[0:09] Hey, welcome to the next edition of

[0:11] Mayor About Town. I'm Andrew Mullen,

[0:13] mayor of Weisetta. Uh the show that

[0:15] focuses on the people, places, and

[0:17] organizations that make Weisetta

[0:19] special. Today's show is about public

[0:21] service and meeting some of the leaders

[0:24] in our community here. On the show

[0:26] today, we have Council Member uh Chef

[0:28] Parkill. uh Council Member Ken Sorenson

[0:31] and chair of the planning commission and

[0:33] park and trails board uh Blake Cameron.

[0:36] Uh my first guest today is uh Council

[0:39] Member Jeff Parkill. Uh welcome to Mayor

[0:41] About Town, Jeff.

[0:42] Thank you very much for having me.

[0:44] Yeah. So uh you know, we're talking a

[0:46] little bit about uh public service and

[0:48] uh you know, you you've uh had I think

[0:51] over six years of public service here in

[0:52] Weisetta. Um, tell me a little bit first

[0:55] about you like for those who don't know

[0:57] you, give me a little bit of your your

[0:58] background. You know, who who is Jeff

[1:00] Parkhill?

[1:01] So, I uh grew up in Illinois. We lived

[1:04] in um Chicago for 20 years. My when I

[1:08] got married in 1995, 1994, sorry, Karen.

[1:12] Uh I uh um we were in Chicago and I was

[1:18] in corporate America and at that time I

[1:21] about I started investing in real estate

[1:23] on the side in Lincoln Park, a kind of a

[1:26] cool area of of Chicago

[1:28] and I just started making more money on

[1:31] the side doing that than this full-time

[1:33] corporate gig. Yeah. And so I switched

[1:35] over in 2000 to be a full-time real

[1:38] estate developer.

[1:39] Okay. And I was doing single family

[1:41] high-end single family homes, condo

[1:42] conversions, and uh buying multif family

[1:45] property.

[1:46] Okay.

[1:47] And um and then in 2011, uh Karen pulled

[1:51] the rug out from under me and we moved

[1:53] to Dallas for 5 years.

[1:55] Okay.

[1:56] So I still had projects back in Chicago

[1:58] and um we lived in Dallas for 5 years

[2:01] and then came to Minneapolis in 2016.

[2:05] Okay. And so, uh, did you why did you

[2:07] settle in Weisetta?

[2:09] Well, we looked in the city. We were

[2:10] kind of thought we were going to be city

[2:12] people, but really what brought us out

[2:14] to Weisetta was we had friends out here,

[2:16] number one,

[2:17] that were lifetime friends. And number

[2:20] two, um, we couldn't find uh, uh, five

[2:24] parking spots at a house in the city

[2:26] that we liked.

[2:27] Sure. My boys were 16 at the time and we

[2:31] had a uh some help at home and so we

[2:33] needed five parking spots and there just

[2:35] wasn't any place to have that.

[2:37] Sure. Sure.

[2:38] So So Jeeoff uh I think you're just

[2:40] finishing your sixth year of public

[2:41] service here in Weisetta. What what drew

[2:43] you to public service in the first

[2:45] place? And then specifically why did you

[2:47] choose to sort of contribute your time

[2:49] here in Weisetta? So, I've public

[2:53] service or let's just say volunteering

[2:55] has been a part of my life all my life.

[2:57] And uh my kids were getting to an age

[3:00] where they two of them were a little bit

[3:02] more self-sufficient. We got to a new

[3:05] town Weisetta in 2016

[3:08] and I do real estate development. I work

[3:10] out of my house and I was like, I needed

[3:12] an outlet. And I started looking around

[3:14] and talking to people and I think I got

[3:16] to know you a little bit about that time

[3:19] and uh there were a few other people

[3:21] around

[3:22] and I just felt like this was a great

[3:24] way for me in the evenings after my wife

[3:27] was home and the kids were taken care of

[3:30] to come out and volunteer with the

[3:32] planning commission. So, there was a a

[3:34] one-year stint that opened up because

[3:36] somebody left. I got an application and

[3:38] filled it out and I got the job.

