Sveine

NEW ULM–The New Ulm City Council reconvened the May 18 council meeting to interview seven mayoral candidates Tuesday.

The seven candidates interviewed were Charalee Reinhart-Kalk, Justin Mattson, Terry Sveine, Jeremy Reed, Micah Roux, Richard Seeboth and Michelle Markgraf. An eighth candidate was disqualified as a candidate due to two felony convictions.

The council expressed gratitude to all who applied for the position. They agreed all candidates performed well during the interview process.

The five councilors individually filled out tally sheets during the interview process to score applicants. Following the interviews, the sheets were calculated and Terry Sveine and Michelle Markgraf tied for the highest score.

Sveine is a New Ulm native who has lived in New Ulm most of his life. He worked at the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce for 15 years. Sveine said he applied for the mayor position because he believed in getting involved in the town he lives. Sveine lived in other communities but said his goal was always to return to New Ulm. He loved the community and wanted to improve it. Sveine has served on several city commissions and boards during his time in New Ulm.

Markgraf is a new resident of New Ulm but has but regularly visited New Ulm since 1986 when attending Martin Luther College. She has returned to New Ulm since graduating and has seen it grow. In her years of coming to New Ulm as a visitor, she would think of ways to help New Ulm improve. She previously served as a non-profit director for the Compass Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Now she works as director of an international non-profit that teaches churches how to work with domestic abuse victims.

The councilors deliberated on the two candidates. No official vote was taken, but the council was leaning toward selecting Sveine.

“Both candidates are wonderful,” Councilor Les Schultz said. “However, this is a one-and-a-half year position. Who can take off on the first day they get into office? That’s going to be Terry Sveine.”

Schultz said one of the main roles of the mayor is to find people to serve on committees, and Sveine said in his interview that he knows many people and will be able to get people to join.

Schultz said Sveine also knows the issues and history of New Ulm. If visitors come to New Ulm, Sveine is the person with the experience to do that.

Councilor Eric Warmka believes Sveine was the better candidate for mayor because of his approachability.

When Warmka’s family first came to New Ulm, he said it was former Mayor Robert Beussman’s approachability and knowledge of the community that his family appreciated. Warmka believes Sveine best suited to this role.

“He is a well-known individual in this town,” Warmka said.

Councilor Larry Mack agreed Sveine’s approachability and knowledge of the importance of tourism in New Ulm made him the best choice.

Councilor David Christian was split between the top two candidates. Christian knew Sveine personally but thought Markgraf could bring a unique perspective.

During the interview process, Markgraf was asked about New Ulm’s strengths and areas of concern. She said New Ulm’s German heritage was a strength because it was a great pull of tourism, but said it can be a weakness in that some people without that shared history can feel unwelcome. Markgraf believesd the city was improving on this, but wanted to avoid an insider/outsider divide in the community.

Christian said he had heard of this problem, where new residents of New Ulm are treated like an “aushländer”. He agreed Sveine could hit the ground running, but thought Markgraf could offer a new face for New Ulm and bring greater diversity.

Council President Andrea Boettger also acknowledged the attitude toward outsiders as an ongoing issue in New Ulm and liked Makrgraf’s unique perspective. Boettger also believesd appointing individuals to committees was an ongoing issue in New Ulm and she liked Markgraf’s suggestion of creating an application process.

Schultz agreed a new procedure for appointing people to commissions was needed; especially among the younger generation. Schultz pointed out that Sveine stated in his interview that he would look to younger people to help fill boards and commissions.

Boettger said of the top two candidates, she believes there was no wrong decision for mayor.

The council was leaning towards Sveine as the appointee, but no official action could be taken during the meeting.

An official vote to appoint the New Ulm mayor will take place during the Tuesday, June 1, city council meeting.

Markgraf