RIVER FALLS — Newly elected Mayor Alison Page and new Councilmembers Mei Mei Abdouch and Rose Walker joined re-elected Alderperson Todd Bjerstedt, being sworn into their positions during an April 21 organizational meeting.

Alderperson Diane Odeen was unanimously selected by the council as the next council president, a role previously held by Scott Morrissette, who decided against running for re-election. Alderperson Nick Carow was chosen as the comptroller, and he appointed Alderperson Michael Page as the deputy comptroller. Mayor Page appointed City Attorney Chris Gierhart as the parliamentarian of the common council.

Odeen and Abdouch were both nominated to be the council’s representative on the Plan Commission, and Odeen won a close council vote to earn the seat.
Mayor Page appointed the following council representatives to city boards:

• Historic Preservation Committee: Michael Page
• Library Board: Nick Carow
• Parks and Recreation Board: Sean Downing
• Design Review Board: Mei Mei Abdouch
• Utility Advisory Board: Rose Walker
• Housing Authority: Decision delayed until a future meeting. The board will continue with Bjerstedt as the representative until a decision is made. The reason for the postponement was Abdouch’s request to be the council’s representative on the board. Abdouch expressed willingness to sit in with the board for a year as a non-voting member to learn from Bjerstedt in the meantime if that is a possibility.

The council made the following approvals:

• Agreed to a two-year option contract with Weld Riley for city attorney services and a one-year option contract with Bakke Norman for prosecution services.
• Designated public depositories for public money held by the city.
• Approved the Pierce County Journal as the official newspaper.
• Approved the bylaw review.