[3:40] Awesome. And then you didn't stop there,

[3:42] right? You then uh stepped up one notch

[3:45] and and ran for city council. Tell me

[3:47] tell me kind of what what motivated you

[3:49] to do that.

[3:50] So um I enjoyed myself so much on

[3:54] planning commission that first year. I

[3:56] decided, well, I didn't know how good a

[3:59] chance I had to run in 2020 cuz there

[4:01] were some really qualified candidates

[4:03] running and but I decided that it would

[4:06] be a good idea to go out and get my feet

[4:08] wet and get my name out there. So, I

[4:09] didn't win in 2020, but I was I think I

[4:12] got third and out of four. And um so I

[4:16] went through that whole process, learned

[4:18] the process. I just felt like I had more

[4:20] to give than just the real estate side

[4:22] of my life. Yeah. and that I could

[4:24] actually contribute to

[4:26] the business side of running a city.

[4:29] You know, over the years, what what are

[4:31] some of the highlights for you, you

[4:32] know, in the city that you had an

[4:34] opportunity to work on?

[4:36] Well, clearly, um, uh, Panaway and

[4:39] Lakewalk were really incredible

[4:42] highlights. Um, just fun projects. I,

[4:47] uh, worked on the zoning study task

[4:48] force and I learned a lot about the

[4:50] zoning code. I looked on I worked on the

[4:52] design review board and we went through

[4:55] and we went through uh

[4:58] what buildings should look like in town

[5:01] and then I went on I was on the

[5:03] conservancy while I was with um on

[5:06] council here last year. I was on the

[5:08] dock committee because I am a boater and

[5:11] it seemed like there wasn't good

[5:12] representation there

[5:14] um at least on the design side of the

[5:17] docks. They needed some somebody to

[5:19] ground them in reality.

[5:21] Yeah. Yeah. So, um you know,

[5:23] unfortunately, we're losing you here. Um

[5:25] you know, you you're stepping down here

[5:27] as of as of October. And um moving on,

[5:31] you want to tell tell us and the

[5:33] community about kind of what what

[5:34] changed and and why you made that

[5:36] decision? And then and with that, um you

[5:39] know, what else would you tell folks out

[5:41] there who are thinking about maybe

[5:42] volunteering or stepping up and working

[5:44] for the city? So tell me why you're

[5:46] stepping down and and tell me, you know,

[5:48] tell tell the viewers, you know, what's

[5:50] going on for you next.

[5:52] Well, let me talk first to the viewers

[5:54] about

[5:55] um volunteering in Weisetta. Even if you

[5:58] get out for a digit day or something,

[6:01] it's just fun to get to know your

[6:02] neighbors. Super super fun to get to

[6:05] know your neighbors. It's not hard work.

[6:07] It's a great way to build yourself into

[6:10] the community. And that's what I was

[6:12] trying to do is to get to know some

[6:13] people around town cuz we really like it

[6:16] here. And we intend to be here long

[6:18] term. We're just not going to be

[6:20] full-time residents here. And I'm

[6:22] stepping down cuz my wife took a job and

[6:25] we're going to be based in Utah. And so

[6:28] we're going to go to Utah, live there,

[6:30] and then she'll commute out of Salt Lake

[6:32] City to other places that she needs to

[6:34] go. Um, and you know, we have family in

[6:38] Utah, so that's another reason. But uh

[6:40] the primary reason is um my my wife's

[6:43] position. So

[6:45] yeah. And and um you know uh appreciate

[6:48] your service, Jeeoff. We're going to

[6:49] miss you. I know you're not It's just

[6:51] sort of goodbye for now because you are

[6:53] coming back.

[6:54] Yeah.

[6:54] And we'll welcome you back with open

[6:56] arms and thanks very much for your

[6:57] service and thanks for being on the

[6:58] show.

[6:59] Thank you very much.

[7:00] You bet.

[7:00] Can I add one more thing?

[7:01] You sure can.

[7:02] So last night at my uh open house, I I I

[7:06] gave a speech and I said a few things.

