Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
WAKEFIELD CITY Council members set up supplies for their first "Coffee with Council" session, to be held today in the council room of the municipal building from 9-11 a.m. Shown Friday are mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro and council member Dale White, who both will attend the event, along with council member Kay Wiita.
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield - The Wakefield City Council will offer its first "Coffee with Council" session this morning in the council room of the municipal building in Wakefield.
The session will run from 9-11 a.m. with council members Kay Wiita and Dale White available during the first hour and mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro and White available in the second hour.
Council members hope that a casual atmosphere and treats will encourage local residents to share their ideas and concerns.
"Listening is the most important step," said council member Dale White, who encourages local citizens to describe any problems they see in the city.
"We don't always have a solution, but if we don't know there's a problem, we can't try to solve it," said White. "Don't keep them to yourselves. Don't let them fester."
Mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro joined White in also encouraging residents to share their opinions in relation to the city's future.
Although the city has circulated surveys in the past year or so, Tarro said that discussing priorities in a give-and-take setting might feel more meaningful than just filling out a form.
White credits the coffee session to city manager Rob Brown, who has held his role now for more than four months and who maintains an open-door policy with the public.
"I'm always interested in hearing people's perspective on the city," said Brown in relation to issues involving projects, services, etc.
Brown added that the coffee sessions also should serve as an opportunity for the public to learn more about council members' responsibilities.
