When construction on Highway 6 was completed in 2018 in the city of Emily, some business owners reported issues with flooding. Now, after running for public office, the owner of Emily Meats was able to help get sidewalks along the highway fixed to solve the problem.

With the road degrading and in need of being rebuilt, some businesses along the highway were left with back flooding and other issues. Reaching out to the city council didn’t yield results, so Tracy Jones, owner of Emily Meats, decided to do something himself.

In 2020, he ran for mayor with the goal of fixing a number of situations the town was dealing with. He won the election and sought out people to get the job done.

He was finally able to get MnDOT on board along with Richard Munch, Jim Helgrin, and the Anderson Brothers. They were able to sit down and decide on a mutual agreement.

There were still some challenges along the way, but Tracy is still thankful to be the town of Emily’s mayor.

“It has been a mixed blessing,” says Jones. “We have accomplished some good things, I’ve made some mistakes. It’s been a big learning process for me, there’s a lot more rules than I thought there ever would be.”

The sidewalks are now functioning properly with water draining out of the parking lots.

By — Hanky Hazelton