Ms. Mahalick During A Council Meeting

By Chuck Ring (GadaboutBlogalot ©2009)

Quote Freely From The Article – Leave The Pseudonym Alone

At its regular meeting on December 2nd, the Edgewood governing body appointed Ms. Karen Mahalick as the permanent full-time administrator for the Town of Edgewood. Ms. Mahalick has served as interim administrator during the last six months or so. Her permanent appointment does not come with a salary increase and she will also continue to serve as the full-time planner until it is determined whether a new appointment to take her place in the planning department will be required.

Ms. Mahalick started her involvement with the Town of Edgewood in 1999 when she volunteered to help the town in various capacities. In 2002, she became a regular employee of the town when appointed as the town planner, a position she  held until her Wednesday appointment.

Ms. Mahalick attended training and education sessions during her tenure as town planner which enabled her to become a certified planner under the auspices of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) on July 26, 2007. She has maintained her qualifications through attendance at continuing education classes each year.

When asked what her expectations and desires were about Edgewood and its future, Ms. Mahalick indicated that she wants to serve the citizens and the governing body in a way that will enable the town to become solid and to meet the tone and priorities set by the  citizens and governing body. She would like to see the town center at Section 16 get attention and she wants to work to see town projects come to fruition at that site. With the waste water treatment plant nearing completion, she and town staff will be working toward placing the facility in operation to enable businesses to utilize the sewage treatment offered by the new facility.

She also will work toward the upcoming election in March 2010 when two positions on the council will be up for election and two bond issues will be on the ballot for citizen consideration. The positions on the council which will be up for election are those of Councilors Rita-Loy Simmons and Glenn Felton. Citizens interested in running to fill those at-large seats will need to declare their intent on January 5, 2010. The bond issues will be separate with one being for road construction and improvement and the other for public facilities. If the bond issues pass it will mean a modest property tax increase for property owners within the corporate limits of Edgewood. More detail is to be provided in the near future.

Ms. Mahalick can be reached at 286-4518 or via email at admin@edgewood-nm.gov

We do, of course, wish Ms. Mahalick the very best with her new duties and we hope she will not hesitate to hire an assistant in the planning department when an assistant is needed.