by April Scheinoha
Reporter
Council members Curt Howe and Rachel Prudhomme closed out the Thief River Falls City Council meeting Tuesday, Dec. 20. Howe made the motion to adjourn the meeting and Prudhomme seconded it. The meeting would be their last meeting as council members.
Megan Bourne defeated Howe in his reelection bid for the Ward 1 council seat. He was first elected to the seat in 2014.
Prudhomme decided not to run for reelection to the Ward 5 council seat. She had served on the council since January 2014 after filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Joseph “Yose” Haj, who moved out of the area.
Both Prudhomme and Howe were honored with proclamations of appreciation from Mayor Brian Holmer. He noted they unselfishly gave of their time to serve on various boards and commissions while representing the city. Holmer also referred to their work in helping the city remain successful.
Howe thanked his constituents and noted any City Council accomplishment was a result of a team effort. He said he was proud to serve as a council member.
When he first campaigned for the seat, Howe said he campaigned for a reliable air service. He said he was proud to help bring such a service, Denver Air Connection, to the Thief River Falls Regional Airport as a member of the Airport Authority Board. Howe was also proud that the airport recently achieved 8,000 boardings, a feat that leads to additional funding for the airport.
For her part, Prudhomme said it was a honor to represent Ward 5. She said it was exciting to see the changes made in the city during her time on the council. Prudhomme added that it was wonderful representing the city on the Thief River Falls Chamber of Commerce Board and Pennington County Historical Society Board.
While serving on the council, Prudhomme twice battled cancer. She thanked the council for its accommodations during that time.
Council member Jason Aarestad thanked them for their service, saying it was a pleasure to serve with them. He noted it was nice to have them as senior council members guiding him when he first began serving on the council.