Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Tom Hedges Leaves St. Peter - 1/1/1976rir■N■■rr■■r w• — _
City's experiment was a success
St. Peter's administrator m ov si n Wort a, t)
el3 I '2.� fu ; a y 2 e,
By PATRICK LARKIN or develop a new one. "He's been a great guy to work ways," Hedges said. c. ° d o, a :> x Q p. :
Free Press Staff Writer "I can't believe we won't im- with," Lurth said. "I really hate But he is unsure about life in �' = = p�° ,F }, . ca
ST. PETER—After more than mediately hire someone else," to see him go." metropolitan area. . c.9 7,1:. `: ,: °; . g "
four years as city administrator said councilman Bob Swedberg. "Tom is an awful loss, it's a 3 °; " o '- °o a?I"I may like living in a me o c „ u -' ?; �, �, Y ,here, Tom Hedges plans to Due to the increasing complex- tough blow," Swedberg said. ro olitan area and I ma not; coo ° 3 ' °v ° ° c .submit hi resignation to the city "He's going to be a terribly hard he said, "but it's something t z J x aU, 1 .council Monday. man to replace." have to find out for myself." �" E:n .71 y, o ; C'4 c u b 1:1 .�
Hedges, St. Peters first city We're all sorry to see him o „ o — b ° t ti a'•,
administrator,has accepted the The new job is a step up t E~ m c. ., Q y S n o •.[ a c;
go," Reid said. r.
e ladder in Hedges' professic y, �: o - to r. § c. En to
job as the first city adminis- For Hedges it will be his first Eagan presently has a popu •-� � vi °1D'S'° � 5 c '' � c° o•� ..
trator of Eagan, a Minneapolis experience in a metropolitan g p y c 3 co iv '�, ., ° c o ° •�. c
tion of 19,000 and is expected c° a [ ° •.. 3 of E cn S .o
suburb. Tom area. t~ „ o o x '.- - v $ c° o o� o C �j
The new job will start the mid Hedges Hedges left Spirit Lake,a town double its size within 10 year s. E 2 A. „ • w •,.
dle of July and will mean Hedges of 3,500,for school at the Univer- As Eagan's first city admix
will not see the completion of c cp c co r. on E ••., 'G
sity of South Dakota in Vermil trator, Hedges will be respo °, c ° nc, a w Y
some of the projects he has lion, a town of about 7,000. He ble for reorganizing the cit �� 3 E•+ a a u c d a .0' 3 3 , g •E.
helped get under way. Among earned a B.A. degree and an government under the admi N 8 e y co 5 u
the projects are the Riverside a 4r`. M.A. in public administration trator system, much as he di c.ti
Park,the community center and and after a stint as assistant city St. Peter. co a ,°, .. c a �, c ., , c,..,
the new street garage. ities of city government and new manager under an internship As far as the future of St.Pet a 0 a o }' o x v m • a.'a s R
But he has seen the completion legislation from both state and program in Vermillion, Hedges ° 3 "
g goes, Hedges thinks the pr(
� � � •.. °~ �
of a number of important pro- federal governments a profes- came to St. Peter in 1972. pects are good. o a .. c°�. a g t [ °
jects,not the least of which is the sional administrator is needed, Hedges said he did not seek out "St. Peter will always have o a c° c w 01 `' co c° o
reorganization of city govern- he said. the new job,but whentheoppor- good future because of t) cr ° R. E °a Y b c x' •1) E E 3
ment placing the departments "The position of city adminis- tunity presented itself he had to people," he said. "St. Peter w ^^ll an c ° d.� 0 c'Ci " 0) a E•
under the administrator. Prior trator is hereto stay,"said coun- make a hard decision. be a progressive communitl �Y✓ .5 3 ao° 1) c° ;o: 8 7g< u,o E
to his arrival the city depart- cilman Robert Reid. "I thought about it for several that will grow at a moderat (d 3 p, > o. . l > ,g a ° c t.'. o
ments were directly under the Councilman Mel Lurth ag- weeks and finally decided I clip. The growth will be well bz `�lJ $ N „ o c°.�■ c r Y c6° v
city council. reed. "I think we'll try to replace should make the move for my- lanced." c E 3 3 c,;° �, aci o 5 Y 5;
The new system has worked Tom," he said. self and St. Peter," he said. And he doesn't rule out a rE o o 2 ro ^; c
well enough to please several The councilmen also expres- "When you stay in one place turn to the home of five gove] o VD- c. " g CA c . .-.
