Happy New Years

The year 2018 will come to an end in a few short hours. I, as many of you, will be up watching the ball drop in New York. I want to remind everyone if you are celebrating the new year tonight, do so responsibly and don't try to drive home if you had a few to many.

This last year the City was able to complete the Waste Water Treatment plant project, pave fifth street and keep our promise to keep our tax rate low. In 2019 we will finish the trail up fifth street, start new street projects and implement the new Safety Committee. I am looking forward to the new year and two more years of service to my community.

Thank you and have a great New Years eve.

Happy Boxing Day

December 26 is celebrated in the UK and many common-wealth nations as Boxing day. This is a day that was established for everyone who had to work on December 25 to have a day off  as well. I would like to extend a warm Boxing day greeting to our law enforcement, EMTs, fire department and all others who had to work yesterday.

Merry Christmas from the Bradfords

Merry Christmas Mantorville.

December 21, 2018

The holiday season has brought us Apple Spice, Pumpkins, Pecan pie,ice skating, skiing and snowmobiling. Rejoice for finally the hun-drum days of summer have finally been put to rest. The time of year has come once again for us to all join in with the Dr. Seuss classic “The Grinch” and celebrate winter as the Who's did with a rendition of dah who dor-aze! And remember to “Welcome Christmas while we stand, Heart to Heart and Hand in Hand”.  Lets get out there and enjoy the season, embrace the snow and once again remind ourselves of the beautiful environment in which we have choose to live. dah who dor aze everyone,dah who dor aze and Merry Christmas!

2018
This past year has seen some surprisingly close elections including one local race that came down to a single vote and a recount effort. The election season even saw a local candidate forum that allowed the candidates for City Council and Mayor a venue to express their opinions. The country lost a former president and a long-term congressman. The City of Mantorville has prevailed in a law suit brought by a citizen and will continue to protect City Tax Dollars by aggressively defending our City. The City was able to work with AT&T and finally extend cell service to the residents of Mantorville and also add a new non-tax based revenue stream to the City's bottom line. The City was able to complete the Waste Water pipeline project and secure $1.8 Million in grand funding. I will detail many of these areas in greater detail in my annual “State of the City” article next month.

Merry Christmas
Please remember to un-plug from work, spend time with friends and family and most importantly celebrate responsibly. Remember it is a lot less embarrassing to go back the next day to get a vehicle than it is to answer questions of why you choose to try and drive when you knew you shouldn't have. I am looking forward to spending time with Spencer, Sandra and Abby. I am also eagerly anticipating the turkey, plum pudding and eggnog. The city staff along with myself would like to extend a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a safe and prosperous new year to all of our residents.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Ode to Winter

Many of my regular readers are familiar with my annual “ode to winter” article. Typically in the late fall around the first sprinkle of snow I write an opening for my article about how wonderful the Winter season is. I have over-looked this tradition this year and I wanted to rectify that before the end of the year. First why do I do this? The world today allows us to select the area we live in and find career options in that area. We are in Minnesota not because we are trapped as our former president had said but because we choose to live in the mid-west. We live not in spite of the weather and constant change but because of it. We, as Minnesotans, understand that if we are unhappy about cold weather we will spend most of our lives unhappy. If, however, we choose to rejoice in the change of the seasons and embrace the cold we understand that life will be much better. A former Governor of the State of Minnesota started winter fest in St. Paul in response to another Governor's remarks that it is too cold in the Winter to live in Minnesota. We don't hide from the cold we go out and enjoy it with our snowmobiles, cross-country skis, down hill skis, ice skating, snow angles, snow forts, sledding and so much more. We all like to “complain” about how harsh our weather is, but lets face it, we love it!

The season has brought us Apple Spice, Pumpkins, Pecan pie, the holidays, skiing and snowmobiling. Rejoice for finally the hun-drum days of summer have finally been put to rest. The time of year has come once again for us to all join in with the Dr. Seuss classic “The Grinch” and celebrate winter as the Who's did with a rendition of dah who dor-aze! And remember to “Welcome Christmas while we stand, Heart to Heart and Hand in Hand”.  Lets get out there and enjoy the season, embrace the snow and once again remind ourselves of the beautiful environment in which we have choose to live. dah who dor aze everyone,dah who dor aze!

Potter vs City of Mantorville

In the recent lawsuit filed against the City by the Potters, the court had previously dismissed a majority of the case including the individual complaints again the City Council members individually. The City received word last week that on December 6, the court issued a favorable summary judgement for the city resolving all the outstanding issues in the case. The court agreed with the City that there was no evidence presented to find for the plaintiff. This is good news for both the City of Mantorville as well as the Tax Payers of the City.

Give the Gift of Life

Christmas is quickly approaching and as many of us are planning to bell ring for the salvation army,  volunteer at shelters or help out in our community one area of giving often goes over-looked. This holiday season you can literally save a life by donating blood. Donated blood unfortunately does have a shelf life and the Holiday season see a dramatic rise in the need of all blood types. Pleases consider adding this gift of life to your holiday tradition, the life you save may be a loved one.

Last meeting for this Council

The City Council meet for the last time for 2018 last Monday December 10. While many of us were watching the Vikings miserable attempt to play football, the City Council voted to reduce our tax rate to 57%. The Council also heard from a local insurance agent and passed many needed resolutions to allow the City to function until the next council is sworn in during our first January meeting.

Ice Rink is Ready

The ice rink has been flooded and is ready to use. The City always floods part of the parking lot to make a safe skating rink, and this year we added some blue color to the frozen water to “add to the experience”. You can see just how blue the ice is in the picture on my blog at http://mayorbradford.blogspot.com

Mantorville's Blue Ice

A little added security

The City of Mantorville is looking at additional security around town with our City owner assets. The City is evaluating recording devices and enhanced alarm systems. These systems will be used to protect City owner building and equipment and may also be deployed to some of our parks.