[7:08] What have I learned? um since in in the

[7:11] last six years and I just wanted to

[7:14] reiterate a couple of those. First of

[7:16] all, Weisetta is still charming. It is

[7:18] an amazing worldclass city

[7:21] but still got that Mayberry feel. And I

[7:24] think that's a unique situation where

[7:28] world class coexists with close-knit

[7:30] community and I just think that's

[7:32] special about Weisetta. Decorum is

[7:35] another thing. the way we treat each

[7:36] other around here for the most part is

[7:40] I'm referencing so it's a kind of an

[7:42] inside joke here

[7:43] uh uh is is alive and well here and it

[7:47] made my life as a volunteer so much more

[7:51] pleasant and it's hard sometimes when

[7:54] people are mad at you to to deal with it

[7:57] and um I didn't have that very often.

[7:59] Yeah,

[8:00] we had make we had to make some tough

[8:01] decisions. But anyway, the last thing

[8:03] I'd like to say is you're in good hands.

[8:06] You've got the Mayor Mullen team. You've

[8:08] got a great group. Now you have Dan Cook

[8:10] who's going to be taking my place. He's

[8:12] an experienced council member and u you

[8:16] are you are safe. Your city is going to

[8:18] be wellrun for the next three and a half

[8:20] years.

[8:21] Yeah. Thanks, Jeeoff.

[8:22] Yeah.

[8:23] All right. We nailed it. That that's a

[8:25] mic drop moment right there.

[8:26] Right there. My next guest is Ken

[8:28] Sorenson, uh, sitting city council

[8:31] member, former planning commission

[8:33] member. Welcome to the show, Ken.

[8:34] Thank you.

[8:35] Yeah. So, te tell us a little bit about

[8:37] uh you, Ken. Some people may may know

[8:39] you, may not, but who is who is Ken?

[8:41] Sure. Well, um, I appreciate the chance

[8:44] to be here and chat with you, mayor. Um,

[8:47] a little bit about me and my background,

[8:49] but uh, Sue and I moved here to Weisetta

[8:53] nine years ago next month.

[8:55] Okay. And we I'm from Iowa, Sue is from

[8:58] uh Edina actually, but um we raised our

[9:01] four sons in Eden Prairie.

[9:03] Okay.

[9:03] We lived there for 29 years. Um it was a

[9:06] great place to raise a family. Uh kids

[9:09] were gone. Um and we had a lot of time

[9:12] to think about, you know, where would

[9:14] you want to live? I mean, now we have

[9:16] the chance to maybe think of things a

[9:19] little differently. And um and we ended

[9:22] up in downtown Weisetta. And we looked a

[9:24] lot. We looked on the lake, we looked

[9:26] around the lake, we looked elsewhere.

[9:28] But, um, I think that, you know, and

[9:31] combined with, um, upcoming retirement

[9:33] at that time gave us a chance to really

[9:35] think about it. But, um, we it didn't it

[9:39] didn't take us long to figure out that

[9:40] this would be a great place to live.

[9:42] Well, I think you made a great choice.

[9:43] I'm a little I'm a little biased. Um,

[9:46] so so tell me a little bit about what

[9:47] drew you to public service, right? Uh,

[9:50] so so and and specifically what drew you

[9:52] to public service here in

[9:53] Weisetta. Yeah. Um, well, the timing was

[9:56] right, but we lived here a couple years

[9:58] and then I retired. So, I've been

[10:00] retired for about five years and my

[10:02] background is more in construction

[10:04] development. It has been my entire

[10:06] career.

[10:07] Yeah.

[10:08] Um, so I have a little time on my hands.

[10:10] I've always been interested in public

[10:12] service a bit, but never had the time to

[10:14] really commit myself to it.

[10:16] Sure. Um, but with that background and

[10:18] kind of getting a flavor for Weissetta

[10:21] and what's going on in the community, it

[10:24] felt like a good time to maybe start to

[10:26] give back a bit and uh looked into it.

[10:30] Had the chance to get appointed to the

[10:31] planning commission, which I really

[10:34] enjoyed. Did that for a number of years.

[10:36] A great chance to learn about our

[10:38] community

[10:39] and and really um get engaged with a lot

[10:42] of people here who were so wonderful. uh

[10:46] both in city hall um elected officials,

[10:49] business community.

[10:51] Yeah.

