Former Council member Anton Moody shared his insights and experience serving on the Council for eight years with Boreal Community Media. "The best part about being on the Council was how much I learned about the process of local government. Unlike the state or federal level, city politics are really the things that effect us daily. It's a very slow turning ship," he explains. 

Along with the great reward of learning about the intricacies of municipal government , Moody acknowledged working with the diverse perspectives within the community. "It’s easy to be critical and inflammatory on social media, but I found when we’d have policy discussions as a Council, we would take the time to learn the facts, have good conversation, and then vote."

He shared that even though members of the Council came from different backgrounds and opinions varied greatly, talking through each person's point of views and reviewing all the facts often resulted in unanimous votes. "It was a great thing, and something missing in the bigger picture," he said. "I know enough to know that you can’t please everybody. I’m sure there are people in town that did not like some of the things I voted for. But ultimately, I used the information I was given and made what I thought was the best decision with that information."

The average time commitment per month can vary, but for Moody, he averages he spent about 4-10 hours per month attending meetings and responding to inquiries. As for past experience, he acknowledges he had none. "I was elected when I was 35 years old and had no prior government experience, but had the opportunity to attend a training." He would go on to serve for eight years. "I actually miss being on the council," Moody confesses. His highlights include "eliminating nightly rentals from existing in the R-1 zone, the new maintenance facility project, the Hwy 61 project, and the work with the zoning ordinance to try and encourage better use of the land and resources within the city limits to spur development of housing for residents."

To learn more about Grand Marais City Council, visit the website here.