The Bemidji City Council completed its interviews for all three candidates last week for its vacant city manager position. All three candidates also participated in meet-and-greet socials hosted by the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Bemidji.

On Friday, Mark Lemen, the director of public works in Glencoe, Minnesota, interviewed with the council and spoke with community members. Lakeland News spoke to Lemen, and he shared his thoughts on why he feels he would be a good fit for this job.

“I’m big on building relationships, and communication. I think that those attributes will allow me to be successful in rebuilding some, and bridging some gaps that have been broken time over time throughout the city,” said Lemen. “Bemidji’s always been close to mine and my family’s. My grandfather was from here – well, he’s from Crookston, but they migrated to Bemidji, Minnesota. We’ve spent a lot of time here, and it’s a community that my wife and I would like to raise our children in. We feel that the core values and the opportunities that the city present are in line with what we want our family to be exposed to.”

Previously, we aired stories with the other two candidates the council interviewed – Sharon Eveland, who is the village administrator in Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin, and Richard Spiczka, who is currently Pequot Lakes city administrator.

The city council could make a decision on a hire as early as next week.

By — Lakeland News