Hello again from Mayor Kim Johnson.

Well I am happy to report I have successfully retired as a full time Speech-Language Pathologist!  I had a great gathering of close family and friends which made my day so special.  I was so blessed to have a community that offered so many services and talents that I could access for my celebration.

When this letter comes out hopefully the Grotto is celebrating a conclusion of a very successful fundraiser.  Unfortunately, I was out of town in North Carolina for a family graduation.  As I traveled by car, I absolutely loved West Virginia as my heart just loves mountains after living in Montana for several years of my younger life.

Our community’s Fourth of July celebration is upon us and many people are in the planning stages to make sure all ages experience a great time.  Look for me in the parade again but I learned from the last parade.  We will make sure our ‘mayor cart’ is driving slower, which will hopefully slow down those behind me - so warning!

Also this will help those who walk and hand out candy since we really don’t want to be throwing candy.  Please check out the flyers and facebook posts for details of the many events being planned.

I wanted to give you a quick pickleball court update. Our city is working on writing several grants throughout this year. I think it would be great to have a community group work on ‘in kind’ money that is required for at least one of the big grants.  If you are interested in a discussion on this please get a hold of me.

Ok now the very unexpected news for myself. I am having an exciting life change which will result in me leaving my beloved community of West Bend.  I am really hoping to be able to fulfill my full term as Mayor until December but the city is still checking into the legalities of this.  I will be putting my house up for sale when I return from my trip so if anyone is interested in buying a super cute home that has beautiful landscaping and a sought after big garage, please let me know.   Spread the word also!

With this development, I am encouraging you to think about your possible desire to run for Mayor in the November election.  It has been such a rewarding experience. I had only lived here for 3 years before running and serving as your mayor and have met so many wonderful community members.  I have learned how fortunate we are to have all of our city employees as well as our city council members.  Our council meetings are always open to the public so feel free to stop in and watch a meeting if you think this might be a future calling for your life.   They are held the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7:00 at City Hall.  Talk to your families, your friends, coworkers and/or acquaintances about this terrific opportunity.

Back to my vacation!

Be assured that there is no cost for this column.  We are very fortunate to still have an actual newspaper that serves our community. Feel free to contact me at any time at my email (kjkimtalk2@gmail.com) or you can reach me by phone at 320-241-4770.