It’s time for a special Mayoral Election in Watford City: Tuesday, February 21st. Brent Sanford was selected to be Governor Doug Burgum’s running mate as Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota and has resigning as Mayor of Watford City. Therefore two candidates are in the running to be the city’s next leader.
Greg Schuetze, an electrical contractor in Watford City said of the city, “It’s better than any other place I have worked.” He described the city as vibrant and welcoming to everybody and attributes this accomplishment to the “historically good leadership.” He wants to continue on this path by establishing a team with the staff, community, and neighboring communities. As a member of the general public he has noticed a low response from them and would like to increase their involvement.
His plan of action is to be ready with an Active Emergency Response Plan in place in order to react in a timely and effective manner to natural disasters such as high winds, blizzards, tornadoes, snow storms, and flooding. He would also like to improve City Council meetings to better implement Robert’s Rules of Order so that a motion is made first and then a discussion will take place. He thinks this will help the meetings to run smoothly and will enhance the public’s involvement in the meetings.
Schuetze says, “I have spent a great deal of time educating myself about how government works.” He has focused on rural leadership and has met with legislators in Washington, D.C. and Bismarck. He enjoys discussing challenges with people to find a solution.
Justin Voll, president of First International Bank and Trust in Watford City graduated from Watford High School, attended North Dakota State University and has lived in Watford City for fifteen years. During the past ten years he has been active in the City Council which he thinks is going in the right direction. He said, “There is a lot of infrastructure and it is set up better for handling growth of roads and meeting the need of water and sewer improvements”.
Voll has a working knowledge of the issues at hand and the history of why things were done in certain manners. He said there will be more continuity with him. He is very impressed with the two “awesome” former mayors and, “If I can do half as good a job as them, I will feel good about myself.” He has a team in place with whom he has an excellent working relationship.
The Watford City Chamber is holding a Meet the Candidates forum in conjunction with their network luncheon on Wednesday, February 1 at Teddy’s Residential Suites Lounge located at 113 9th Ave. SE at 11:30 am. Lunch is $11 per person or free for Watford City Chamber Silver and above members.
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