A competitive race is shaping up for a seat on the Yukon City Council.
I can recall many times when only one candidate (often only the incumbent) would file for the annual city council election.
On Feb. 8, 2022, voters will have a choice when they decide who will represent Ward 1 for the next four-year term.
Incumbent Rick Cacini is being challenged by Rodney Zimmerman. As the campaign starts heating up, both men are endeavoring to get the word out about why Ward 1 residents should vote for them.
Rick is a retired U.S. Army and Air Force lieutenant colonel. Founder and curator of the Yukon Veterans Museum, Rick will let voters know how many boards he serves on.
A Yukon native, Rodney is a longtime Yukon school teacher and girls’ cross-country coach. His wife Tacey also teaches; in fact, she was a reporter for me for a while when I was a Yukon newspaper editor.
Remember that only qualified residents in Ward 1 will be able to vote in this election.
We will profile both Ward 1 candidates in upcoming print and online editions. Get to know them and what they stand for.
Your city council members are YOUR elected representatives in local government so you should care.
And many more citizens should be voting in annual city council (and school board) elections. Voter turnout over the past decade has been dismal at best.
The City of Yukon has “ward voting” except for the at-large seat, which comes up once every four years. (I always figured former Yukon City Council Member Ward Larson always had an advantage when he ran for Ward 2).
I predict the upcoming election result may have a dramatic impact on the leadership of the five-member Yukon City Council, specifically in the mayor and vice mayor positions.
Serving on a city council is a genuine commitment and requires much more than attending twice-monthly meetings. There are committee meetings, special events and – of course – those emails and phone calls from your constituents.
Please remember that your city council and school board members are volunteers who receive no pay other than the satisfaction of knowing they are serving their hometown.
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Manna Pantry staff and volunteers this week began their long-awaited move from downtown Yukon to the new Together We Center, 620 N Cemetery Road.
Manna Pantry has been served hungry Yukon-area residents since 1975. Several years ago, the local food cupboard announced the need to find a larger space to meet growing demands. They finally found one last year.
The pantry’s new 2,000 square foot space as part of the Together We resource ministry will feature a large walk-in freezer and warehouse area.
Director Sherri Rogers says Manna Pantry will be able to serve many more clients than ever – from across Canadian County, not just Yukon.
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As a professional journalist for more than 30 years, I appreciate each of you who still enjoys the black ink of your hometown newspaper on your fingertips.
Those who decided to make newspapers their careers often hear that “print is dead.”
But I know so many dedicated readers who enjoy “turning the page” to digest their local news and sports coverage – written and photographed by experienced journalists.
For those people who like reading their news from smartphones and computers, your Yukon Progress and our Canadian County “sister” papers offer a complete digital “e-edition” of each publication we produce.
Our editors and reporters also post individual stories and photos, some of which were not in the print edition. There is plenty of bonus converge on our website, www.yukonprogress.com
I regularly post my stories, frequently even before the print copy “hits the streets.”
I’ve learned it’s a lot easier to correct an error after a story is posted online than in print!
For example – my recent story about the Yukon First United Methodist Church’s Ground Hog Day Dinner.
When I first uploaded the article to our website, I quoted Ground Hog Dinner coordinator Russell Kline as saying the dinner had been “canceled but not postponed.”
Oops. After online reader Trey Bishop brought it to our attention, I promptly corrected it to “postponed but not canceled” online – and just in time for our Friday print deadline!
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WAY TO GO: I wanted to offer my congratulations to Tim Peters, who recently because a sergeant in the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office investigations division.
Tim is a former longtime Yukon school resource officer who now serves as Ward 4 representative to the Yukon Traffic Commission.
