The City of Crookston announced at the City Council meeting on June 26, 2023 the vacancy for the at-large council member position previously occupied by Wayne Melbye.
When the meeting was adjourned, the position was posted. The City of Crookston closed the application window on July 6 and received three applicants who will be interviewed. The three applicants are Morgan Hibma, Joshua Knaack, and Matt Rosu.
The criteria for the applicants were they had to be residents of Crookston, be a registered voter, 21 years of age or older, and not be convicted of a felony. “They have all met those criteria, we’ve done background checks they have all consented to, and they’ve all met the criteria,” said City Administrator Corky Reynolds. The interviews will take place on Monday, July 10, starting at 2:00 p.m. The Council will be conducting the questioning, and they anticipate each applicant will be interviewed for 30 to 45 minutes each. “The Council will make a recommendation and see who they wish to appoint, if anyone, at the meeting on Monday night,” said Reynolds, “I believe one of these three will be selected to be the Council person at large to fill the vacant position.”
The Council will decide the finalists before the City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m.
The council’s interview questions will be the basic ones. “we’re going to ask base questions like what you bring? What are your interests? Why are you interested in this position? And other questions will be formulated,” said Reynolds.
The Council seeks to give whatever candidate they choose the opportunity to succeed. “There is no scoring system in these interviews; we’re looking at how the individual presents him/herself. We have two men and one woman, and the Council wants to work together to develop these individuals,” said Reynolds. The training that will be implemented for the selected candidate will be attending seminars from the League of Minnesota Cities and attending meetings. “There are council people who can act as mentors. Have conversations with fellow council members or the members of the administrative team, including myself,” said Reynolds. “We don’t expect we’re that we’re getting a seasoned veteran. But we want to allow this person to feel the flow of Council and understand what they do in Council.”