St. Nickolas Day

Many of you asked about our Polish adoption during the campaign season. Sandra is doing great! One of the traditions we brought home is celebrating St. Nickolas day. December 6^th is celebrated in Poland as the birthday of St. Nicholas of Myra (circa 280 ). The traditional birthday of St. Nick is celebrated by giving one small gift to the children to open when they wake up. We made arrangements for Nickoli to visit us in America, and he did not forget this year. Happy St. Nickoli Day everyone!

Flags Lowered for President Bush

Last Friday night around 10:00pm the 41^st President of the United States passed away. George H.W. Bush was surrounded by his family during his last moments. President Bush was 94 when his life ended. George Bush served his country in several ways. He served as our Vice President during the Reagan administration. He was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam conflict. President Bush served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The GeorgeBush.Com web site has a great quote that summaries his life well. “Any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” This value he instilled in his sons George W Bush and Jeb Bush both who went on to have extensive public service careers of their own. A second true hallmark of the Bush family is their strong sense of family, duty to country and respect for all peoples. The City's flags were lowered on Saturday to honor the passing of our 41^st president. Remember to keep Pauline and George W. in your prays this week.

Application Deadline Approaching

The deadline for filing an application for a position on the newly Formed Safety Committee is approaching. Please get those applications into City Hall before Christmas. The Safety Committee will examine safety issues including traffic speed, research data based solutions to those problems and make recommendations back to the City Council. This is your opportunity to help shape safety concerns within our community and help out the City Council. Please consider serving on this committee and get those applications in to the City Clerk.

Staff Reviews

The Mantorville City Council has an appointed committee responsible for reviewing the performance of each of our City staff. The Committee accepts input from the public for feedback for any of our City staff positions. Please send input to myself or Henry Blair by the middle of December.

Happy Centential

The Mantorville Opera House which is maintained by the Mantorville Restoration Association turned 100 years old this year. The Opera House is home to the Mantorville Theater Company. The Mantorville Theater Company has been holding plays and melodramas in this historic building for over forty four years. Happy Birthday Opera House, and here is to another century.

Single Vote Victory upheld

In the race for a City Council seat Sharon Davern came in ahead of Luke Nash by a single vote. Mr. Nash filed for a recount and that recount was preformed at the County Court House. The recount effort was open to the public and occurred on November 16th. After several hours of manual recounting of ballots and determining "voter intent" the vote total remained as a single vote victory. Congratulations Ms Davern, I look forward to your service to the citizens of Mantorville.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today as we spend time with family and friends, lets remember to reflect on everything we are thankful for. I am thankful for Sandra who joined our family last year. I am also thankful to our son Spencer who brings so much joy in my life. I am so thankful for the oppertunity to live in Mantorville and have such wounderful friends and neighbors. None of these things would be possible with out the sacrifice and dedication of our brave men and women of our armed forces. I am so increadible thankful to all of our veterans! We all have so much to be thankful for. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and have a safe celebration.

Holiday Lights Last Year

Xcel Energy has informed the City of Mantorville that Holiday decorations will no longer be allowed on any of their distribution poles. Xcel said that if we wanted, we could still decorate the poles this year. Mantorville's lights were needing upgrading if they were to be put up and light. The City has chosen to decorate the poles with our existing decorations but not have them light. The City will examine other decorating options for next year. During the highway 57 upgrade project scheduled for 2021 the City is considering underground lines in the downtown area along with new architectural lights. The new lights would then allow the decorations to be put up again.

Thank You Mantorville

November 11, 2018

I am honored and humbled that the citizens of Mantorville asked me to serve as their Mayor for an additional term. I continue to enjoy serving as your Mayor and I am looking forward to continuing our journey to improve our City. Thank you so much for your continued support. I have often found it interesting that Veterans Day is celebrated after our elections are held because it is the soldier that gave us free elections. The dedication, sacrifice and perseverance of our armed forces has given us our freedoms. We celebrate our first and second amendment rights because of the handwork and dedication of those willing to place themselves in harms way for our sake. I extend a heartfelt Thank You to all those that have served (or are serving) in our Armed Forces. We owe you a debt that can never be repaid, but know that we all are grateful for your service. I also extend a Thank You to the families of our veterans, it is with your support and commitment to our young men and women that allow them to be successful in their mission, Thank You.

Fifth Street
The crew was able to get a few layers of blacktop down last week; however, the sidewalk is going to have to wait for Spring. Some of the landscaping needs to be completed and a final grade applied to both sides of the street. The crew is going to clean up as much of the rough grade as they can yet this fall and will come back in the Spring to finish the grading and landscaping. The combination of early colder weather and three weeks straight of rain last month really set the project back a great deal. We had hoped to have had the project completed this year.

Safety Council
Applications are still available at Mantorville City Hall for those individuals interested in serving on the Safety Council.The Council is going to be chaired by a City Council member and will reach out to the KM School District, MNDOT, Dodge County and the citizens of Mantorville. The mission of the Council is to report back to the City Council with recommendations for proven safety improvements that can be implemented in our community. This is your opportunity to get involved and I am looking forward to working with our newly empowered council.


Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford

Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

2018 Election Results

The people of Mantorville have voted.
The results from Election Night 2018*

Mayors Race

Chuck Bradford	361
Jim Potter	180

City Council

Don Hofstad	388
Sharon Davern	256
Luke Nash	255

Congratulations to Don and Sharon. Thank you to Jim and Luke for being willing to serve the citizens of Mantorville.

*Some results will be reviewed closer after Election Night

AT&T Announce Cell Service in Mantorville

The Following letter was made public this week as AT&T announces their investment in Mantorville.

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AT&T Brings Faster Network, Better Access to Mobile Internet for Customers in Mantorville


Dear Friends,

AT&T has added a new cell site to its 4G LTE network in Mantorville to give customers faster, more reliable wireless service.

With 4G LTE, customers will have a better network connection while doing things like streaming videos, sharing on social media, and texting family and friends.

AT&T is proud of our commitment to Minnesota. From 2015 to 2017, we invested nearly $375 million in our Minnesota wireless and wired networks.  And since 2010, we have invested more than $1 billion in our networks.

