New Shakopee Mayor Begins Bringing Change

With the new year will come a new mayor – – and with him a strong breeze of change for Shakopee, the Star Tribune reported today.

It's no secret that Shakopee's population has exploded, from a little more than 10,000 in 1990 to nearly 40,000 today, the Star Tribune said. And during the fall elections, it was easy to separate the old from the new with claims of being Shakopee born and bred up against those promising to bring a fresh perspective. Outgoing Mayor John Schmitt even said at a reception to thank him for his service recently that he wasn't sure if living in Shakopee since 1961 was long enough to qualify him as a true resident.

Tabke, who has lived in Shakopee less than a decade, already seems to be taking his mayoral responsibilities in new directions, and he won't even be sworn in until Jan. 3. He's gone on a listening tour – inviting residents to meet with him in person and . He's blogging and recording videos to reach out to people. In one video post last week, Tabke said he planned to post a podcast before each city council meeting to preview city issues that will be on the agenda. He also alluded to other changes coming to council meetings to make them more accessible and engaging to residents. 

Although Tabke has received plenty of support with his endeavors, the new moves haven't come entirely without a little pushback. Tabke said he took in stride a message he received about two weeks ago, in which a caller called and said simply that Tabke should "go to hell."

The man also left his name and phone number, however, and Tabke called him back and said he had a "surprisingly good conversation with him." The man told Tabke he had been upset that Tabke used the word honor when characterizing a meeting with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Business Council, because the word, he felt, should only be used for U.S. Veterans. Tabke said the man agreed the city should be meeting with the tribe.

"I told him from my perspective it was an honor to meet with them and we'd have to agree to disagree on the use of 'honor,'" Tabke wrote in an email to Patch.

Tabke also told the Star Tribune that he's moving to reach out to the many Latinos in Shakopee. To read the entire Star Tribune article, click here.