Brainerd City Council: New mayor selected

The city of Brainerd completed its search for a new mayor Monday night, selecting Ed Menk to fill the position.

Menk fills the vacancy left by James Wallin's untimely passing on Sept. 26, and will serve until the general election in November of 2016, when a mayor will be elected to serve the remaining two years of Wallin's four-year term.

Menk, along with Don Samuelson, Kevin Goedker, Kevin Stunek, Kevin Stumpf and Chad McCoy, had applied to fill the position. The six men were grilled by the Brainerd City Council Monday night during formal interviews, when each candidate got roughly 30 minutes to field questions from council members and provide opening and closing statements.

Following the interviews, a first round of voting ended with three votes each for Menk and Goedker, with a single vote for Stunek. A final round of voting considering only Menk and Goedker ended four votes to three in favor of Menk.

Following the vote, Menk said he was thankful the council voted the way it did. He promised to try and work as hard as he could to serve the community.

"That's my total goal, is to give back to the community some of the values that I've been given by the community," Menk said.

Menk will be sworn in at the beginning of the city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 7. He said his goal for that meeting is to show up on time, wear a Christmas-themed necktie, sit in the mayor's chair and be nice to people.

"I do not chastise the city or its employees, or the council unless it is very, very strongly deserved," Menk said. "So my total goal is to be a nice mayor."

Menk, owner and operator of E.L. Menk Jewelers in downtown Brainerd, has worked in downtown for 41 years and during his interview time cited his experience as an important piece he brings to the table as mayor.

"Downtown is the soul of the city, it's the heart of the city," Menk said. "It's the identity of the city, at this point. In the past, I should say."

Menk said he's not a business owner who feels he should get special handling or treatment because his business is located in downtown Brainerd. Even though his business experience rests in downtown Brainerd, he said he wouldn't favor the location over other areas in Brainerd for business.

"If they're successful in the city of Brainerd, it increases my chances of being successful," Menk said. "And if I'm more successful, I hope someone else is more successful."

Menk said he decided to apply for the mayor position because he's always had a soft spot for the position. He's been close with and been friends with past Brainerd mayors like C. Elmer Anderson, Bonnie Cumberland and Wallin.

"I've had a good relationship with the council over the years," Menk said. "My reason for doing this is to give back to the city."

The biggest problem facing the city is public perception, Menk said. The public doesn't think Brainerd is equal to the city of Baxter, the public thinks the city is backwards and the city council is contentious, he said.

"We have to get over that problem and I think we have gotten over a lot," Menk said. "These past two years, I've seen a great improvement in the workability of the council."

As mayor, Menk said he plans to help make Brainerd more desirable by taking care of the infrastructure and policing in the community.

"We've got some problems, but with the right policing, we can solve many of the problems," Menk said.

Brainerd's strong council, weak mayor system means the mayor only votes in the case of a tie. The mayor can veto a council decision, but must explain why, and the veto can still be overturned by the council. The mayor can make suggestions to the council, which Menk said he would do to help guide the council.

"And I would use that very, very sparingly, because if I overuse it, you're not going to listen to me," Menk said. "But I can use it as a bully pulpit to try to get you to see things."

Wallin used his veto twice during his 16 years as mayor, a guideline Menk said he would follow when considering his own veto power.

"The only time I would use the veto would be if I felt the council needed to rethink their decision," Menk said. "Knowing full well they would not change their vote, but solidify their position."

Menk is also the owner and operator of Parker LLC and owns the Parker Building, located on the corner of Seventh and Laurel streets. He started as a watchmaker in Winona from 1969-1974, started working for Bud's Jewelry in Brainerd in May of 1974 and in 1979, he purchased Ron's Jewelry.

He served on the Brainerd Planning and Zoning Commission for 16 years, during which period he spent time as chair and vice chair of the commission. He is currently the chairman of the Brainerd Economic Development Authority.

He has served on the Downtown Business Association, Brainerd Mainstreet program and worked with the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce. He also worked with the city and downtown merchants and property owners for a 2009 redevelopment.

Candidates brought a variety of experience to table, but all seemed to agree on the importance of the mayor's role as a cheerleader for the community and to bring jobs to the area. Each agreed the citizen appointments the mayor makes to various city committees and commissions should be based on merit and special preference shouldn't be given to friends or acquaintances.

Filling those citizen vacancies on committees comes from getting out in the community as mayor and energizing the citizens and promoting involvement, the candidates agreed. They also agreed the city's budget and levy needed to be reined in, in order to prevent further situations like the current proposed 25 percent increase in the 2016 levy.

SPENSER BICKETT may be reached at 218-855-5859 or spenser.bickett@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/spenserbickett .