[10:52] Uh and and we kind of lived I think

[10:55] firsthand

[10:57] um what this community is all about. So

[10:59] we've we've really enjoyed it.

[11:01] Well, and then you you uh were

[11:03] appointed, right, to to council first

[11:05] and then ran. Tell tell us about that

[11:07] next step up when you when you joined

[11:09] the council.

[11:10] Uh well, actually it was a year ago.

[11:12] Okay. uh when a council uh woman uh

[11:15] moved out of the community and there was

[11:16] an opening.

[11:17] Okay.

[11:18] Um and I was I got a call from the

[11:20] previous mayor and she said, "Well, what

[11:24] do you think about filling this seat for

[11:26] the next four months?" Because that term

[11:27] was up the end of last year.

[11:29] Okay.

[11:30] You know, and I was um I was honored um

[11:34] and uh felt like I could make a

[11:37] contribution. I you know, I I knew I

[11:40] knew the people well. I had great

[11:41] respect for uh the the environment and

[11:44] the and the and the individuals.

[11:46] Um so I told her I would do it. Um and

[11:50] then the next uh conversation was well

[11:53] then of course you're going to run for

[11:54] the seat then. Right.

[11:55] Of course. Of course.

[11:56] Which is a four-year deal. Well, I don't

[11:58] know about that.

[12:00] But um with a lot of contemplation and

[12:02] discussion with others, I decided that I

[12:05] would run that I would enjoy that. I

[12:06] think I could contribute. Um, and the

[12:09] way it turned out, um, I ran out of

[12:12] pose, so I'm I'm almost a year into my

[12:15] four-year term.

[12:15] That's amazing. Um, what what would you

[12:18] say are some of your favorite things

[12:20] you've worked on in in your years of

[12:22] public service here in Weisetta?

[12:23] Yeah. Um, well, probably going back to

[12:26] planning commission days and even the

[12:27] last year being on the council. Um

[12:32] it's probably the development work and

[12:34] the potential development work and

[12:36] um just understanding those projects

[12:40] uh probably because that's a bit my

[12:42] background and and I understand it well

[12:45] and they're so important that we do

[12:47] development right in this community. uh

[12:50] I felt a bit of an obligation and I felt

[12:53] um a bit of a responsibility to make

[12:56] sure we're very thoughtful about the

[12:58] development projects and if you know

[13:00] we've had we've had um quite a few and

[13:03] we've had some very significant ones. We

[13:05] still do. Right.

[13:06] Right.

[13:07] Um but that part of it I' I've really

[13:10] enjoyed.

[13:10] Yeah. What would you tell people that

[13:12] are, you know, watching this today and

[13:15] and thinking, gosh, I I I I might think

[13:18] about stepping up and volunteering for

[13:20] some something at the city of Weisetta,

[13:21] you know, what would you tell folks?

[13:22] What's it like and what would motivate

[13:25] folks to step up?

[13:26] Well, I think I think the first thing

[13:28] I'd say is if you're at all interested,

[13:32] don't wait,

[13:33] right?

[13:33] Just do it. Um, I think it's very

[13:37] satisfying. It's very rewarding. You

[13:39] meet a lot of interesting people.

[13:42] I mean, there's nothing better than kind

[13:43] of being engaged and part of your

[13:45] community, especially this community.

[13:48] Yeah.

[13:48] Where it's so special and we do so much

[13:52] value the small town feel and charm and

[13:55] walkability and um

[13:58] just to be a part of that and think

[13:59] maybe you could help help make sure that

[14:02] we stay that way.

[14:03] Yeah.

[14:04] uh is is is really a good feeling and I

[14:07] think there's so many opportunities,

[14:09] right, to really get involved in in the

[14:11] community here.

[14:11] Yep. All these boards and commissions

[14:13] and other volunteer opportunities. Yeah.

[14:15] Right. Right. And and and that's what we

[14:17] need. I mean, I I kind of think our

[14:19] role, we're just kind of the voice of

[14:22] what we hear in the community and what

[14:23] people want.