In 2017 alone, AT&T made 976 network enhancements in 299 communities across Minnesota, including new cell sites, the addition of network capacity, and network upgrades.  We are continuing our investments in our Minnesota networks in 2018.  Expanding our network in the area has given AT&T the most wireless coverage in Minnesota.

These investments boost reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for Minnesotans and their businesses.

Our upgrades will also benefit public safety and first responders on FirstNet, public safety’s dedicated communications platform.

FirstNet is being built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority.  It’s designed to help first responders in Minnesota and across the country connect to the critical information they need – when they need it – so they can keep themselves and the communities they serve safer.

We are proud of our investment in Mantorville, and we are excited for what the future holds.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. I’m here to help.

Sincerely,

Paul Weirtz
President ‹ AT&T Minnesota
Visit us at: minnesota.att.com

Vote this week

Voting is one of the great freedoms we enjoy in this country. This week we will go to the polls and choose those individuals that will serve as our voice in the various levels of government. We have a congressional race, a new Governor to select as well as our local races. Please remember to vote this week.

City of Mantorville Candidate Forum Questions

On October 25 the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum at the Mantorville Senior Center. All City candidates were each asked the same series of questions and given 90 seconds to respond to each. Some of the questions asked and my answers to them can be found below.

First why don't each of you introduce yourself:
Thank you. I wanted to thank the Chamber for organizing this debate. I also would like to thank Larry Dobson for agreeing to be our facilitator. Thank you to the press for covering this debate and also thank you to everyone who has shown up for our debate tonight. I think an important part of any public office is the ability to listen, understand the concerns and remain emotionally neutral and most importantly not to antagonize our neighbors. I feel that public service is just that serving the public and not self service. My name is Chuck Bradford and I have been serving as Mayor for the last six years. It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor and I look forward to continuing in your service for another term. Thank you.

How would you describe your temperament?
Temperament is an important aspect of the job. It is vital to listen to our fellow neighbors with an open mind. You have to make sure you understand their point of view. People are often passionate when they present to the Council and it is important to be able to listen to their concerns and understand their point of view without getting drawn in to an emotional debate. Through active listening I have been able to facilitate open discussions within the City Council meetings.

What is the biggest Challenges facing the City?
I think there are four areas that the City will need to focus on:
    A) Infrastructure
         1) Street Improvements
         2) Strategic side walks
         3) Individual sewer connections
    B) Resources vs Needs
         1) Fourth Street, Fifth Street,  Clay Street loop project
         2) Golf Court
         3) All other streets
         4) Balancing tax rates with Cities needs
    C) Resistance to change
    D) Volunteer base
         1) Few people do most of the work
         2) need more young people

What, in your opinion, is the Cities best attributes?
Mantorville is rich in genuine historic assets. These assets energize the people within our community to donate their time and resources to improve the quality of life within our community. It is because of our historic assets that we have such great volunteers. I think our communities greatest assets are those historic treasures and our great volunteers.

Do you have any Conflicts of Interest that would interfere with your ability to serve?
I do  not have any conflicts of interest. Matter of fact I have gone as far to donate back my salary to help balance our budget in the past. I have always looked for ways to give back to my community.

Have you served on any community boards?
I have been active with the Kasson Mantorville Lions club and I am a founding member of the KM Kiwanis club in the Kasson-Mantorville area. I have served on just about every sub committees within our community during my time on the City Council and Mayor. I have spent my Saturdays installing playground equipment, collecting corn stocks and pumpkins to decorate the community for the holidays and late night problem solving with City staff.

Was it a mistake to remove the stop signs on Ninth Street?
The change on 9th street started with a citizen's concern over speed and the lack of vehicles actually stopping at the signs. The Council reached out to the County as well as MNDOT to brainstorm. Both MNDOT and the County said a FIRST STEP was to remove the stop signs and then look at control methods that actually address speed. Since removing the signs I have been in close communication with the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff has been collecting real speed data to help the Council understand the situation. The officer on duty only made one stop over the last week and the speeds have been averaging about 26 mph. The City understands that more work needs to be done, looking at bump outs, striping, Kids at Play Signs and tree placement. The final solution could possible add back one or two of the removed signs. We have asked a Citizens Safety Council to make recommendations back to the Council for our next steps.

If elected what is your first priority?
Recently the City has been focused on completing the Waste Water Treatment Plant project and  connecting with Kasson. The WWTP project has now been successfully completed and we can now double back and look at infrastructure. Ramping up our street projects will be a number one priority of  mine. We will continue to utilize our annual street survey to update the top street priorities.

Is there anything else you would like to tell everyone?
Serving as Mayor you need to wear many hats. You have to testify before the State Senate in order to secure $1.8M for Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades. Sometimes you have to work with State Agencies like MNDOT on highway 57 improvements. Even working with local citizens on infrastructure concerns and zoning issues. It has been one of my great pleasures to serve our community as your Mayor and I would be honored to do so for two more years. Thank You. 

Flags at Half Staff

The Flags at City Hall were lowered to half staff following President Trumps flag proclamation. The President issued this proclamation to honor the Philadelphia victims of last weeks senseless violence. While we as American might disagree about many thing we all will agree that this type of senseless violence has no place in our society. Please remember to keep the friends and  family of the victims in your thoughts and prays this week as they start the healing process.  Robert Bowers violent attack in the Pennsylvania Synagogue arose out of hate due to ignorance and intolerance. We must all work together to fight the rise of hate in order to prevent this type of senseless loss of life in the future. We need to work from a base of mutual respect to understand each others views, thoughts, culture and values.

Welcoming Fall

October 30, 2018

We just finished a wonderful fall festival this weekend where visitors and residents were able to come and enjoy all the wonderful pumpkin decorating and corn stocks. I saw many people relaxing on hay rides , enjoying local treats, listing to some local ghost stories or possibly seeing a musical at the Mantorville Theater Company. Thank you to all those folks that helped out this year to make this event another success. One of the things I really enjoy about the campaign season  is that it offers me an opportunity to go door to door and talk to all of our neighbors in town one on one and really get to know each other. Even those connection that I have already made often share new information and observations. Many times these ideas have a common theme and I like to collect these themes and present them back to council for action. I really enjoy seeing these conversations turn into action from the City Council.  I have had so many conversations with many of you via email, Facebook, phone calls and posts on my blog. I always find the face to face conversations the most rewarding because it helps build actual relationships as well as share information. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and  ideas with me. This collaboration has made our community stronger.

