Faribault native wants action in council run

By: James Warden, Faribault Daily

Sonny Wasilowski thinks City Council needs someone who can act decisively.

He’s watched the council discuss issues such as downtown color ordinances and cost-saving measures without taking any action.

“The residents of Faribault really deserve a person on the council who can make simple and tough decisions,” Wasilowski said. “From simple decisions to tough decisions, the leaders should be able to make those decisions quickly.”

The Faribault native is running for City Council and pledges to be a man of action if voters choose him to serve.

Faribault elects its council members at large. Councilwoman Kay Duchene and councilmen Roger Johnson and Kevin Voracek have terms expiring this year.

Wasilowski describes himself as neither a liberal nor conservative. He said he’ll listen to all ideas and then take action.

“I’m just a public servant. I’ve done a lot of community involvement,” the 29-year-old said.

Wasilowski promised to manage the city’s budget challenges by working with city staff to hear how they thought Faribault could save money. He likes proposals they introduced last summer that included employee furloughs and 38-hour work weeks.

He’d also like to compress the the current opening hours into a Tuesday to Friday schedule that maintains the same hours but keeps the offices open later in the evening.

Faribault does not need to raise taxes to manage its budget crunch, Wasilowski said.

“I have the fullest confidence that the city employees know what needs to be done without raising taxes,” he wrote in an e-mail to the Daily News. “Along with community members, they’ve submitted many suggestions — I would aggressively go through them and take action on those suggestions to cut costs.”

Wasilowski is on the Daily News’ reader advisory panel.

Wasilowski has been involved in a variety of service organizations. He spent two years on the Site Council for Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, where he also went to school.

“I just happen to be deaf. It’s not a big part of who I am,” he said.

He also attended Jefferson Elementary, Faribault Middle School and Faribault High School.

Wasilowski also is a board member for Christ Through Hands Ministry and helped the Georgia American Sign Language Teachers Association and the Faribault Deaf Club attain 501(c)(3) status.

This experience, and his willingness to make the tough decisions, would make him an asset on the council, he said.

“I believe the city is doing good right now, but it could be great,” he said.



— Staff writer James Warden may be reached at 333-3127