[14:24] Y

[14:25] and so it's so important people do get

[14:27] engaged, stand up, and I know that's how

[14:29] you got involved, mayor, right? Well, of

[14:31] course. My wife was sort of upset that I

[14:33] kept yelling at the the television in

[14:35] the basement. She said, "Sort of put up

[14:36] or shut up." So, so, uh, that got out

[14:39] there back in 2008. You know, my dad

[14:41] once said to me, he's 91 now. He said,

[14:43] you know,

[14:44] you think about retirement, it's really

[14:46] important because it's the last job

[14:48] you're going to have. And I would say

[14:49] that you're choosing pretty wisely uh in

[14:52] in serving, you know, in retirement. And

[14:54] and um

[14:55] I've really enjoyed getting to know you

[14:56] this last nine months. We've kind of

[14:58] been in the foxhole in the trenches a

[15:00] little bit together on a few. Still are.

[15:02] And uh I really appreciate you coming on

[15:04] today and um you know, thanks Ken. Good

[15:06] to see you.

[15:06] Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you, mayor. And

[15:08] and and I would say the same. I think,

[15:11] uh people have great respect for your

[15:12] enthusiasm and commitment to this

[15:15] community. So, um let's just keep

[15:17] rolling and make this the best place we

[15:19] can.

[15:21] Hey, my next guest is Blake Cameron. Uh

[15:23] he's actually the chair of the planning

[15:24] commission. And I think you also serve

[15:26] on the park and trail board, right?

[15:27] I do.

[15:28] So for those who don't know you, tell

[15:30] tell us a little bit about Blake.

[15:32] Sure. So um so we've lived in Weisetta

[15:35] for 25 years. Um we bought a house in

[15:38] Weisetta and got married in the same

[15:39] year.

[15:39] Okay.

[15:40] Raised our kids. Um and we we've just

[15:43] loved the city, right? And we've we've

[15:45] loved um the things that the city offers

[15:48] and the people um and the small town

[15:50] feel and charm and appeal of Weisetta.

[15:53] Yeah. So, uh, as I said, you're you're

[15:56] on currently serving as a chair of the

[15:58] planning commission. You also serve on

[15:59] the park and trails board. Tell me a

[16:01] little bit about, you know, what drew

[16:03] you to public service and and

[16:04] specifically why did you choose to do

[16:06] that here in Weisetta.

[16:07] Sure. So, I, you know, I think one of

[16:10] the things I was really drawn to, um,

[16:13] you know, as my as our kids got older,

[16:15] you know, I had I started to have more

[16:17] free time. Um, and public service really

[16:20] wasn't like something that I'd thought

[16:21] about, but I also had a passion for like

[16:25] change, right? And and the change that

[16:27] we see in the city and the change that

[16:29] the city's gone through and for sure

[16:30] have seen a lot of change in the 25

[16:32] years that we've lived here. And I, you

[16:34] know, one of the things that I believe

[16:35] is, you know, change is kind of at least

[16:38] at the city level can be generational.

[16:39] And so we really only get a chance to do

[16:41] it once.

[16:42] And so, you know, I I'm far from the

[16:45] expert, right? But I thought, you know,

[16:47] I can add I want to be able to add my

[16:49] voice to that and and impact some of

[16:52] that change.

[16:52] Yeah, that makes sense. So, you know, uh

[16:55] you're kind of in a rare uh sort of

[16:57] group here where you're serving on two

[16:58] boards. Um tell tell me a little bit

[17:01] about kind of what what what your

[17:02] favorite things you've been working on

[17:03] for park and trails andor planning

[17:05] commission.

[17:06] Sure. Um, so first with the parks and

[17:09] trails board, I think um the coolest

[17:11] thing we've been working on is the

[17:12] Clappage Park redo. Um,

[17:15] putting a moving park down by the

[17:18] warming house, making the warming house

[17:19] bigger, regrading the ice rink, um,

[17:23] putting in the field, right? And we're

[17:24] starting to see the uh that work being

[17:29] done, right? The the play the play set,

[17:31] I think the play equipment comes in in

[17:33] the next couple weeks, but the the grass

[17:35] looks amazing, right? like the it's

[17:37] finally level. The swampiness is gone. I

[17:39] think and that's a huge win I think for

[17:41] the pe for the for the residents and the

[17:43] people who use that park um in the

[17:45] summer and the winter. And I think the

[17:46] big thing is really making that park

[17:48] more of a two season park rather than a

[17:51] one season park. Right. Everybody knows

[17:52] Clapbridge for ice.