A Call for Volunteer Committee Members:
The City Council is forming a Citizens Committee on Safety for the 9th Street changes. We are still looking for a couple of citizens that would be interested in serving on our streets safety commission. Those people interested in serving our community can submit their contact information with the City Clerk at City Hall.

City Candidates Debate:
That you again to the Mantorville Senior Center for providing a venue for the recent debate. Thank you also to the Chamber for arranging this forum. Larry Dobson and other volunteers did a great job emceeing and moderating the form. There were some great questions for all of the candidates to reflect on and I think this was a great opportunity to get to meet all the candidates. I really appreciated the great discussions I had after the forum with many folks. I will get some of the questions from the debate and my answers to them on my blog within the next few days. My blog is located at mayorbradford.blogspot.com. After the debate I meet a young person that said he wanted to be involved, we will work with him and defiantly utilize his energy and passion to help strengthen our community.

Recent Council Successes:
The last few years have been so busy and it easy to loose track of some of the great work the City Council has been able to accomplish. In January, I always publish a State of the City article, but I wanted to highlight a few of our successes early.

Froze or reduced the tax rate for each of the last six years
Secured $1.8M in grant funds for our sewer project
Implemented a new “City Brand”
The Secretary of State visited Mantorville to discuss our new Branding Efforts
Continued lower tax rates
Attracted two new sub divisions
Added non-tax based revenue from AT&T lease agreement
Implemented a lifetime pet license
Offered a City Revolving loan fund
Completed new Waste Water Treatment plant connection
Hosted the Southeastern Minnesota League of Municipalities quarterly meeting
Leveraged the Joint venture to facilitate cost sharing across the School Board, City of Kasson and City of Mantorville
There are so many more successes it would be easy to fill a page, but I just wanted to share a few of the milestones we have seen in that last years. I am so proud of our Citizens, Volunteers, property owners and everyone together that all call ourselves “Mantorville”.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

The Great Debate

October 20, 20189

9th Street:
The City Council is forming a Citizens Committee on 9th Street safety. We are still looking for a couple of citizens that would be interested in serving on our streets safety commission. Those people interested in serving our community can submit their contact information with the clerk at City Hall.


The Great Debate:
There will be a debate for all those candidates which are seeking public office with the City of Mantorville. The debate is going to be held on Thursday, October 25 starting at 7:00pm at the Mantorville Senior Center (601 Clay St in Mantorville, Minnesota 55955). The moderator for our debate is going to Larry Dobson, and questions for the debate can be sent to  cnceditor@kmtel.com If you have question or would like to meet those running for City office please join us for this forum which is open to the public.

5th Street:
The Township road work has mostly completed, and road is open for two lanes. The portion of fifth street that the City is rebuilding remains under construction and traffic for the Mantor Drive and Bergmann Drive areas should still go around using the township road.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford

Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Dodge County Independant Questions

VOTER’S GUIDE 2018
STEELE COUNTY TIMES/DODGE COUNTY INDEPENDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
(Because of space constraints, please
limit your responses to no more than 75 words per question.)

NAME: 
Chuck Bradford a proud father, husband and public servant who has always felt a very strong sense of pride and identity being a citizen of Mantorville. My wife and I treasure this community because of it's historic beauty, lower cost of living, and enriched educational system. These values were powerful motivators as I felt a sense of duty to promote and protect our community.

PARTY AFFILIATION (if applicable):
 Mayor is a non-partisan role; however, I have been active in the Republican Party.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND/WORK EXPERIENCE:
Served on both elected and appointed positions within our community. Elected Positions are: National Alternate Delegate, Mayor (3 terms), Councilman, Chair Dodge County Republicans, Deputy Chair First Congressional District. Appointed positions are: Park Board Commissioner, Acting Mayor, Personnel board, Finance Committee, Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Economic Development Commissioner . Working as a professional computer engineer for over 25 years I have lead self directed teams, served as department leader and worked directly with “C” level executives on company wide IT initiatives. My wife and I have started and ran small businesses.

IDENTIFY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FACING THE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY/JURISDICTION YOU’RE RUNNING FOR, AND PROVIDE SPECIFIC DIRECTION ON HOW YOU WOULD IMPLEMENT AND EFFECT CHANGE WITH IT:
The City has finished the Waste Water Treatment plant and now we can circle back and focus on infrastructure. The City Engineer along with our streets personnel annually examine each street and form a “Street Survey” report. The Council uses this report to determine the priority for the next street projects. The City's number one priority over the next two years will be focusing on street repairs, including a major highway 57 reconstruction.

WHY DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB:
I see public service as an opportunity to serve. Being Mayor involves calmly listening to citizens who are often passionate about their concerns. I have always given our fellow neighbors the opportunity and time to be heard. It is important for a Mayor to represent the citizens of Mantorville and not their own personal motives. I have testified in front of the State Legislature, helped run a small business on limited resources and championed our lower tax rate.

WHAT HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST TO RUN FOR OFFICE:
The reason we fell in love with Mantorville in the first place was it's historic charm. I feel it is very important to maintain this historic character while leveraging our future. The City needs to maintain a lower tax rate and also protect our historic assets. The City is currently looking at improving the historic nature of our City with the burial of the over-head power lines and the planning for architectural street lighting for the downtown area.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU WHAT TO ACCOMPLISH IN OFFICE:
We need to work on our sidewalks within the City and focus on street repairs, while maintaining a lower tax rate. This will continue to be a challenge going forward as many of our streets need repair; however, simply raising our taxes to a much higher level will have detrimental affects on our City's ability to grow.

