Melissa Van Der Stad is a Communications Assistant with a diverse range of writing experience. Her work has been featured in various publications, including the Echo Press Newspaper, Prairie Business magazine, and The Bemidji Pioneer. Melissa covers a wide range of topics, including local news, government issues, and community events.
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United States (National)
Melissa's coverage primarily focuses on local government announcements, specifically related to Fargo and its governance. She appears particularly interested in topics such as city planning, law enforcement activities, property regulations, and infrastructure development within the region.
For effective outreach to Melissa, consider providing insights or analysis related to recent government decisions or policies affecting Fargo. This could include discussions around urban planning proposals, law enforcement initiatives, property tax reforms, infrastructure projects or any other local governmental issues. Additionally, if you have expertise in these areas and can provide valuable commentary on how these developments might impact the community at large or specific demographics within it would likely be well received by her audience.
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“I believe that there will be opportunities and places where we can tighten out belts without pain,” Commissioner John Strand told The Forum.
Despite concerns from two elected officials, Fargo's first responders are asking voters to support a 20-year, quarter-cent sales tax to fund the Fargo Fire Department and Fargo Police Department.
By: Melissa Van
“One of the things that I look back on related to the controversy that we had to go through was the opportunity to educate the public,” said Darrell Ross, gardener and NDSU professor of ecology.
“I don’t care if I do this every meeting going forward,” Commissioner John Strand told The Forum. “We need to make this a front burner in our community.”
"The DEI Department was created to foster a more equitable and inclusive Fargo, but its current structure has fallen short of realizing its full potential," wrote Hukun Dabar, Afro American Development Association executive director, and Matuor Alier, South Sudanese Foundation director. "In a rapidly evolving city with an increasingly diverse population, Fargo must adapt to better meet the needs of its residents."
Residents, an NDSU professor and a Moorhead city council member weighed in on a council vs commission governmental type.
“I don't know what to do if I roll up to a voting place and ... it's not accessible,” Addie Loerzel said. “That is what has been haunting me my whole life, is accessibility.”
Mayor Tim Mahoney and 3 out of 4 commissioners said that the department needs to go in order to balance out the 2025 budget, which currently rings in at $133 million.
By: Melissa Van Der Stad
“They will pay for this at the ballot box," commission member Sekou Sirleaf said. "We can’t let them get away with this. We want a more inclusive city; that’s what we should all be fighting for.”
“The decision was not (made) within the walls of Public Health but it is certainly a public health issue,” board chairperson Lyn Telford said.
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