Bayley: City is poised to do great things

Editor’s note: The R-E looks at new leaders’ hopes and plans in a three-part series.

Jan. 12: Heidi Jones

Jan. 16: Dan Rechtzigel

Today: Lisa Bayley

The city of Red Wing will face a number of challenges in the coming year, but it also is ready to take advantage of opportunities, new City Council President Lisa Bayley said.

Two major issues the council will tackle are the futures of Mississippi National Golf Links and the city’s incinerator.

While those likely will involve tough decisions, they also present new possibilities, said Bayley, who was re-elected to the council in November.

As solid waste processing issues play out in the state, the city will have to decide what do to with its incinerator and garbage operations.

“Within the next six months we’ll be making some very big decisions,” she said. While deadlines have been set for a decision on the facility in the past, Bayley said this time the city will move forward, even if they can’t get all the answers they would like, because “it’s time.”

What to do with Mississippi National Golf Links is another challenge. Bayley said the council will have to make some decisions within the next few weeks on what to do for the 2013 golf season.

“That will set the stage for what do we do in the bigger picture,” Bayley said, adding “there needs to be a big public conversation.”

The city also will be hammering out the details on construction projects as it takes advantage of an increased tax capacity at the Prairie Island nuclear plant. A set of improvements there, paired with a levy increase, will send more tax money to the city of Red Wing, which it has included in a long-term plan to tackle needed infrastructure maintenance and repairs.

Bayley said she is excited to move forward on implementing various pieces of the city’s strategic plan and that it is in a good position to move forward on economic development.

“We’re poised to do some really great things in the next few years,” Bayley said.

The city does need to work on some long-term planning for when staff members retire or leave, she said.

City Council members unanimously named Bayley their president at an organizational meeting on Jan. 8.

She has been on the council since 2008 and served as vice president for the past two years, so Bayley said she is ready to lead the seven-member council.

“I think I have a good grasp of the issues now,” she said.

“It’s always a challenge,” she added, but staff and other council members come together to work through the issues and topics.

Ralph Rauterkus, the former council president, is now vice president.

Bayley said she views the key role of the president as keeping the council moving forward while looking outside day-to-day tasks.

“I think the president has the responsibility to keep us on task and keep the big-picture items up front,” she said.

Tags: red wing, city council, news, government