Kreun leaving GF council
n Ward 7 rep has served nearly 12 years
By Christopher Bjorke
Herald Staff Writer
Grand Forks Ward 7 City Council member Curt Kreun will not run for reelection, he announced Tuesday.
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He had been weighing whether to run for several weeks, he said, but said he decided he needed to devote more time to caring for his parents, who live in California.
"I just don't want to leave my constituents without representation on a full-time basis," Kreun said.
A District 43 Republican representative, he said he would continue to serve in the Legislature. "I believe it is time for me to focus my efforts at the state level and open the door for others to have the opportunity to serve on the council," he said in a statement.
Elected in 2000, Kreun pointed to his work on several infrastructure projects as accomplishments. But the major effort of his time on the council was Grand Forks' flood protection and recovery, a "daily process" for his first six or eight years on council, he said.
"The biggest thing, the biggest challenge of course was the flood protection project," he said. "By government standards, that was lightning speed. With President Clinton coming, you'll probably hear that," he said, referring to Clinton's visit March 17.
Unglamorous job
Kreun also cited his work on the municipal landfill, extending 48th Street from the Industrial Park and the police and fire training facility as examples of his work on infrastructure and public safety.
"Infrastructure needs are not as glamorous as other things to some people, but to me they're the most important," he said.
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A legislator since 2010, Kreun said he wants to focus on water issues in the state and has a spot on the interim House Water-Related Topics Overview Committee.
Kreun is the chairman of the council's Service and Safety Committee and sits on the Housing Authority, the Events Center Commission, the Emergency Management Board and the Lake Agassiz Water Authority Board.
Council veterans
Three other members of the council were elected the same year as Kreun. Doug Christensen said he would run again this year as did Terry Bjerke, who served until 2002 but was elected again in 2008.
Eliot Glassheim, elected in 1982, is the other incumbent on the council who said that he would not run again.
Kreun said that future council members will likely deal with issues of how the city can be attractive to new business investment. He said he had not heard of any possible candidates for his seat.
"There's people out there who can do it," he said. "They just have to commit their time."
Reach Bjorke at (701) 780-1117; (800) 477-6572, ext. 117; or send e-mail to cbjorke@gfherald.com .
