Bussert seeks reelection on Electric City council

Lonna Bussert has been on the Electric City council about 10 years and is running against challenger Cheryl Hoffman to keep her seat.

One of the projects she cares about the most is the Ice Age Park that is being built.

"I've been working on the park thing for four or five years," she said, "which is to me a family thing. The city needs it, and I really want to see that done. I want people with kids and with families to come to Electric City. You're not going to do that if you don't do something for the kids there. So that's the park, and hopefully in the future the basketball court we want to put in, things that families can do."

Bussert lived in the town of Osborne before the family had to move because Banks Lake was being filled with water and would flood the town. She said that the grade school that was in Electric City had a merry-go-round, slides, and other playground equipment, and later a ball field that she was able to enjoy growing up. She wants to see that same opportunity for kids today.

Bussert also said that addressing the drainage issues in the city is a good thing currently happening, as well.

She also elaborated on some of the harder parts of being on the council.

"A lot of things come down from above - from the county, from the state," she said. "Ordinances come down that we just have to vote on because that's what we're supposed to do."

She also said it's important to be patient and to listen to the various opinions on a topic.

"There are a lot of different sides, maybe not just two," she said. "There's a lot of people out there that they don't say much; they're not loud, so you have to try to figure things out."

Bussert spoke about the grant process, including being approved for a grant, then possibly going back and forth with engineers to work out the details, "and by the time the people come to us, if we turn that grant down, we're on a bad list. We're not going to get that grant again, let's put it that way. And that's at the end of the process, and that's so hard. And people want to know 'why didn't I know about this?' Well nobody comes to the meetings, what are we supposed to do?"

"This is a learning experience," Bussert said about being involved with city government. "There's a lot to learn, what you can and can't do. I know [others running for office] think they can come in and change everything. It's a good thought, but it doesn't work that way. ... There's the lawyer that tells you what you can and can't do all the time, which surprised me. But that's one of the things they do nowadays in all the cities."

Bussert owns Coulee View Mobile Park.

She says raising kids on her own, living various places and doing various jobs, including working for a Grange association in Bozeman, Montana, have given her a variety of experiences that she feels help her make decisions on the council.