He’s filling in at the Blue Earth City Hall
Todd Bodem says he is happy to call Blue Earth home for the next three or four months.
Bodem started his job last Monday as the interim city administrator for the Blue Earth community.
“This a fantastic town,” Bodem says. “When I first was coming into the city I thought it was very neat, clean and looks like there have been many improvements completed here recently.”
He says he has also been very impressed with the city staff.
“They have been very helpful during my first couple of days here,” Bodem says. “My initial experience so far is that this is a friendly town.”
The interim administrator was hired to fill in until the city can hire a replacement for Kathy Bailey, who resigned suddenly after working here for the past six years.
Bodem says he feels he has the experience to fill in for the position for the next three to four months.
He is a native of Champlin and currently lives in Farmington.
After graduating from Anoka High School, he attended St. Cloud State University for his four year degree in local urban affairs with a minor in minority studies.
From there he received his masters degree in urban regional studies from then Mankato State University.
“My first job in my career was being the city administrator in Red Lake Falls,” Bodem says. “I have spent most of my career in city government, although I did spend five years working in the private sector for a land developing company in the Twin Cities.”
Bodem has worked for the cities of Grand Marais, Belle Plaine, Jordan and most recently Big Lake. He also served as an interim administrator in Cochrane and Clairmont.
Bodem and his wife, Kathy, have four children; Claudia, Henry, Oliver and George.
For now, the temporary administrator is commuting between his home in Farmington and his new office in Blue Earth.
“I have looked at getting an apartment here,” he says. “But, I am also a big family man so I don’t like to be away from them too much. There are pluses and minuses to both options (commuting and getting an apartment.)”
Bodem says his first few days have gone by fast, with meetings with staff and other members of the community filling up most of his time.
“I have been trying to get up to speed as quickly as I can,” he says. “My job here is to help out the city wherever and however I can.”