WHAT STRATEGIES WOULD YOU IMPLEMENT TO MAKE SURE SOMETHING GETS DONE WHILE IN OFFICE:
Effective leadership means leveraging your field experts, holding staff accountable and providing a high level vision for the direction of the City. I will continue to encourage citizen input at Council meetings, continue conducting staff performance reviews and push for reasonable tax rates.

WHAT IS SOMETHING IN YOUR PAST THAT HAS MOST PREPARED YOU TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND SERVE THE PUBLIC:
When we moved to town we were meet with so much warmth and encouragement to serve we immediately felt like part of the community. I served on individual project committees like installing play ground equipment and helping design the City's current welcome signs and flags. When I saw the City moving in a direction that would weaken the future for our children, I wanted to take action to be part of the solution to ensure a better future for all those growing up in Mantorville.

Star Harold Campaign Questions

1. Name:
Chuck Bradford a proud father, husband and public servant who has always felt a very strong sense of pride and identity being a citizen of Mantorville. My wife and I treasure this community because of it's historic beauty, lower cost of living, and enriched educational system. These values were powerful motivators as I felt a sense of duty to promote and protect our community.

2. Community where you live:
Living in the City of Mantorville, I have been a member of ad-hoc community organizations formed to better the community as well as more formal groups. As a member of the Kasson-Mantorville Lions club, I have served my community by raising money and working on community improvement projects. My volunteerism has served both Dodge and Olmsted counties promoting tourism, local projects and policy issues. I also volunteer on the Welch Village Ski Patrol where I help provide emergency medical assistance to injured skiers. I understand that serving, as an elected official is the highest form of community service.

3. How long have you lived in the district you will represent?
Abby and I have lived in Mantorville since 2004, we fell in love with the community when we first saw the historic charm of the community. After buying a house all our neighbors made us feel so welcomed. We knew we had made the right decision. Almost immediately we meet so many great people that invited us to take an active role in the town. Public service is my way of repaying the community for the warmth we have received.

4. Family information you would like to share
Abby and I have been married for over 30 years. We have two beautiful children, a 10 year old son named Spencer and a 9 year old daughter named Sandra. One of my driving motivations for running for office is my desire to leave an even better State and City for Spencer and Sandra than the one in which I was raised. I have leveraged this passion to fight for the citizens of Mantorville.

5. Party affiliation, if applicable
Mayor is a Non-Partisan office; However I am active with the Republican Party

6. Education:
BS from Iowa State University

7. Experience
Lobbied the State Bonding Committee for help with construction of the new Treatment Plant. The result was a $1.8 million dollar contribution from the State. During my six years as Mayor, the City has yet to raise the tax rate for property taxes. In fact the rate for 2018 went down by 7%.  I even went as far to donate my full net salary back to keep the tax rate from raising. I believe responsible stewardship for the City includes maintaining our heritage while promoting economic growth.

8. Website:   
ChuckBradford.Com

9. Social media:
mayorbradford.blogspot.com/
Facebook.com/CBradford

10. Email address:
MantorvilleMayor@GMail.com

October Street Update

October 9, 2018

9th  Street:
During the October 8th meeting of the City Council, a number of our neighbors voiced their concerns about the removal of the stop signs along 9th street. The  City Council has been working with Dodge County to try to improve the safety along 9th street. The first part of this effort was to follow some of MNDOT's recommendations for a “collector” street, which involved the removal of the stop signs. Several studies have shown that wrongly placed stop signs give a false sense of safety along such streets. This was always planed to be a multi-faced approach. The City Council had a great conversation with those that were at the meeting and everyone that wanted to voice their concerns were given the opportunity to do so. The Council then gave some answers to the questions that were posed. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office was in attendance as was the Dodge County Engineer. Scott Rose presented the observations that the Sheriff's office was asked to collect on speed limit compliance. Guy Kohnhofer presented information about the studies that have been published about the use of stop signs for speed control and safety, presented information regarding permitted uses of traffic control devices and lead a discussion on areas to look at for improving safety. During the discussions several of our neighbors indicated they would like to be on a committee to look into, and help implement the next phases of this effort. The City Council will be forming a Citizens Committee on 9th Street safety composed of a professional engineer, an elected official, two citizens along 9th street and the hopefully someone from the school system. I would like to thank everyone that showed up last night to share their thoughts and offered to help find a solution. The City Council will continue to monitor the safety on this street and make additional changes as needed until we can improve the safety along 9th street. The Sheriff's Office will be a vital partner in this effort and has been asked to help monitor speed in the area and issue any appropriate citations.

5th Street:
The fall of 2018 has been especially wet, and this has caused several issues with our timeline for 5th street. We continue to closely monitor the progress of the street construction. The construction crew has road closed signs up with a traffic gap to allow for construction vehicles to enter and exit, I want to remind everyone that this is for construction vehicles only. The road bed between Mantor Drive and Blanch Street has been excavated down to dirt and with two weeks of rain has become extremely soft. I am aware of at least one incident where a individual attempted to drive through the construction portion and needed to be pulled out by a tow truck. The construction crew has been working on weekends trying to make up for some lost time on this project. The City has reached out to the Township and is trying to coordinate our projects so that we don't encounter simultaneous road closures. Once we have some dry weather and are able to determine a completion date, I will updated everyone on our progress. I appreciate everyone's continued patience as we make this much needed repair.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Township Road Work on

The township is planning on upgrading 608th street to the East of Mantorville. This is the same street that the residents on Bergmann and Mantor drive are using during the 5th street construction. The City's Engineer has been in contact with Mantorville Township and they have shared with us that they plan to do all work "under traffic" which means there will be times during the construction that the road will be down to one lane; however, traffic will be able to move through with the help of flaggers so that the citizens that would normally use 5th street will have a route out of the City.

