Honoring Retiring Council Member Amy Scoggins In Woodbury

Press release from the City of Woodbury:

December 1, 2020

By Mayor Anne BurtAmy Scoggins is wrapping up her 16th and final year on the Woodbury City Council. She will retire Dec. 31 as the longest-serving City Council member in the city's 53-year history. She announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election.

We had just moved to town when Amy was elected to her first term on the City Council in 2004. I made a point of paying attention to what she said at meetings and how she conducted herself as a voice in our community. Fourteen years later, I started my first term as mayor and I have appreciated her counsel. She currently serves as mayor pro tem, which allows her to fulfill my role at meetings when I am not present. Her common sense reasoning and the institutional knowledge she gained during her four terms on the City Council will truly be missed.

I can't help but think of the hundreds of hours she has spent actively participating at City Council meetings, workshops, committee meetings, commission meetings and other community events and gatherings during her outstanding tenure. Not to mention the time she invested in reviewing and analyzing agendas, Council letters, attachments and memos in preparation of these meetings.

Public projects
The city completed several major capital improvement projects during Amy's tenure, including the 2019 Public Works Building expansion project; two expansion and remodels of City Hall; and the expansion of the outdoor fields at the sports center in 2009. Amy also served as co-chair of the Bielenberg Sports Center Expansion Project Task Force, planning for the expansion of the field house and addition of the outdoor recreational skating rink (opened in 2014) and outdoor splash pad (2015). She also helped facilitate the addition of Madison's Place universal playground at the sports center in 2016 (with the Madison Claire Foundation).

Also during Amy's tenure, the city partnered with the City of Cottage Grove and the State of Minnesota to open the Health and Emergency Response Occupations (HERO) Public Safety Training Center in Cottage Grove in January 2020. The facility primarily serves as a regional state-of-the-art immersive training center for police, fire and emergency medical services.

However, what stands out the most about Amy is the way and manner in which she served. She represented the residents of Woodbury with dignity in a genuine, caring way. Her harmonious nature made Council meetings productive, and she looked for areas of agreement and common ground with others.

Amy served with positivity, enthusiasm, integrity, diligence, thoroughness and, most importantly, compassion. She listens to residents, studies the issues, and makes informed decisions about what is best for the common good of Woodbury.

Amy excels in building relationships with residents, Council members and staff alike, and is oriented toward the big picture, whole community view. With her high commitment to our community and organizational growth and improvement, she continuously sought ways to improve our work and ways we deliver services to our residents, while seeking to maximize the return on investment of the tax dollars we receive.

Honoring Amy
Typically, the city recognizes retiring long-time Council members by hosting a public gathering and program in their honor. Unfortunately, we are unable to do that safely at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the city will be properly recognizing Amy at the Dec. 9 City Council meeting and through a video that will be distributed via the city's social media accounts, website, YouTube channel and InTouch email notification service. Please take some time to watch it.

Amy has resided in Woodbury since June 2000. She and husband Chip have three children, Megan, Spencer and Joe. They all deserve our gratitude for the sacrifices they have made to allow Amy the time to serve our community to the best of her ability. Good luck in your future endeavors, Amy!

'New' City Council
While it is sad to say goodbye to Amy, I'm also excited to welcome Kim Wilson, who was elected to the City Council Nov. 3 and will begin her first term in January. I also want to congratulate current Council member Andrea Date, who was re-elected to her second term on Election Day. I'm looking forward to working with our "new" City Council -- including current Council members Steve Morris and Jennifer Santini - on a lot of important work that needs to be done in 2021.

This press release was produced by the City of Woodbury. The views expressed here are the author’s own.