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Rn•INEW <br /> 1U BRIGHTON <br /> building tomorrow today <br /> Council Worksession <br /> March 2, 2021 <br /> 5:00 pm <br /> Present: Mayor Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas <br /> Councilmember Abdullahi Abdulle <br /> Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Pam Axberg <br /> Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br /> Absent: <br /> Staff in Attendance: Devin Massopust <br /> Guests in Attendance: Geoff Hollimon, Brian Raver, Michael Spooner, Lin Brown, JoAnn Lindman, Tim, <br /> McQuillan, Todd Biedenfeld, Teresa Crowe, Ahmed Abdiwahed, Meghan Bakken, Leah Kuipers, Julia <br /> O'Rourke and Laura Sokol-Kraft <br /> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting was held virtually. <br /> Commission Interviews <br /> Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas stated the Council would be conducting Commission interviews at this meeting. <br /> She explained the first person to be interviewed was Geoff Hollimon. <br /> Councilmember Abdulle asked Mr. Hollimon to provide the Council with a brief history on his background <br /> and community involvement. <br /> Geoff Hollimon explained he graduated from St. Olaf during the Vietnam Conflict. He stated he joined the <br /> Navy as a naval flight officer and enjoyed flying airplanes around. He survived two tours in southeast Asia and <br /> became a flight instructor. He noted he retired as a Navy Commander in 1990. He reported he has lived in <br /> New Brighton since 1987 when he took over the Navy recruiting district in this area. He stated he has a Master <br /> of Arts in Instructional System Development from San Jose State University. He indicated he has been with the <br /> Rotary since 1988, originally in Minneapolis and then in New Brighton. He explained he has been the <br /> President of the Rotary club. He commented he was involved with the Educational Concerns for Hunger in <br /> Fort Myers, Florida. He stated he ha a skill set and experience that fits the Commission, due to his military <br /> experience. He believed the Public Safety Department was a tremendous organization and he had high praise <br /> for Director Tony Paetznick. He indicated he enjoyed analyzing information and finding solutions. <br /> Councilmember Allen asked what motivated Mr. Hollimon to serve on a City Commission. <br /> Mr. Hollimon stated he has been on the Public Safety Commission for almost 10 years. He explained he <br /> enjoyed the team, the Public Safety Department itself. He indicated he enjoyed the City and being a part of this <br /> community. He reported this was the ideal place to live because you were only 10 to 15 minutes from <br /> everywhere. <br /> Councilmember Axberg stated each Commission is tasked with making recommendations to the City Council <br />