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Change isn?t always a good thing

I would like to comment on a few things pertaining to the upcoming Clintonville elections. I in no way wish to demean anyone seeking elected office, if people are running without a personal agenda hoping to help their city they should be commended, not ridiculed.

That being said, I served on the city council with Mike Hankins and Steve Kettenhoven for several years. I didn’t always agree with either of them, but I always respected their opinions. I knew they had the best interest of the city and its residents at heart. My opinion of Al Mueller is strictly personal; I find him to be a very kind, caring gentleman who happens to be willing to serve his city. From what I’ve been told he has been an asset to the common council.

I must say that my original opinion of Judy Magee was neutral at best. I knew she was very intelligent, but I wasn’t sure how she would deal with people and serious problems that would surely arise. She has proven over the last four years that I vastly underestimated her. I have seen her run council meetings, make tough decisions, and deal with individuals and business leaders. We are very fortunate to have her as our mayor!

Nothing is ever perfect. I’m certain that each of these people will do something I may disagree with, but look at the big picture— there is always a lot more good than bad. We need to keep in mind as we go to vote that we live in a community of less than 5,000 people. For a city this size to have an industrial park that employs close to 1,400 people is amazing. It is critical that we have city staff qualified to work with these businesses.

I have worked at Walker Forge for more than 25 years. I have seen constant growth not only here, but at almost every business in the area. This happens because there is cooperation between local government and businesses. If this cooperation were to end, the results could be disastrous. Everyone hates paying taxes, but think about what your taxes would be if we lost some of this tax base.

It’s so easy to find something to complain about – we all do it – but I would encourage everyone to look for something positive in our community. Those positive things are not hard to find. We are far better off than most small cities and that is in no small part due to the efforts of our elected officials and city staff.

Recent history certainly proves that change for the sake of change can be a disaster. I would respectfully encourage you to vote for the incumbent mayor and incumbent members of the common council.

Gary Hagberg

Clintonville

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