9th Street Stop Signs Update

During the October 8th City Council meeting the City Council and a group of citizens had about an hour and a half discussion on the removal of the stop signs along 9th street. The City had the opportunity to hear from The Dodge County Engineer, The Dodge County Sheriffs office, the citizens that live on or near 9th street as well as our council members. During the discussion a few citizens stepped up to volunteer to be on a "Community Safety Council" which will serve as an advisory council to the City Council regarding suggestions to increase and promote safety along 9th street as well as other streets in the community. The Sheriff's office did offer to listen to observations from citizens in the area and is willing to "have a conversation with the owners of repeat offending vehicles". The County Engineer said that he will forward a list of recommendations based off MNDOT studies that should help address safety concerns. The Citizens council will review these recommendation and prioritize efforts that should work best within our community. Look for updates on this blog, on the cable channel, in future articles in the DCI and at the bottom of your utility bill.

Decorating the Town

The MRA agreed to pay for corn stocks to decorate the town. This was an original tradition for several years and it was over-looked the last couple of years. John Olive arranged the labor and trailer for this project and the MRA donated the materials. Thank You John Olive and the Mantorville Restoration Association.

5th Street remains non-passable

The road construction on 5th street remains closed to through traffic. On Friday October 5th a car attempted to make it up to Mantor drive coming from the West. The picture of the construction area below shows the condition of the sub-road after two weeks of rain. Access to Bergmann and Mantor drive continues to be from the East.

5th Street Sub Road Condition

New Flowers for Signs

The South Side City Sign has had new Marigold planting added to it just in time for Marigold Days, Thanks John Olive!

Founder's Family visit our 53rd Marigold Days:

September 11, 2018

Founder's Family visit our 53^rd Marigold Days:

Thank You:

The 53^st Annual Marigold Days celebration was this last weekend and once again it was a huge success. I would like to thank everyone that worked with any of the events this past weekend. The Marigold Days Committee, the MRA, the Field of Flags committee, The Mantorville Fire Department, The VFW, The Congregational Church, The Car Show organizers, the live performers, the Fireworks, all of our many vendors and supporters and everyone else that made this weekend possible. With out your efforts this event would not happen so THANK YOU! I have uploaded some pictures from this past weekend on my blog at MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com take a look and feel free to leave a comment.

Founder's Family Visit:

I always enjoy my conversations during Marigold Days, and this year I had the opportunity to welcome the 4X great grand-son of Peter Mantor. Richard Mantor and wife Cindy.The Mantors flew from the Los Angeles area and made the trip down to Mantorville to see the town their family help start. The City has enjoyed a lot of growth since it's 1860 population of 280 and Mr. Mantor told me that he feels his ancestors would be very proud of the community we have built together. The Mantors said they intend to come to Marigold Days every year from now on. Conversations like this, reenforces just how successful our volunteer's efforts really are and how much each of our volunteers mean to our community.

Projects:

The City's Engineering firm was in town last week preforming surveying work for the fifth street project that will start shortly. Some of you may have noticed the markers on either side of fifth street heading east from downtown. This is for phase two of the fifth street project. Phase three of this project will be coordinated with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's project to rebuild Highway 57 during the 2022 build season.

Remembering:

This last week we remembered the events of September 11^th 2001. For many of us those events seem like just yesterday, for others it is something they heard about from their parents or teachers. In any event it is important to remember that there is evil in the world and that we must remain ever vigilant. The city's new flags, and many others around the nation, were flown at half mast to remember and honor those that lost their life that fall morning. We must also remember that many others have placed themselves in harms way and even made the ultimate sacrifice while defending freedom. May God bless all those that have served or are currently serving in our armed forces. We will NEVER forget!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Field of Flags kick-off for Marigold Days

Marigold Days was kicked-off with our annual tribute to those that serve. The local area Boy Scouts helped with the flags as did our local law enforcement and first responders. The VFW provided color guard service and once again the Freedom Bell was present for the ceremony.

Founder's Family visit our 53rd Marigold Days:

September 11, 2018

Thank You:

The 53^st Annual Marigold Days celebration was this last weekend and once again it was a huge success. I would like to thank everyone that worked with any of the events this past weekend. The Marigold Days Committee, the MRA, the Field of Flags committee, The Mantorville Fire Department, The VFW, The Congregational Church, The Car Show organizers, the live performers, the Fireworks, all of our many vendors and supporters and everyone else that made this weekend possible. With out your efforts this event would not happen so THANK YOU! I have uploaded some pictures from this past weekend on my blog at MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com take a look and feel free to leave a comment.

Founder's Family Visit:

I always enjoy my conversations during Marigold Days, and this year I had the opportunity to welcome the 4X great grand-son of Peter Mantor. Richard Mantor and wife Cindy.The Mantors flew from the Los Angeles area and made the trip down to Mantorville to see the town their family help start. The City has enjoyed a lot of growth since it's 1860 population of 280 and Mr. Mantor told me that he feels his ancestors would be very proud of the community we have built together. The Mantors said they intend to come to Marigold Days every year from now on. Conversations like this, reenforces just how successful our volunteer's efforts really are and how much each of our volunteers mean to our community.

Projects:

The City's Engineering firm was in town last week preforming surveying work for the fifth street project that will start shortly. Some of you may have noticed the markers on either side of fifth street heading east from downtown. This is for phase two of the fifth street project. Phase three of this project will be coordinated with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's project to rebuild Highway 57 during the 2022 build season.

Remembering:

This last week we remembered the events of September 11^th 2001. For many of us those events seem like just yesterday, for others it is something they heard about from their parents or teachers. In any event it is important to remember that there is evil in the world and that we must remain ever vigilant. The city's new flags, and many others around the nation, were flown at half mast to remember and honor those that lost their life that fall morning. We must also remember that many others have placed themselves in harms way and even made the ultimate sacrifice while defending freedom. May God bless all those that have served or are currently serving in our armed forces. We will NEVER forget!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Founder's Family ot visit Mantorville

We had the opportunity to meet with the family of one of our town's founders.

Looking forward to seeing our new friends from California every year

Flag at half staff

The City Flag was lowered to half staff in response to a presidential order from President Trump. The order came to honor the passing of John McCain. McCain was a Naval Aviator, Congressman and ran for President of the United States. McCain's body lied in state and was only the thirtieth person to receive such honor at our Nations Capital. The Flags were return to full staff after the internment of McCain body in the Naval Cemetery.

