Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Nick Galm resigns city council seat to take job
The City of Hartley has been without a superintendent of public works since August.
Prior to his resignation to accept the superintendent of public works position, Nick Galm had served on the city council since 2022.
A familiar face has been hired to fill Hartley's long-vacant superintendent of public works position.
Nick Galm, who has served on the city council since 2022, was hired for the job on Monday during a special meeting. The position has been open since August.
Galm's annual salary was set at $95,000. He resigned from the council prior to being hired on a 3-1 vote. Council Member Matt Dolphin was the lone dissention.
According to City Administrator Roxann Swanson, Galm was the only applicant for the position during its four-month vacancy. He succeeds Anthony Weatherman.
Galm's first official day of work was Dec. 31. He will receive a 5 percent salary increase after successfully completing a six-month probationary period.
According to Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff, the council intends to fill the position via appointment.
"Hopefully we'll have someone appointed by February," he said after the meeting.
Swanson said the council would decide its official course of action at its next meeting on Jan. 13. It could also opt to hold a special election to fill the vacancy.
Galm's resignation is the second such move by a council member in two years. Swanson, who served nearly two full terms on the council, resigned her seat in May of 2023 to take the city administrator position. Two months later the council appointed Greg Cotter to fill the vacancy.
The council went with Cotter because he placed fourth in a field of five candidates vying for three city council seats back in the 2021 general election. Others who applied to fill Swanson's vacancy were Dolphin and former Council Member Brian Myers, who placed fifth in the 2021 election.
Both Dolphin and Cotter won terms on the council in the 2023 general election. Kenny Embrey was the odd man out in that three-person race for two open seats.
If the council does opt to fill the new vacancy via appointment, Hartley voters can still force a special election via petition. The petition requires a minimum number of signatures from eligible Hartley electors and must be filed within 14 days after the appointment is made.
Galm's term expires at the end of 2025 and will be on the November general election ballot. He lives in Hartley with his wife, Madison, and two children, Charlie and Adaley. He previously worked for Cooperative Farmers Elevator as fleet manager.
