Our Opinion: City Council

Alexandria Mayor Dan Ness and council member Sara Carlson spent Monday "walking a mile" in the shoes of Brainerd City Council members as part of League of Minnesota exchange programs.

Exchanging views with colleagues who grapple with similar day-to-day problems is always enlightening and sometimes leads to the discovery of constructive solutions that hadn't been considered before. Such exchanges encourage public officials to think outside of the box when they're confronted with new challenges. Mayor Ness put it into perspective when he reflected on the benefits of his day in Brainerd.

"It's not everyday you run into someone who wants to talk about sewers," he said.

The Alexandria visitors had a chance to observe Brainerd council and committee meetings, and meet with Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce officials and Jody Crowe of Rhythm of the Rails. They even had a chance to marvel at the expansive north Brainerd garden of Mayor James and Minna Wallin.

Maybe Brainerd representatives can learn a few things if they visit Alexandria. For starters, one wonders how they're able to contain their city council meetings to only an hour or two.