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VOL. 18 NO. 11 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
BEST OF CONTEST: Don’t forget to make nominations by May 21 PAGE 15
Equity topic takes over school board meeting
Poppy purpose In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR
Lt.Col. John McCrae – Dec. 8, 1915
What are those little red flowers? Following World War I, then called “the Great War,” the poppy flourished in Europe. Scientists attributed the growth to soils in France and Belgium becoming enriched with lime from the rubble left by the war. From the dirt and mud grew a beautiful red poppy. Following the publication of the wartime poem, “In Flanders Fields,” the red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed during battle. The poem was written by Lt.-Col. John McCrae, a Canadian doctor, while he served on the front lines. He died of
pneumonia near the end of the war. On Sept. 27, 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion family to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died during the war. In 1924, the distribution of poppies became a national program of The American Legion. Led by the American Legion Auxiliary, each year members of The American Legion Family distribute poppies with a request that the person receiving the flower make a donation to support the future of veterans, active-duty military
personnel and their families with medical and financial needs. Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is known for its Buddy Poppy program. Before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW conducted its first poppy distribution. Shortly thereafter, the poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the U.S. VFW. During its 1923 encampment, Buddy Poppies were assembled by disabled and needy veterans
So many people showed up to the Centennial School Board meeting last week, the meeting had to be moved from the District Center to the Performing Arts Center. A group of about 80 people attended the May 10 meeting, most of them to voice their displeasure with the joint powers agreement (JPA) and contract with Equity Alliance MN (EA-MN) on which the district was scheduled to vote. After a nearly 15-minute delay so microphones and technology could be set up, School Board Chair Suzy Guthmueller reminded everyone in the audience that it is still the law to wear masks indoors, but she was quickly interrupted by booing and shouting. Guthmueller offered a motion to amend the agenda to move the EA-MN JPA from an action item to a discussion item. The board then opened up the public forum. Those who wished to speak during the public forum were asked to sign up and provide a full name and address before addressing the board and abide by several rules, but not every speaker complied with
SEE POPPY, PAGE 8
SEE EQUITY, PAGE 16
Hugo loses first and only finance director HUGO — Although he had worked for the city of Hugo for 32 years, many community members likely have no idea who he is. Ron Otkin, the city’s longtime finance director, unexpectedly passed away May 5, three days before his 62nd birthday. “If you think about Hugo and
N SE OPE U O H N ! GREE OUND YEAR R
Pipestone, Minnesota, and eventually moved to St. Peter, where he accepted the same position. In 1989, Otkin began his career with the city of Hugo, becoming the city’s first and only finance director. (See his obituary on page 5.) Council Member Chuck Haas, who worked with Otkin for 22 of those years, recalls when Otkin started with the city in the old City Hall. “Here was this
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Hugo Finance Director Ron Otkin could often be spotted with a cup of coffee in his hands. Here he is helping out at a city cleanup day. Pizza & Salad Lunch Buffet
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award-winning finance director, and he didn’t even have an office. All he had was a desk in a corridor, and there were buckets around him to catch the water from the roof leaking.” Haas said the residents of Hugo owe Otkin a bit of gratitude. “He has watched over the city finances so well, he kept taxes down, he
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what happened before 1989 in this town? Really not a lot, but the stuff that has happened since, he has had his hand in every piece of it,” said Mayor Tom Weidt. “He is probably the quietest and biggest part of success Hugo has had in developing and growing as a city.” Otkin, a St. Paul resident, began his career in 1978 as the financial officer for the city of
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BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR