Commentary: An editor who helped to build a better community – SW News Media

Growing up in Belle Plaine in the 50s and the 60s found the small town having some 2,000 residents. The town had a variety store, drug store, clothing stores, jewelry store, hardware stores, shoe store, appliance repair store, dry cleaner, bakery, barber shops, furniture store, grocery stores, cafes, some five gas stations with one owned by my Mom and Dad along with a bowling alley and more than a few taverns.

All of the above mentioned were owned by families who lived, worked, and went to church and school in Belle Plaine. Today, most of these businesses are gone. The other small-town business for what many considered as important was the local newspaper. In September of last year, after 140 years and four generations of Townsend family ownership, the Belle Plaine Herald published its last weekly edition.

It was recently noted in the Chaska Herald that Editor-in-Chief Mark Olson of Southwest News Media (which runs the Chaska Herald and the Chanhassen Villager, along with four other local papers) was leaving his position for a new employment opportunity. Olson worked with the local papers for 25 years and saw numerous changes, including the move to smaller, scaled-down versions of the weekly editions.

I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with Olson during his years at the Chaska Herald and he will be missed. He carried himself as editor with a journalistic standard that we often times find missing in todays major city newspapers and T.V. channels. He was always approachable and willing to discuss local, state, and national current events. He always led with a smile and had an interest in knowing what you had to say.

For most people growing up in the Carver, Chanhassen, Chaska and Victoria area, the Herald and Villager were the means by which you learned about the local news, including births, weddings, funerals, graduations and community events, as well as youth and adult sports.

The local papers were often times the primary if not only way to find out what was happening at the municipal and county governmental level. Although times have changed, the Chaska Herald was also the primary communication tool used when the Chaska Park and Recreation started up city run programs for youth football, volleyball, basketball, soccer and girls softball, as well as for the adult softball, basketball, broomball and volleyball leagues back in the late 70s and early 80s.

As director I was charged with leading the process for the building and programming of the Chaska Community Center and the Chaska Curling and Event Center. Neither of these projects would have been successful if not for the Chaska Herald coverage. That which the Herald did was communicate and educate its readers as to what the projects were about, both pros and cons, and how they were envisioned to help build community.

At that time the city of Chaska followed a public involvement process which, when coupled with Chaska Herald news, led to public buy in for these facilities. These simple and basic communication principals led to the successful opening of what are today are nationally recognized recreation facilities.

As communities grow in the future it will be important to recognize that which over the years has helped build the foundation of what these cities are today and what can be done to ensure that many of those small town attributes, including weekly newspapers, can continue to prosper as a valued part of each community.

Thanks, Mark, for all that you have done as editor of the Chanhassen Villager and Chaska Herald in making these communities that you worked in a better place to live and raise children!

Tom Redman is chair of the Bountiful Basket Food Shelf Board.

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Commentary: An editor who helped to build a better community - SW News Media