5th Street Update

September 17, 2018

Last week's article:
In last week's article I covered the fifth street update, a visit from the City's founders 4X Grand-Children and a remembrance of 9-11.My article from last week can be viewed on my blog which is located at MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com. 

Thank You:
The 53st Annual Marigold Days celebration was once again a huge success. I would like to thank everyone that worked with any of the events over the weekend. The Marigold Days Committee, the MRA, the Field of Flags committee, The Mantorville Fire Department, The VFW, The Congregational Church, The Car Show organizers, the live performers, the Fireworks, all of our many vendors and supporters and everyone else that made this weekend possible. With out your efforts this event would not happen so THANK YOU! I have uploaded some pictures from this past weekend on my blog at MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com take a look and feel free to leave a comment.

Street Update:
Road closed signs are in place and ready to go up on September 17, if all goes to plan. The brush has been cleared and some of the trees that needed to removed have been. The road is going to shift to the North within the road right-of-way and a new sidewalk is going in along the South Side of the road. The Road closing will be kept to a minimum; however, we will need to close the road entirely at times so that we can complete the full rebuild of the road-bed and sub surface. While the majority of the work being completed this fall and the road opened back up, look for final work and paint to be applied in the Spring or early next summer. For those living along fifth street, look for a letter this week with more details, we were late on getting this out and I apologize for the tardiness of this letter. We were trying to get full details from the pre-construction meeting before sending out the letter and the actual construction started quickly after the meeting and we simply missed getting this letter out before work started last week.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Visit from Founding Family

September 11, 2018

Thank You
The 53st Annual Marigold Days celebration was this last weekend and once again it was a huge success. I would like to thank everyone that worked with any of the events this past weekend. The Marigold Days Committee, the MRA, the Field of Flags committee, The Mantorville Fire Department, The VFW, The Congregational Church, The Car Show organizers, the live performers, the Fireworks, all of our many vendors and supporters and everyone else that made this weekend possible. With out your efforts this event would not happen so THANK YOU! I have uploaded some pictures from this past weekend on my blog at MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com take a look and feel free to leave a comment.

Founder's Family Visit
I always enjoy my conversations during Marigold Days, and this year I had the opportunity to welcome the 4X great grand-son of Peter Mantor. Richard Mantor and wife Cindy.The Mantors flew from the Los Angeles area and made the trip down to Mantorville to see the town their family help start. The City has enjoyed a lot of growth since it's 1860 population of 280 and Mr. Mantor told me that he feels his ancestors would be very proud of the community we have built together. The Mantors said they intend to come to Marigold Days every year from now on. Conversations like this, reinforces just how successful our volunteer's efforts really are and how much each of our volunteers mean to our community.

Projects
The City's Engineering firm was in town last week preforming surveying work for the fifth street project that will start shortly. Some of you may have noticed the markers on either side of fifth street heading east from downtown. This is for phase two of the fifth street project. Phase three of this project will be coordinated with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's project to rebuild Highway 57 during the 2022 build season.

Remembering
This last week we remembered the events of September 11th 2001. For many of us those events seem like just yesterday, for others it is something they heard about from their parents or teachers. In any event it is important to remember that there is evil in the world and that we must remain ever vigilant. The city's new flags, and many others around the nation, were flown at half mast to remember and honor those that lost their life that fall morning. We must also remember that many others have placed themselves in harms way and even made the ultimate sacrifice while defending freedom. May God bless all those that have served or are currently serving in our armed forces. We will NEVER forget!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Printable List for Marigold Days

Thursday

1pm-4pm Restoration & Log House Tours Main St North

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Quilt Show Registration Opera House

6pm Field of Flags Presentation Corner 8th Street & Highway 57

Friday

1pm-5pm Restoration & Log House Tours North Main St

4:00 pm – 9:00 pm Flower Show Registration Greek Revival House

4:30 pm – 7:00 pm Spaghetti Supper Congregational Church

7:30 pm Melodrama Opera House (See Mantorvillain.com for tickets)

7:00 – 10:00PM  Teen Dance Concert  The Bridge on Main Street

8:30 pm – 12:30 pm Street Dance Mantorville Saloon  

 

Saturday

6:00 am – 10:00 am Pancake Breakfast Fire Hall

8:00 am – 5:00pm  Flea Market Riverside Park

8:00 am Co-Ed Softball Tournament Mantor Field

8:00 am Registration Kids’ Fishing Contest Goat Island

8:30 am 5K Stagecoach Run Mantor Field

8:30 am – 10:30 am Kid’s Fishing Contest Goat Island

9:00 am – 11:00 am Antique Appraisals  Welcome Center Lawn

9:00 am – 5:00 pm Quilt Show Opera House

9:30 am – 5:00 pm Flower Show Greek Revival House

10:00am—5:00pm Dessert & Ice Cream Social Senior Center

10am-5pm Restoration & Log House Tours Main St North

10:00 am – 6:00 pm Big Iron Classic Truck Show Fairgrounds

11:00am K-M Lions’ Rubber Duck Regatta Goat Island

12n — 3:00 pm Bingo Welcome Center Lawn

2:00pm K-M Lions’ Rubber Duck Regatta Goat Island

2:00pm-5:00pm Root Beer Floats Served The Bridge on Main St.

