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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Council Worksession <br />March 5, 2019 <br />5:00 pm <br /> <br />Present: Mayor Valerie Johnson <br /> Councilmember Mary Burg <br /> Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br />Absent: Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Paul Jacobsen <br /> <br />Staff in Attendance: Dean Lotter, Terri Spangrud <br /> <br />Guests in Attendance: <br /> <br />Commissioner Applicant Interviews <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson welcomed Ache Wakai. She asked Ache to tell the Council a little bit about himself and his <br />experiences in the community. <br /> <br />Ache Wakai stated he moved to New Brighton from Texas in 2010. He noted he served as an election judge. <br />He indicated he has met a lot of people in the City. He reported he a Master’s Degree and worked now for <br />Dow Chemical. He explained he wanted to get involved in government and that he liked being involved in the <br />environment. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg asked why he had decided to apply to serve on a City Commission. <br /> <br />Mr. Wakai explained he was from a country (Cameroon) where the environment is poor and he has seen a lot <br />of problems with water. This motivated him to become more involved. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth asked why he would be a good person to represent the community and advise the <br />City Council. <br /> <br />Mr. Wakai stated stemming from his background he has some knowledge on this and his experiences were <br />important as well. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson asked what the most important responsibilities a commission member had to the community. <br /> <br />Mr. Wakai commented he believed it would be important to inform the community on the issues and try to <br />encourage them to be good members of the community, to take care of the environment. In addition, he would <br />serve as a leader, working to educate the public while also participating in meetings. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg asked how he would respond if a member of the community were to contact him <br />expressing opposition to an item being addressed by your commission, and what if these actions came from a <br />long-time friend. <br /> <br />Mr. Wakai stated if someone came to him and wanted to talk about things, he would tell this person why the