Three Aurora City Councilmen were appointed and sworn into office at the city’s meeting held Tuesday, January 23. Five candidates had submitted letters of intent to the city for consideration of appointment, Parker Vercimak, Bryan Sprague, Seth Prisbrey, Hal Jensen, and Andy Rasmussen. Mayor Quarnberg stated there had been a tremendous amount of time dedicated and legal direction given regarding the night’s proceedings, which began with each candidate having the opportunity to introduce themselves. Five questions were asked by the mayor and current council members in varying order, in summary: 1. What unique skills will you bring to the council? 2. Suggestions on improvements for the Independence Day/Christmas celebration? 3. Which departments within the city do you see yourself best equipped to manage? 4. Direction you’d like to see the city take on growth? 5. Your goal/purpose as a proposed city councilmember.
Parker Vercimak has been with the planning and zoning committee for the past four years, being chairman for three of them, and is a civil engineer by trade, which could bring a unique perspective to the city with his employment expertise. He said he’s been blown away by the time and effort put into the town’s third of July celebration and mentioned improving the raffle, and Christmas at Willow Bend was a success and will continue to grow. He asked not to be put in charge of roads, as that could serve as a conflict of interest with his employment but is open and willing to serve as needed.
As far as growth, Vercimak said no one wants it, unless it’s their kids wanting to move home, but a bit of growth can be good if planned for and controlled and he emphasized the need to work closely with planning and zoning. He said there was a valiant effort by Aurora City to clean up the town and he’d like to continue that momentum, as well as supporting the current staff, fire department, and police officers if appointed.
Bryan Sprague has worked in the public sector for the past 35 years as a member of an employee association for support staff, working with school districts across the state. Now retired, he has the time and desire to give back and has vast experience in policy development, legalities, resolving and identifying issues, and HR. He has typically been out of town for work on the 4th of July and hasn’t had the opportunity to spend it in Aurora, but he does have experience in marketing and communications and feels this is key, especially with the Christmas celebration, in building relationships and enhancing community participation.
He moved to Aurora specifically because it is a small community, and while he likes the small town, acknowledges bills must be paid and infrastructure maintained. He said the planning and zoning committee is key to working with the council in planning for the future and balancing water and other valuable resources. He pledged to take the interests of the community to heart and ensure each voice was heard. He said in volunteer positions such as the council, the quality staff must be supported while having the necessary tools to succeed, and if appointed, his goal would be to continue the effective work of the council. Sprague said he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty and he has the time to listen to the patrons of the community.
Seth Prisbrey has been a member of the Aurora Fire Department for many years and has helped with the 3rd of July dinner since he was a kid when he helped his dad cook. He wants to get more involved in serving the community and said he’s noticed the celebration hosted by Aurora on the 3rd of July has continually gotten bigger, yet dwindled on the 4th, and questioned if the events should be all combined on the 3rd rather than the two days. He said the Christmas at Willow Bend was a huge success and is looking forward to being more involved in the festival this year.
He would like to see more growth in the area; he said when he returned home after college there wasn’t anywhere in town to rent, build or buy for quite some time which was frustrating, and he thinks some growth would be good. Working with the planning commission, he thinks positive changes could be made. His goal, if appointed, would be to work with the fire department in updating their trucks.
Hal Jensen served several years ago on the city council and most recently completed a 16-month term and he’s willing and ready to serve again. He said the city’s Independence Day celebration is run differently now than in the past, and the funds from games go to a good cause. He thanked Mrs. Vercimak and the committee for the wonderful Christmas at Willow Bend and expects the event to get bigger and better each year. He acknowledged that being a councilman will not make him the most popular guy in town, and it’s not always fun, but he enjoys serving and expressed willingness to do what is asked.
He’s happy with the 1-2% growth the city has experienced over the past twenty years and said his top priority if appointed would be to preserve the town’s infrastructure. The water project has been a huge boon to the city and this year’s road project will also be beneficial, as it’s been a long time since the roads have been maintained. He said it takes everyone’s effort and things go smoothly when the council works together, which he’s looking forward to being a part of.
Andy Rasmussen began his public service as a member of the planning committee and has connections with many in his line of work as a contractor. The relationships have been beneficial in his voluntary work with the city council, and he said he’s happy with the city’s third of July celebrations and the new games added fun. He agreed the events on the third draw people from throughout the region and the fire department does a great job. Christmas at Willow Bend is still in its infancy and warmer weather would be his only suggestion, and he expressed appreciation for the work put into the event.
Though he’s been over the fire department and town beautification as a prior councilman, he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him and said he’s willing to be a mediator for the public with the council. Rasmussen would like to see a little more growth and said it’s imperative to work closely with planning and zoning to ensure water and all resources are properly utilized. He is pleased with the ordinance enforcement that was started last year and would be interested in continuing work with the fire department.
Following the introductions and questions, Mayor Quarnberg asked the two councilmen, Kelly Mason and Jim Harrison if they were ready to make an appointment. Mason motioned to appoint Andy Rasmussen, Harrison seconded, and with the unanimous motion, Rasmussen received the oath of office.
With three members on the council, the mayor again asked if any of them were ready to make an appointment, and Jim Harrison motioned to appoint Bryan Sprague. Rasmussen seconded the motion, Mason opposed, and the motion carried 2-1 and Sprague was sworn into office.
Jim Harrison then motioned to appoint Parker Vercimak to the council, Sprague seconded the motion, and Harrison voted yes, with Rasmussen and Mason voting no. With the 2-2 tie, Mayor Quarnberg was charged with the tie breaking vote, and he voted in favor of Vercimak. Vercimak then received the oath of office.
“We hope you feel this has been fair, I think we’ve got a good council and we’re grateful for all that you all do for our community,” said Quarnberg.
The full council discussed the upcoming funding meeting for the CIB, where a final decision will be made on the city’s road project, and a public thank you was given to Hal Jensen, Nancy Kennedy, and Andy Rasmussen for their years of service to the community as previous members of the council.