3:00pm  Bean Bag Tourney  2pm Sign-up.  Saloon

3:30 pm Big Iron Classic Truck Parade Hwy 57

6:00 pm Big Iron Truck Pull Kasson Fairgrounds

7:00 pm Mantorville Royalty Crowning & Awards Music Stage

7:30 pm Melodrama Opera House (See Mantorvillain.com for tickets)

8:30 pm Fireworks Goat Island (Rain date: Sunday)

8:00 pm – 12:30am Fire & Rescue Dept Dance   Fire Hall

 

Sunday

9:00am- 4:00pm Flea Market Riverside Park

8:00 am Softball Tournament Mantor Field

8:00 am – 9:30 am Car Show Registration 6th & Clay Street

9:00 am – 2:00 pm Quilt Show Opera House

12:00n – 5:00pm   Dessert & Ice Cream Social Senior Center

10:00 am – 12:30 pm Car Show 5th Street West

10:00 am Congregational Church Service Music Stage

10am-4pm Restoration & Log House Tours Main St North

10:00 am – 4:30 pm Flower Show Greek Revival House

1:30 pm Grande Parade

3:00pm K-M Lions’ Rubber Duck Regatta Goat Island

3:00pm Firefighter Water Fight

 

Live Music

Friday– Mantorville Saloon
     8:00pm  JT & the Gunslingers 

 

Saturday — 4th & Clay St. Stage    8:30am  Wilkinson James
  10am   Parks & Kleist
  12n   The Wreck
    2pm   Earthquakes & Heartaches
    4pm   Swing Street
    6 pm  Branded

 

Saturday Night — Fire Hall    8pm  Red Dirt Road

 

Sunday 4th & Clay St. Stage  11am  Uptown Jazz
    3pm  The Gopher Tones

Marigold Days

August 31, 2018

The 53^rd Annual Marigold Days is this weekend. There is a web page (MarigoldDays.com ) devoted to the weekend where detailed information can be found on all the events during the weekend as well as location that each event will be held. The weekend starts Thursday September 7^th with the Field of Flags memorial presentation. Each year there is a celebration of Service where flags are sponsored by community members to either honor a veteran still with us or to remember a veteran no longer with us. This year as you drive by our presentation I want everyone to remember that there is an individual veteran's name on each flag.

During the weekend on Friday and Saturday there are several dances and other live music events. There is a teen dance on Friday night, followed by a street dance later that evening. There is a Fire Hall dance, that I have been told will be open to everyone this year. Other returning events include the Spaghetti supper feed, car show, quilt show, Melodrama and of course the famous Fire Department Pancake Breakfast.

All weekend there will be events just for our younger citizens.The very popular annual fishing contest will once again return to goat island. This is a great kids event where all the food and supplies are donated and volunteers run the entire event. The organizers have been very generous with their time and donations to make this event a great success for our weekend. Other kids events include the Lions Rubber Duck Brigade and the Root Beer Floats. Students and parents alike both always enjoy the Fire Fighter water fight, come cheer on our Mantorville Fire Department.

The Mantorville Theater Company will present a melodrama again this year. Ticket information and show times can be found at Mantorvillain.Com. This years production is titled “Is There Anyone in the House? Or Giving Up the Ghost” and is written by Ben Peters. This production was this years winner of the Local Melodrama contest. The Melodramas are always great fun because the audience is encouraged to participate with boos to villains and cheers to heroes.

Saturday wraps up with the crowning of our Mantorville Royalty following the presenting this years GEM of Mantorville. Who will it be this year? Come out Saturday night to see and stay for the fireworks. The weekend wraps up on Sunday with the Car Show and the Grand Parade. I always enjoy the car show because all age groups enjoy this event and it gives those of us that have been involved with the hobby for several years an opportunity to give inspiration and insight to those just starting or even those dreaming about when they too can work on their own project.

I have only mentioned a few of the events that will be held at this years event. The weekend starts early on Thursday at 1:00pm at the Restoration House and finishes up on Sunday from 3:00pm to 4:00pm with Live Music, the Rubber Duck Brigade and Fire Department Water Fight. I will once again be in period attire and encourage anyone that would enjoy sporting their finest Victorian attire to join us around town. There will also be a opportunity to participate in our Mantorville Costume Contest. Pleases come down to join us this year, take in a show, enter a contest or just look around for that new treasure to add to your home. I look forward to seeing you again this year.

Yours in Service

Chuck Bradford
Mayor, City of Mantorville
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.Com

Branding Efforts Continue

The City and the EDA is continuing to work on branding efforts. Look for new signage, merchandise and other public facing updates to happen later this year. The old signs have been serving the community well for several years, but need to be updated with the City's new Brand Identity.

Current City Welcome signs

Street Survey

The City Engineer worked with the City Streets department a few years back to develop a comprehensive Street Condition survey. Each year the City revisits the survey and updates the conditions and things change. I have had several questions regarding streets and I wanted to share the Survey Image so that everyone can determine where in the priority list their street fits and also to help communicate the big picture for the town in general. Below is the survey the City is currently working against.

Street Condition Survey

Preliminary Budget

The council set the preliminary budget at 7% last night at our City Council Retreat. This is the same preliminary number we used last year. After a preliminary budget is finally approved and set, the council can choose to go with a lower figure as we have for the last 6 years or keep it at the same rate; however, the council can not exceed the preliminary rate with the final budget levy rate.

Ninth Street Stop Signs

The stop signs along Ninth Street ate being phased out and a couple of new ones added to side streets. According to MNDOT surveys this should actually reduce speeds along ninth and help traffic flow. Ninth street is a collector street and the City and County have coordinated on this effort.  The City will continue to monitor the traffic situation along ninth and make needed adjustments going forward.

Pet Licenses Updated

The City of Mantorville now is offering Lifetime Pet Licenses which are also branded with the new City logo. Fill out applications at City Hall.

New Development Lots Available

There are now several new lots available in Mantorville, some of which are build to suit and others a new builds that will be available next year. I have been asked by several new perspective residents about build site opportunities within Mantorville and it is exciting now to have the ability to inform our visitors about these new opportunities. If you know of friends that are looking for housing options in the Kasson / Mantorville area tell them there are lots available now and have them contact City Hall for more info.

Fifth Street Update

The City is planning on phase two completion of Fifth Street later this fall. The City Engineer had a preliminary walk through with MNDOT for phase three, which is slated for 2022 and will coincide with highway 57 rebuild within Mantorville. The City is looking for opportunities to improve the aesthetics downtown with all this construction including architectural lighting and burying of power lines.The Minnesota Department of Transportation is allowing the City engineering staff to take the lead on this project but the State will provide a great deal of input as well. Some of the features will include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks access.