city councilmen and there ap- sed their regrets about seeing too long it gets hard to come up nors. "Who knows, in five to to
pears to be little, if any, senti- the 27-year-old Spirit Lake, with new ideas and fresh ap- years I may be back in S › o Y Y, ; c: a y a
ment to revert to the old system Iowa, native leave. proaches—you get too set in your Peter." — 1 " E
M6 c ., c,7; co tlz tl
� c3° zy a � apl3tnPG .�o c,
c N y d 6r.C,... d Zis
To the Editor: a,�a °=b enz R; 5 g-b cz •-, v
With thanks and regrets Regarding your editorial of May 20 s w c..S
concerning Tom Hedges'move to a larger •1•1•1 0 0 ; u 3 5 c ,,, 5
ST.PETER—If City Clerk Administrator Tom Hedges had any community, I agree that St. Peter is <c w a c° c� on Eg .° @ r,.
doubts whether the city council likes the job he has done for more destined to be a training ground for young �"1 ,; „ Z 01 .ti ;, .f; E �� to a; .c. c;
than four years, they were erased Monday night. °• c ° s '`" ..•s A
people. However, your implication that c c o ��
The council put off a decision on accepting Hedges'resignation higher salary lured Tom away, or that a Po 0 c° o ��- ,c ;; ° a "
until the end of the meeting and when Mayor Douglas Pyan finally
higher salary here would have kept him in 3 a v c o cl 3 " w v y c c
asked for a motion to accept, the five council members leaned g wool c. y c c g ' ii • c. .= - c:
back in their chairs and did nothing. St. Peter, is misleading. o .cco •.- ... E 3 �, � ).� 3 0 n uk
Mayor Pyan again called for a motion to accept, with regrets Tom's ambition and motivation to ccc $ 3 ci � o °
and thanks, Hedges' resignation. conquer a new challenge is quite a dif- ° o.� o 3, . i," •3 c c"
q •c_° ¢ Wuu3cs .gant � 3oo.
The members continued to lean back in their chairs,but finally ferent story from most peoples wish to
Mel Lurth leaned forward.
advance to higher paying positions. For
"I'll " some young administrators, monetary o o a a c '=' Y:> c°'°
so move," he said, with regrets.' O o w an ° .9 'o d g o,
considerations may be the most important
"The Ynayor should lead us in voting on the motion so no one can factor determining whether they stay or roc,x ro %' Q �;c," c
say they put it over the top, Earl Hanson said. o, o a.7 •o
The vote was unanimous and in unison. move,but money is not the reason for Tom • E Y Y 4) a�
"You've had it," Pyan.told Hedges. Hedges'decision to move on.His ambition u o._o, •� g u m :n b o u
g C°. E4Y5 o ., a�
And with that the council ajourned. is as inexplicable as the attitude of the a co _g•a m o Y c •c
Hedges announced last.week he would resign,effective in July, mountaineer who is ready to climb yet . c, o b . : x `" ., c
to accept the position of city clerk administrator in the Min- another mountain, simple "because it's ° 0 w 4
neapolis suburb of Egan. there." c� g ..1.1 0 a ▪• 3 to
The council took no action to begin the search fora replacement All of us who live in St. Peter have 5
at the meeting although several members had earlier said they benefitted from Tom Hedges' ad- = o S o� �° @ 3 S 4
would begin to discuss the matter at Monday's meeting. ministrative abilities. We should consider a a. .cs c •3 E 1 c g
There has been no indication that council members favor re- ourselves very fortunate to have had his tt p. to xc. cu •°E-+ m aci y c c.E y
structuring the position and it is expected a replacement will be °' "" c° "
found for Hedges. help for four years, and now wish him joy t.A 6 a c c. E cg Y a „,.5
in meeting a new challenge. �, o ° o c N b
Hedges came to St. Peter in 1972 as the city's first city clerk Sincerely, P ° Y 2 ° a ` c o c ° 1
administrator.He will again be a city's first clerk administrator Mary Gover w . c. C " E " x co
when he starts the job in Egan.
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