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		Points of View Mary Tuisku, Hancock City Councilwoman January 15, 2004 Guest Column © 2004 Mary Tuisku. Published with Permission. Photos © 2004 Keweenaw Now.

To Residents of the City of Hancock:

If I didn't care about Hancock, the easy thing to do would be to walk away. I received numerous calls and emails from community leaders and the general public, asking me to stay and continue to fight the good fight.

I have been on the council for 15 years. When re-elected in 2002 I was not an unknown commodity -- voters knew my philosophy, my ethics and my attitude toward public service. Obviously, the majority of voters also support many of the positions I have supported in the past.

I have done a lot of soul searching in the last three weeks and have concluded that I cannot ignore the mandate given me by the voters for the last two decades. I have to stay on this council, continue to fight the good fight, continue to represent all the citizens of Hancock as fairly as I can and continue to work with other council members to make Hancock a better place in which to live.

At the Jan. 7, 2004, Hancock City Council meeting, Mary Tuisku, second from left, announces she wishes to remain on the council and reverse her statement of resignation made at the Dec. 17, 2003, meeting. Councilman Michael Thornton (not pictured) made the motion to strike her statement from the minutes of the Dec. 17 meeting. With the exception of Councilman John Condon, far left, who encouraged Tuisku to resign, Council members supported Tuisku's wish to stay and approved the motion. Also pictured here are Robert Lewis, mayor pro tem, second from right, and Glenn Anderson, city manager. (Photo by Michele Anderson)

Thanks for all your encouragement and support. We need more progressive people to get involved in city government, and I encourage people to step forward and ask to be appointed to city boards and run for elected office.*

*Editor's Note: This column is similar to the public statements Councilwoman Mary Tuisku made at the Jan. 7, 2004, meeting of the Hancock City Council. More than 13 positions on City of Hancock boards and commissions are open, and residents are encouraged to apply for them. Three elected positions on the Hancock City Council will also be open in the fall of 2004: those now held by John Condon, Michael Thornton and Mayor Jim Martin. On Thursday, Jan. 15, Mayor Martin told Keweenaw Now that the Jan. 16 deadline for applications is extended to Monday, Jan. 19. Read the Public Notice. Read more about Mary Tuisku and her community involvement.

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Note: Views expressed by our guest columnists are not necessarily the views of Keweenaw Now.