[17:54] Um but I think it'd be really cool to be

[17:55] able to have it be a summertime park,

[17:57] too.

[17:57] Yeah. So So told us a little bit about

[18:00] your experience in park and trails, but

[18:01] you're also the chair of the planning

[18:02] commission. what what's that been like

[18:04] and and what what has been your

[18:05] experience there?

[18:07] Planning Commission's been really fun.

[18:08] It's been kind of an insight into um the

[18:13] the things that are coming to the city,

[18:14] right? The changes that are coming and

[18:16] and where people want to go and and

[18:18] obviously the only things that come in

[18:20] front of the planning commission are

[18:22] things that need a variance, right? Or

[18:24] some sort of modification because they

[18:26] fall outside of right the rules, if you

[18:28] will, right? So, um, but it's been

[18:31] really it's been interesting to see the

[18:33] things that the the projects that come

[18:34] forward that people that people bring

[18:36] forward. Um, it's been really fun to

[18:38] interact with different members of the

[18:40] community and and and talk and talk to

[18:42] people about it. People get people get

[18:46] excited about things, right? And

[18:48] sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a

[18:50] not not good way, but that passion

[18:52] that's there, right, means they care

[18:54] about they care about their city and

[18:55] they care about the area around them.

[18:57] And and that's really really fun to see.

[18:59] No, I agree. And and you know to our

[19:01] friends and neighbors out there that

[19:03] that may have had on their list at one

[19:04] time or another, hey, maybe maybe I

[19:06] should step forward and volunteer for a

[19:08] board or a commission, you know, what

[19:09] would you tell those folks? I mean, you

[19:11] know, we're going to have a a next round

[19:13] of appointments here coming up uh

[19:15] December, January. You know, what what

[19:16] might you tell someone to motivate them

[19:18] to step up?

[19:19] I would say absolutely right. Like it's

[19:21] a it's a worthwhile experience. It's,

[19:24] you know, I think a lot a lot of stuff

[19:26] is really, it's like one night a month,

[19:28] right? And um but it's it's your chance

[19:31] to be part of the process and it's your

[19:33] chance to um kind of help shape where

[19:36] where Wisett is going and the things

[19:38] that we're doing. And um you know, if

[19:41] you're if it's something that you're

[19:42] curious about, you know, I guess I would

[19:44] encourage people to just um come take in

[19:47] a meeting, right? And I've been talking

[19:48] to one of my neighbors who's she's been

[19:50] asking me about it and I said like

[19:51] listen just like come to a meeting,

[19:52] right? That you can you can just sit

[19:54] there and watch. It doesn't have to be

[19:56] planning. She's really more interested

[19:57] in parks and trails, right? But do the

[19:59] things that you're interested in that

[20:00] you care about and and and you you have

[20:03] have meaning for you because then you

[20:05] can make more of an impact.

[20:06] Makes makes perfect sense. Hey, thanks

[20:08] for coming on the show today, Blake.

[20:10] It's great to see you.

[20:11] For sure. Thanks, Andy. Service. All

[20:12] right. Absolutely. All right.

[20:15] Hey, thanks for tuning in today. I want

[20:16] to give a special shout out to council

[20:18] member Jeff Parkill who's stepping down

[20:21] here uh in October uh moving to another

[20:24] community and we thank him for his years

[20:26] of service to our community. I know

[20:27] you'll be back and I'll see you when you

[20:29] get back pal. Um and you know today's

[20:32] show was about uh meeting some of the

[20:34] city leaders and really what I hope it

[20:37] does is inspire some of you out there uh

[20:39] to step forward to volunteer for boards

[20:41] and commissions. Uh, as we turn the page

[20:44] here to winter, uh, we'll post open

[20:46] board and commission positions in

[20:48] December. And I really hope that many of

[20:50] you watching today would consider

[20:51] applying and stepping up and

[20:53] volunteering for your community. And

[20:54] with that, I'll see you about town.

[21:09] [Applause]

[21:18] [Music]