Sander accepts city clerk position

By Trudy Balcom 

Lynette Sander, former city council person and McGregor city staffer, has accepted the position
of McGregor City Clerk-Administrator, according to outgoing Mayor Roger Knott.

Sander, who moved from McGregor to Colorado in 2007, will take the place of outgoing City Clerk
Tom Meyer. Meyer announced his resignation in October.

Currently, Sander is planning to take up her post in mid-February; Meyer is expected to leave in
mid-January.

Sander was offered a salary of $45,000, paid family health insurance, and 10 days vacation, plus
$2,500 towards relocation expenses.

Marquette man named high-ranking Naval officer

Marquette native Randy Hendrickson has achieved the rank of Rear
Admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Hendrickson was commanding officer aboard the USS Lake Erie in Feb., 
2008, when the ship launched a missile from a location in the Pacific Ocean to shoot down an dead U.S. spy satellite.

The satellite contained a fuel tank with toxic hydrazine propellant,
which could have endangered human lives if not destroyed.

In August of 2008, Hendrickson was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, the fourth-highest rank
in the U.S. Navy.

The family had been stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, before Hendrickson was requested to return to the
Washington, D.C. area.

“We moved back to the mainland in July, 2008, after Randy’s tour on the USS Lake Erie. We loved living
in Hawaii,” said Annette Hendrickson, Randy’s wife in an e-mail to the North Iowa Times.

Hendrickson graduated from MarMac High School in 1979.

He and his wife Annette met when they attended Iowa State University. Hendrickson graduated in
1983 with a double major in political science and naval science

Hendrickson was a student of Jack Slyfield of McGregor, who also served in the Navy and has followed
Randy’s career.

Jack once sailed with Hendrickson aboard the USS Ramage along the East Coast.

“That was the cleanest ship I ever rode on,” Slyfield said.

“There are challenges to being a military family, perhaps the biggest challenge are the deployments,”
noted Annette. “We have been stationed on both coasts through out his career,” said Annette.

According to a naval press release, Rear Admiral Hendrickson has served on several U.S. Navy ships.

He was Division Officer on USS Garcia and served on the USS Leyte Gulf as well. As a Department
Head he was the Combat Systems Officer on USS Chandler. Hendrickson was the commissioning
Executive Officer of USS Decatur and also commanded USS Ramage.

 Hendrickson received eight Naval commendation awards including the 2007 Secretary of the Navy and
CNO Safety Award, and the James F. Chezek Memorial Gunnery Award.

Rear Admiral Hendrickson holds a Masters in National Security Affairs, with two sub-specialties, Far
Eastern/Pacific and Strategic Planning International Organizations and Negotiations from the Naval
Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

Rear Admiral Hendrickson has received numerous  personal decorations awards.

His most recent tour was as Head, Missile Defense Branch, Surface Warfare Division, Chief of Naval
Operations Staff.

“The benefits [of Navy life] far outwiegh any of the challenges,” noted Annette.

“The friendships, opportunities and benefits of the Navy community have provided us with the
small town closeness that we both grew up with.”

The Hendrickson return to Iowa and the area periodically to visit family and friends. 

Compensation Board gives nod to pay increases

By Pat McTaggert

The Clayton County Compensation Board met Dec. 30 to make recommendations on salaries for
county elected officials for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Comments from officials centered on economic
conditions, with the Recorder, Auditor and Treasurer all saying they would like to see a 1.4 percent increase
to catch up with a 3.4 percent increase given to county union workers. They also stated that with current
economic conditions in the county and state, they would understand if there was no increase for next year.

Sheriff Mike Tschirgi said his office is down one deputy and the office workload has increased. With
overtime, some deputies make more than the sheriff, he added. Discharge said he would like to see his pay
increased three to four percent to catch up with pay in Delaware County.

County Attorney Kevin Clefisch said he was not requesting a specific raise because of economic
conditions. The Board of Supervisors message was that valuations were dropping and insurance was
expected to increase 10 percent, so they would prefer seeing no raises.

Clayton County ranks 40th in population in the state. The County Attorney’s salary of $51,383 puts him
at 81st for salaries for his position in the state.

 Treasurer Linda Orr and Recorder Sue Meyer each make $44,928 ranking them 68th and 66th in
the state for their positions’ salaries. County Auditor Dennis Freitag ranks 68th in the state with his salary
of $45,277, while the Supervisors rank 52nd with a salary of $26,460.

At the Compensation Board meeting, Board member Steve McCorkindale recommended a one percent
across the board increase for county elected officials for the next fiscal year, with a $250 stipend for
the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.  The motion passed by a vote of four to three.

If the recommendation is approved by the Board of Supervisors, the County Attorney will make
$51,897 a year, while the County Recorder and Treasurer will each make $45,377. The County Auditor’s
salary will be $45,730 and the County Sheriff will make $57,657.