Our View: We wish Mayor Dean Knudson well

As of Tuesday night, the city of Hudson has a new mayor — recently elected Dean Knudson — and we wish him well in his new post.

The city has many major issues already on the table and Knudson is walking into a potentially challenging position. He has already announced that the city police department is first on his priority list. Among other ideas, Knudson wants an immediate increased police presence on city streets.

The condition of the city police has been a hot topic of conversation for the past couple of years and has apparently been the cause of some of the turnover in police chiefs. New Police Chief Marty Jensen appears to be committed to upgrading the department. Hopefully Jensen and Knudson can work together to make some of the desired changes. There is only so much that can be done, however, without increasing budgets and increasing taxes.

The second major issue facing the new mayor will be the library and a plan to purchase the Nuclear Management building in downtown Hudson.

Referendums can be great tools, but they can also force local governments into sometimes precarious conditions. Obviously the Nuclear Management building looks like a great site for a library, and in the April 1 non-binding referendum, the voters overwhelmingly approved that the city look at the site during the April 1 non-binding referendum.

But what does the city do next? Do city officials go out on a limb and purchase the building and hope the Library Foundation Board raises the promised half of the $10 million needed for the project? If the city decides to wait for the private money, will the building still be there when the money is raised?

Of course, then there are all the ongoing issues like city growth, building permits, development, etc. What’s going to happen with the old Econofoods site on Second Street? As it sits vacant, it creates a bit of an eyesore for those coming into town.

What about the sea wall in Lakefront Park? That project was doomed from the start, and it looks like the new mayor is going to have to steer the city through that issue.

Of course, there are some mundane issues — garbage pickup, plowing streets, loose dogs, etc. But they often fall on the mayor’s lap.

Knudson has experience as a council member and knows the ropes at City Hall. He knows what he is getting into, and we expect that he will use his experience, wisdom and knowledge to move Hudson forward in the months and years ahead. We wish him well in his new adventure as mayor of the city of Hudson.

Tags: opinion, hudson, knudson, mayor