1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,200 So city administration and the organization is really that entity that's trying to unify 2 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,400 all of the inputs from the departments. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,000 These departments are quite disparate and so we're trying to make sense of that and 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,880 trying to unify that so that when we're communicating to the city commission, we are communicating 5 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,920 the priorities of these departments and then also communicating back to the departments 6 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,200 what the city commission would really like to see for the community. 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:40,840 So we are a full-time position and what we really do is we bring that stabilization with 8 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,480 all of our department heads and staff. 9 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:50,000 That has been really rewarding and then also just kind of as we're working cross-departmentally, 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:56,400 being able to look at all the different priorities and then how we bring them together to be 11 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,080 able to move forward with that vision. 12 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,840 The city commission office was responsible for the city administration office, the strategic 13 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,720 planning and research office. 14 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:11,960 We help the city commissioners as well, so we are legally required to send out our agendas. 15 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:17,200 We're also legally required to create meeting minutes from the city commission meetings. 16 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:22,800 The city commission office helps coordinate various meetings within our office space. 17 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:29,240 The city commission office is also a wayfinder for citizens with concerns or questions about 18 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,680 various things throughout the community. 19 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:37,600 The strategic planning involves economic development, trying to bring new jobs to town as well as 20 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:43,520 trying to redevelop older neighborhoods and bring new development to the downtown. 21 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:49,260 We work with the Greater Fargo-Moorhead EDC to bring more primary sector jobs to Fargo. 22 00:01:49,260 --> 00:01:54,540 That might be a manufacturing company, a distribution company, a medical device manufacturing 23 00:01:54,540 --> 00:01:59,540 company, but something that adds high quality jobs that boosts our economy. 24 00:01:59,540 --> 00:02:03,540 Just kind of fun to come downtown even on a weekend and see these different projects, 25 00:02:03,540 --> 00:02:08,780 see more places to park, see new businesses, see vacant buildings become occupied and I 26 00:02:08,780 --> 00:02:11,140 hope we can continue that. 27 00:02:11,140 --> 00:02:15,900 So the city of Fargo is really a catalyst for a lot of regional projects and a lot of 28 00:02:15,900 --> 00:02:18,900 big picture thinking in the metropolitan area. 29 00:02:18,900 --> 00:02:23,420 So Fargo is going to typically be that home where we talk about things like water supply, 30 00:02:23,420 --> 00:02:29,180 we talk about the flood diversion project, the Red River Regional Dispatch Center, we're 31 00:02:29,180 --> 00:02:33,860 really the home for a lot of some of that strategic thinking about partnerships across 32 00:02:33,860 --> 00:02:39,580 the two counties, the two states and the multiple cities within this metropolitan area and so 33 00:02:39,580 --> 00:02:44,180 we typically are convening in those conversations, we're hosting those conversations in our spaces 34 00:02:44,180 --> 00:02:49,340 and then also providing that strategic leadership so that we keep things moving forward, not 35 00:02:49,340 --> 00:02:54,440 only in Fargo, but in Fargo-Moorhead West Fargo and the Greater Cass Clay area. 36 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,020 We do more than just working up here with city commissioners and department heads. 37 00:02:58,020 --> 00:03:03,740 We do work with other boards and commissions, working with the HRC with the MLK Day was 38 00:03:03,740 --> 00:03:07,860 extremely exciting and I really enjoyed it. 39 00:03:07,860 --> 00:03:12,020 I have worked for the city of Fargo for 16, almost 17 years. 40 00:03:12,020 --> 00:03:17,660 I enjoy the people and the citizens in which I come to know. 41 00:03:17,660 --> 00:03:21,020 But then with the city, a little over 30 years now, I started as a community development 42 00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:26,020 planner, moved on to planning director and I'm working in administration on these redevelopment 43 00:03:26,020 --> 00:03:27,020 projects. 44 00:03:27,020 --> 00:03:32,300 I just enjoyed working with the people with the city, working with developers and the 45 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:37,180 people in the community that care about this community and want to make it a better place. 46 00:03:37,180 --> 00:03:43,440 I've been with the city now for 33 years, trained as a civil engineer and then I was 47 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:48,880 city engineer for a while and I truly, I do, I truly love working for the city of Fargo 48 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:56,140 and I'm just super proud to work here and to be honest, working at the city gave me 49 00:03:56,140 --> 00:04:03,060 the flexibility as an engineer to be able to raise my family, yet still do what I wanted 50 00:04:03,060 --> 00:04:05,540 to do and what I love to do. 51 00:04:05,540 --> 00:04:08,460 So I joined the city of Fargo in 2016. 52 00:04:08,460 --> 00:04:12,460 I got a great opportunity to come join this organization as the assistant administrator 53 00:04:12,460 --> 00:04:17,040 at the time and so I've been very grateful, very thankful that this has been an organization 54 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,140 that's been home for nearly the last 10 years of my professional career and to have that 55 00:04:21,140 --> 00:04:25,300 opportunity to be able to stay here and to fulfill the city administrator role here has 56 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:26,660 been quite meaningful for me. 57 00:04:26,660 --> 00:04:31,660 I'm very appreciative to the community, very appreciative to my teammates and we've got 58 00:04:31,660 --> 00:04:33,740 a great, great crew here at Team Fargo. 59 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:36,540 Thank you. 60 00:04:36,540 --> 00:04:37,540 Thank you. 61 00:04:37,540 --> 00:04:37,560 Thank you.