Cornell City Council - Vacant seat is keeping it in the family

Tim Smith (right) took the Oath of Office, May 15, after he was appointed to fill the Cornell City Council seat vacated by the passing of his brother, Terry. Tim was chosen from among two other candidates, stating that he thought filling out Terry’s term was something he had to do. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

The Cornell City Council met, May 12, to interview three candidates, who put their name in the running for the vacant seat, left by the untimely passing of Terry Smith.

One candidate, was Dan Osborn, who was on the spring ballot, but did not have the majority of votes. Something Osborn feels the city needs, is a chamber of commerce, to focus on tourism and the opportunities that brings.

If appointed to the council, Osborn wanted to see how he fits in, before possibly seeking a seat in the next election.

“That’s my ambition, before I retired from the military – to serve the community,” he said.

As for Dan Sinn, his main concern is that there needs to be a greater police presence and that the city needs to find more money somewhere to fix some things.

He shared that he would be interested in running for a seat during the next election, whether or not he was appointed at this time.

“I like this town,” said Sinn. Also interested in the position, was Tim Smith, the brother of Terry. He feels the city needs to clean up some places in the community and needs to focus on tourism, as that is Cornell’s strong point.

Tim gave applying for the position a lot of thought, but ultimately decided he wanted a chance to fulfill his brother’s term.

“I think he’d appreciate it,” said Tim. After digesting the interview comments, a decision was made at the regular council meeting, May 15, to appoint Tim to the position.

It was also decided to do something about the city’s housing revolving loan program. Currently, Chippewa County is administering the funds, but city administrator Dave DeJongh discovered that is such a slow turn around, as much as a year to approve the funding.

He also found that the state wants to regionalize the monies and throw it into one big pot. Delving into the matter, DeJongh learned that the city can have someone administer the money, who is not the county.

Therefore, Cedar Corp. will be the designated administrator of the loan program, as they charge up to 17 percent of the loan, which is paid out of the fund, while Chippewa County charges 15.

“Well, I think that’s the way to go, myself,” said mayor Mark Larson.

Council members did not like the idea of someone with a housing emergency having to wait, with Tim pointing out that it could be bad, if someone has to wait six months for funding, when their furnace goes out during the dead of winter.

“That could be life and death,” he said. The city has to give the county a 60-day notice, so the matter was approved on the spot.

They also agreed on an offer to purchase, submitted by Carter Rentals/Mike Poirer, owner for Lot 11, of Brunet Estates, zoned R-1 Single Family Residential.

“This is the last lot,” said DeJongh.