Hagen's report, an excellent post tightly examining years of service without meandering off point, can be read online here.
The Strommen tenure on council saw ups and downs of Ramsey Town Center where many, many housing units replaced corn field "green acres" land held by speculators, and much of Ramsey lost its rural feel but gained walking/biking trails and the roads were always a concern while the town saw taxes creep up as the town also saw the housing crisis hit and slowly cure. The town did not do well during that crisis when the council hired a sandbur, since detached at substantial cost, with the intent to be a contrarian council then wanting to push on a rope to make things the market then would not sustain nonetheless happen. Counter-market Repubicans, no less, and Strommen had the good fortune to have retired before it, and to have come into the center seat at the council table to lead mop-up. During the time span of Strommen's residence in Ramsey the town graciously transited from an administrative situation, a/k/a James Norman, to being effectively run by Kurt Ulrich - who was hired by the council before Strommen decided to step down, and who faced tumult during the sandbur consultancy days before order was restored. The Ramsey Town Center lives on. Rebranded by the counter-market Republicans as "the COR" which nobody with a sense of history will call anything but Ramsey Town Center - as it started, was, is, and always will be. Housing growth, densely so, shilled to the Ramsey folks as "a quaint Towne Centre" that was to have, "nice shoppes and restaurants." Those were the spelling of she who will not be named. Spculators did well at the start and left things in the hands of Bruce Nedegaard who went into a bankruptcy with bank shenanigans accompanying things, a consortium of institutions holding pieces of things a lead bank horsed up greatly. Nedegaard died shortly after the bankruptcy and the town bought the farm - a/k/a cut a questionable costly deal with the bank consortium to take the land out of limbo at the height of the housing crisis when it as expected laid fallow for years. Matt Look came on council during Strommen years, and went onto the County Board too, during Strommen years - Look all the while printing signs for Republican politicians from a home centered business. The Northstar commuter rail line stub, still not extended to St. Cloud as initially envisioned, but passing Ramsey to its present, possibly final terminus, Big Lake. In a tardy fashion and paying the equivalent of a king's ransom, the Northstar poobahs gave Ramsey a little used "station" on the line. Because Northstar rents track time from BNSF it will never be an all-day operation, instead only of use to those having in-city day jobs without overtime so that mornings into urbanity, evenings into the 'burbs could reliably be planned and gained while the remainder of Ramsey and other places subsidize the living daylights out of the venture of use to a handful. A never full giant parking ramp was built to accomodate the hordes of expected rail users, and remains a costly thing where the interim council folks gave away a part of the parking to Indiana exploiters who hung over-priced dense housing off the west end of the ramp in an ugly looking way.
None of which was Strommen's fault. In fact, she was one of the good people and strongly supported a town interchange with Highway 10 in a way removing a most dangerous of road-rail crossings where MnDOT, the County, and Ramsey all carried a part of the cost. That was when Jason Tossey was on council and a strong advocate of the road intersection change, and where a council minority did not want the town to bankroll any million dollar share of the Hoosier's profit-optimizing Big Ugly dense rental housing adventure. Randy Backous was also a good council person then, and it was when the HRA was the same seven council members wearing different hats but doing the same mischief; he who shall not be named being the sandbur in chief, like a tin-eared orchestra conductor among amateur musicians.
That above subjective recollection is presented as opinion mixed with fact, and opinions can differ. Once Strommen was elected mayor and council seat turnover happened, things gained a more even keel, but still there was that exurb to suburb transitioning some thought dandy.
If you will note, the Hagen item was not excerpted and instead personal recollection of events was substituted. This is because anybody caring about Mayor Sarah Strommen and her well-reasoned leadership should read the ECM Publishing item. It is thorough, fair and balanced - well worth the read.
Margaret Connolly and Terry Hendriksen, each now deceased, were exceptionally good council members prior to Strommen's service. Coborns was a good community addition arising from Ramsey Town Center fever. Moving the licensing center into City Hall was a positive step deserving credit. Jim Deal invested in the venture's goals and aims and did okay for himself and family while being a key person to the thing moving more quickly than otherwise. James Norman shall not be missed (some may feel otherwise). Heidi Nelson, ditto. Other staff persons served and moved on and in general were capable, good people. During it all mistakes in judgment were made, including those made by me. Connolly, Hendriksen, Strommen, Tossey and Backous are the council persons I most strongly recall as having been good for the town. Somebody these days lives in Thomaswood, and I don't care a damn who. Hagen's item mentions David Jeffrey, on council and he is missed as also having been one of the good guys.
