The Winslow City Council has been undergoing the process of filling a seat left by Bob Schlesinger at the end of last month. Schlesinger retired from his term which will conclude in November of this year.
The council selected Kerwin Lawrence, who was sworn in last week. Lawrence has spent time as a member of the Winslow chapter of the NAACP and on the Planning and Zoning Committee. Lawrence said, “I just want to say thank you to the Winslow City Council for selecting my name from among an awesome list of very capable candidates to serve the residents of this wonderful community. For those who don’t know who I am, I look forward to meeting you during coming days and weeks and listening to your ideas for the future and prosperity of our fair city.”
Following Lawrence’s appointment, Mayor Tom McCauley nominated councilman Marshal Losey as vice mayor. The remaining councilmembers agreed unanimously.
Councilwoman Samantha Crisp reminded the public that the Winslow Rotary Club will be distributing free food boxes from 12 noon until 2 p.m. tomorrow (March 19) at the First Methodist Church, located at 101 E. Hillview St. The event is open to everyone and Crisp encouraged citizens to reach out to their neighbors who may need assistance.
Also discussed by councilmembers was small business and the multitude of workshops currently being offered by the city. Crisp spoke about the Lunch and Learn program taking place at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays through April at the Hubbell Building, located at 523 W. Second St. The program focuses on teaching entrepreneurs the process of opening a small business.
Councilman Rickey Jackson added to the conversation, explaining that Google has offered to teach a small business workshop as well. The event would take place on April 25, if the number of attendees reaches the 50-person minimum. To register for the Google led workshop, contact Winslow City Hall at (928) 289-2422.
Northland Pioneer College also gave their quarterly report. NPC Friends and Family Director Betsyann Wilson filled the council in on a new program offered at NPC for training in the medical office administration field. She said, “This program offers direct to work options. That means each of these courses gets the student ready to go right to work.”
She also mentioned that the scholarship window for the upcoming fall semester is open at www.npc.edu and will remain so until April 16. “We have about $17,000 in scholarships available for the fall semester and we encourage all of our students to apply for them.”
In the status report offered by Winslow City Manager John Barkley, he mentioned the upcoming budget season. “There will be a few more times for the public to offer their input during this budget process. Recently, we held a meeting on capital improvements and had some public input.”
In other business, the council:
* Heard a quarterly report from Winslow Fire Chief James Hernandez in which he thanked the council for budgeting money to make improvements at the fire station including new carpets.
* Heard a presentation from Kimberley Robinson of the U.S. Census Bureau. Robinson stressed the importance of filling out the census form and told of the different ways to do so. Citizens can fill out the questionnaire online, over the phone and on the mailed paper form.
* Reappointed Paula Beall to the Winslow Arts Council until April 1, 2023.
The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the Hubbell Building, located at 523 W. Second St.
