Half a year on...

  

They say time flies when you're having fun and the way the last six months have zipped past, well, I've gotta be having a blast. 

I guess that's one way to come up with an answer for that FAQ I get running into people at the Midtown produce counter or waiting in line at Island City -- "How do ya like being on the City Council?" 

Maybe "having a blast" overstates it more than a little bit -- after all most of what the city council does is OK temporary beer permits for worthy causes and pay the city's bills -- not exactly things that reshape the destiny of the human race. Still, so far, so good, and after a half-year on the public payroll, I figure I ought to give a short account of what I've been up to.

For the most part I've been up to my ears in settling in, in getting up to speed, in getting at least a nodding familiarity with how things get done and who does them. I spent more than three decades routinely sitting at the press table, doing my best to keep tabs on what was going on at city hall. I had a hunch going into this that what I'd need to understand when it comes to making a decision would be different than the understanding it took to write about a decision being made -- and by golly, I was right. The view from "the big kids' table" has a whole different perspective from what I've had in any other seat and it's taken a bit of time to adjust to a new focus.

But city business doesn't stand still, waiting for the newbies to catch up. In the first half of 2023 the council has given its blessing to and expanded development on Garvin Heights and a proposed apartment complex overlooking Riverview Drive that have the potential to add more than 100 housing units to the city. We've approved a cooperative watershed management agreement that will contribute to assuring clean water for all of us. We've completed negotiations with city employees, coming to agreements that will attract and retain top quality people to do the work that needs to be done to keep Winona a safe and happy place for everyone. High water came and went while the dike system and city crews kept our feet dry.

As we launch into summer, we've hosted friends from Misato, our Japanese sister city, and, next week, will be welcoming friends from Bytow, Poland, for a visit. It is great to be res-establishing personal contacts after a too-long Covid-imposed hiatus.  Steamboat Days are all but upon us, the Shakespeare Festival company is in rehearsal, and we're getting tuned up for the Beethoven Festival. Let the good times roll!

But there will be serious business to be done as well. Now that the chair has gotten a little more comfortable, I'll use this space to air ideas and solicit feedback to get a better sense of where folks want their city to go.