As we near the end of 2018, the Mayor of Guthrie Center looks back on the City’s progress, and what’s to come for next year.

Dennis Kunkle has been mayor for about 35 years, and he says after all that time it’s still a learning experience. Kunkle looks forward to further progress on the City’s clear well project, and he hopes plans can be made for bathhouse improvements at the aquatic center. Kunkle shares another goal for next year, “Other than continuation of projects that have already started I would like to see more economic development and we’re working on that. We did a downtown project here a few years ago that really changed our landscape downtown, the fronts of our buildings and so on. I’d like to see more of that down the road because economic development comes in different forms, you’ve got growth from within the city and you get that growth coming from outside the city. So it’s just working through all that and trying to take your opportunities when they’re there.”

Kunkle’s mayoral term ends in December 2019. While he is not certain about running for re-election, he is eager to pass the baton to a leader for the next generation.