Last Updated on November 14, 2016 by cassnetwork
A former Logansport Stormwater Management Board member with a manufacturing background will serve as one of three mayoral appointees to the board that governs the city’s municipal utilities.
Mark Bender was appointed today by Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell to succeed Don Strasser on the board. Strasser’s term is scheduled to expire next summer. The mayor said the appointment is being made now because the Logansport Utility Service Board is in the process of shifting its focus from electric generation to the long-term growth and fiscal health of the utilities.
“First, I want to thank Don for his service to the board and the community throughout the tedious process of securing a new purchased power agreement for the community,” Kitchell said. “Don took an interest in LMU beyond the meetings, and traveled with Councilmen Terry Doran, Dave Morris and myself to Holland, Mich., to learn more about its state-of-the-art municipal utilities. We wish both he and Sharon nothing but the best as they continue to host exchange students from all over the world.”
The mayor said Bender’s background in stormwater infrastructure also is a plus for the board and LMU moving forward.
“This past year, it has been apparent that stormwater continues to be a serious problem, particularly for our downtown and properties such as the State Theater that was pumped out because of storm flooding,” the mayor said. “While there is a separate stormwater board to address these problems, the USB has to be on board as well because it oversees both the water and wastewater departments that are hand in glove with stormwater issues. We have to be able to bring this problem under control and come up with a better plan of ensuring future downtown investors that stormwater will not be an impediment to developing there.”
Bender and his wife, Gail, are Logansport residents. He is one of three city residents on the board. The other two are Mike Laird and Marty Monahan. Bender is one of three Democrats on the board. The others are Mike Meagher and Monahan.
SOURCE: News release from Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell