Fargo's mayoral candidates didn't mince words Wednesday when answering a debate question about how they plan to overcome territorial limitations to the city's future growth.
"Some days it looks like it's a bunch of kids in a sandbox in our community, the way we fight amongst ourselves - Horace, West Fargo, Moorhead," attorney Brad Swenson said in front of about 60 people in the Fargo City Commission chambers.
Metro cities need to stop fighting with each other and look at their true competition - Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Minn., and Sioux Falls, S.D. - for businesses and better-paying jobs, Swenson said.
Retired Fargo Public Works Director Dennis Walaker agreed.
The annexation process is "ridiculous," he said, adding it's made Fargo and West Fargo into enemies.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I can't believe we can't come to some common ground and decide where these boundaries are going to be in the future," Walaker said.
Richard Blair, president of the Fargo Broadcasting Co., said Fargo can't ignore the need for an extensive dike system to protect the south and southwest areas of the city from overland flooding.
City Commissioner John Cosgriff said Fargo needs to work with the private entities that take risks by buying land and turning it into lots or commercial development.
"As the city expands and delivers its infrastructure at the invitation of the private sector ... we annex that property into the city that can provide those services again in the most cost-efficient manner," Cosgriff said.
Candidate J.J. Gordon, a shift supervisor at Take 2 Video, said Fargo can restore older homes and revitalize areas of north and south Fargo, just as downtown Fargo has been revitalized.
"I see a lot of homes with 'for sale' signs that need to be filled with new families into this community," he said.
Fargo School Board member Arlette Preston said the annexation issues with Horace and West Fargo are nearly settled, so Fargo can develop a long-term working relationship with both cities.
"The residents live, work and shop in these four, five or six communities without paying much attention to borders, so the cities and the government structures really need to start working together better," she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
