ensure that our collective leadership is ready to meet the expectations of our citizenry.

To that end, I am proud to announce a pair of upcoming meetings that I believe will play an important role in our community.

On July 29, I am playing host to the Mayor’s Local Government Roundtable, which will bring together elected officials and key employees from the City of Becker, Becker Schools, Sherburne County and Becker Township. This endeavor will hopefully be the first installment in what will become regular meetings where we can collectively increase communication and identify areas in which local governmental entities can achieve efficiencies and ensure proper planning and cooperation.  A very public thank you to School Board Chair Aaron Jurek and Township Chair Brian Kolbinger for embracing the concept, and the rest of the key partners who will ensure the success of this effort.

Then, a week later on August 7, I will be hosting the Mayor’s Nonprofit Roundtable, at 2 p.m. at the Becker Community Center.  This will be a chance for local nonprofit groups to get together in the same room and share their goals as we work towards creating a comprehensive list of all the important work these organizations do for Becker.

During my first six months in office, I have had the opportunity to meet with many of these organizations and I have been so impressed with their passion and depth of service to our community.  Whether it’s Rivers of Hope, the Becker Area Senior Center, or our local branch of the Great River Regional Library, these amazing employees and volunteers have been generous with their time in ensuring that this Mayor understands all of the behind the scenes work that happens in order to make our community as strong as possible.  It is my hope that the Nonprofit Roundtable can build upon their individual successes and create a synergy that takes us to the next level.

All community nonprofits are invited to send a representative and no RSVP is required, although it would be great to have a heads up so we have enough chairs!

Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to head out to Snuffy’s Landing and take a look at the new fishing pier on the Mississippi River, you should do so.  A huge thanks to the city’s public works staff for their efforts, as well as the Becker Lions and MN DNR.  It’s just another excellent example of people working together for our community.