“I’ve tried to resign twice, but the council shredded my resignation and convinced me to stay,” said Routh.
Reed served Hartland in various capacities for more than 10 years. He has been a councilperson, mayor and also served in a variety of positions when there were vacancies in the city government.
Pederson has served one previous term on the city council.
This past November, when all three seats were open, Hartland residents arrived at the polls and found nobody on the ballot. So they did what all responsible citizens would do: write in their fellow townspeople who would serve their beloved city well. This is how, once again, Routh was elected mayor and Reed and Pederson to the council.
Because there was nobody officially running, there was no legal obligation for any of the elected parties to fulfill the positions. It wasn’t until late December when decisions were made and positions were filled. According to the office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, there is no statutory requirement or timeframe for write-in candidates to decide when and if they will accept a board position. In the event that one of the positions had not been accepted by the board meeting held on the first Monday in January, the city would have had to hold a special election to fill it.
Luckily for Hartland, devotion is not lacking among its residents. According to Nicole LaFrance, Hartland City Clerk and Treasurer, family and friends played a large part in the final decisions of these three public servants to continue their positions.
“I think it feels good to have the confidence of the community behind them,” said LaFrance, in reference to why these three ultimately decided to take on another term.
There were also outstanding projects in the community they were encouraged to see through, including the current water treatment facility construction. In the fall of 2011 the current facility began to fail, prompting an assessment of what could be done to salvage it or replace it. Construction on a new building was started in November 2012 and is expected to be finished late summer or early fall of 2013.
Whatever the reasons, their city is grateful for the continued dedication of these three residents.
It begs the question: what will happen next election?
