Our guest today was Ruth Marg-Patton. It’s no secret that Dean Lotter is leaving after 12 years as New Brighton’s City Manager to take a new position as City Manager of Eureka, California. On our club’s behalf, Cindy Carlson thanked Dean Lotter for his service to the city of New Brighton and presented him with an official NBMV coffee mug to remind him of his time as a New Brighton Mounds View Rotarian. She also presented him with some bite size Salted Nut Rolls to sustain him and Wendy on the road trip to their new home. The final gift was a warm pair of Minnesota themed socks which should be perfect for the surprisingly cool northern California weather. California has long held a special appeal for Dean and Wendy. Wendy went to school there, they have vacationed there and they were even married there. Dean explained that he was drawn to the relaxed lifestyle of the small coastal community, but actually felt “called” to help the community address its homelessness and opioid abuse issues. Dean appeared justifiably proud of the impact that he and his staff have had on New Brighton during his tenure. One major accomplishment is the introduction of financial management principles which have generated cash on hand, allowing the city to make acquisitions and even maintain city streets without incurring costly debt. Dean is also proud of New Brighton city administration’s “can-do’ organizational culture. He feels that he can transition to his new position with confidence that he’s leaving New Brighton in excellent organizational and financial condition. A farewell party is planned for Friday, November 22 nd, 5:30PM at the New Brighton community Center. Click here to view the details. Dean is pictured below.  Cindy also had the pleasure of inducting New Brighton Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Fink as a Rotarian. Jennifer was formerly a Rotary Designee under Dean’s membership but will assume Dean Lotter’s city government classification. Congratulations, Jennifer! Jennifer is shown with Dennis and Cindy, below. Charlie Longbella has been working on our Facebook presence. Today he showed us our page and he described how he has arranged a fundraising partnership with Harvest Pack to help fund our Food Packing event in December. Our goal is to raise $1,000 through this partnership. To donate or get more information click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/739909009860872/ Our newest Rotary member is John Johnson and he gave his classification talk today. John grew up in St. Anthony and lived there until 1991, when he moved to his current home on Long Lake. His first employment was with his family’s 4th generation business (Johnson Wholesale Supply). After that he worked at Cargill as a project manager for 18 years. During his time at Cargill he also worked part-time as a real estate investor/realtor for 14 years before becoming a full-time realtor with Edina realty in 2013. Ruth and John Marg-Patton had been relentless in trying to get John to be a Rotarian for some time, but the great experience of hosting Maria last year seems to finally have convinced John to take the Rotary plunge. John and his family remain in touch with Maria and plan to visit her in Norway this summer. John’s primary reason for joining Rotary is that it offers him a greater opportunity to make a positive difference. John’s secondary reason is to increase Swedish representation in the club. John is married to Dana and between them they have three daughters and one son. John is a total lake rat, enjoying anything lake related. John and Ruth Marg-Patton are shown below.  |
