This Week's Program: Arik Forsman Duluth City Council Priorities
Arik Forsman has served as an At Large member of the Duluth City Council since August of 2018. He works in economic development at Minnesota Power and is passionate about growing Duluth and helping working families thrive. Arik is a graduate of the UMD Labovitz School, is a native of the Iron Range, and lives in the Kenwood neighborhood with his wife Jessica and two young children.
The mission of the Duluth City Council is to develop effective public policy rooted in citizen involvement that results in excellent municipal services and creates a thriving community prepared for the challenges of the future. The city council plays a pivotal role in passing legislation, approving city budgets, and serving as one of the most accessible levels of government for citizens to engage with.
A little-known fact shared by Arik: "There are 9 city councilors in Duluth. Five represent specific geographic districts and 4 are At-Large (city-wide). Any city councilor can bring forward a resolution (for an expression of opinion) or ordinance (local law) on any topic to a vote. As one councilor, I personally have no control over whether one of my colleagues brings forward something that I don't agree with or don't believe should be a city council priority, but once it's on our agenda, we are all obligated to discuss it."
Harbortown Rotary will be passing the hat at our club meetings on both Wed. Mar. 4 and Mar. 11th for cash contributions to Chum's food drive. If you recall from years past, for every $1 contributed, they are able to purchase $7 worth of food for needy Duluth area citizens.
Cash will be accepted, but if you'd like to donate by check, please make it payable directly to CHUM. Once we have information for online donation options, that will be provided to you as well.
We are pleased to announce that registration for the Rotary District 5580 Conference is OPEN!!
The 2020 District Conference committee is planning an exciting mix of education, service above self, and fun! Historic Madden's resort on beautiful Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minnesota will be our hosts for the conference and opportunities for fellowship and fun are being planned for the whole family with a variety of events including a golf tournament, "family fun night" with games and activities, glow golf opportunity, cigar rolling class, wine and whiskey tasting, guided painting event, and all the amenities the resort has to offer.
Lodging reservations must be made by February 25, 2020. Rotarians wishing to reserve lodging after that date will not be guaranteed a room or the special Rotary rate. Rooms must be pre-paid upon booking.
SAVE THE DATE - Dragon Boat Festival, August 21 & 22, 2020!
This event is our major fundraiser and we need all Harbortown Rotarians to help out with getting teams, sponsors, and volunteers to help with setting up, managing, and tear down for this event. Set a goal to help us make the 2020 Dragon Boat Festival successful. To volunteer to help out for the event or a committee spot please contact me!
For news, announcements, event promotion social media, media releases and more, please contact Charity Johnson (csjohnson@starbasemn.org or 218-788-7288).
IMPORTANT UPDATE: 1.5.2021
Chloe Strand joined the Marketing/PR committee last fall and is taking on many duties related to Facebook posts, Member Spotlights and more. When communicating PR details, please copy both Charity (csjohnson@starbasemn.org) and Chloe (Chloe.Strand@hdchrc.org) on relevant information.
For Scuttlebutt: If you are hosting the program speaker, please copy Charity on the speaker's name, organization and email. If you are the chair of a Harbortown Committee, please update Charity and Chloe on relevant information regarding grants and awards, meetings or news. Charity will use this information to create more dynamic and engaging content to share with potential club members and on social media.
It is our goal to continue to share the good work that Harbortown Rotary is doing in our community, so your help and support is greatly appreciated!
