By Dr. Ferrell Miller
City Commissioner Ronna Larson was the guest speaker at the December 29 Celebration of Optimist Gathering. Ronna told the group that she grew up in a rural Kansas town being the youngest of three children. She graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Criminal Justice and currently works at Community Corrections in Junction City as a Probation Officer.
Ronna also told the group that her interest in history and city government was one of the reasons for campaigning for a seat on the Junction City Commission. She was first elected for a two-year term and was recently elected to a four-year term. “I have no agenda. I just want to understand more about city government and serve the citizens who elected me”, she stated. Larson believes the city is making progress on debt reduction and she is encouraged by the positivity of the Downtown Mainstreet project and their collaboration with other groups in town. She added that “It takes all of us coming together to voice our opinions and then move forward.”
There was a question from an Optimist Club member about her position on the proposed slaughterhouse. Ronna said that she has not formed an opinion yet. She did attend the recent meeting about the issue at the Geary County 4-H/Senior Center, but felt the presentation was more one sided and she hopes there will be another meeting so she and others can have a more thorough understanding about the proposal. “Economic development is important, but there needs to be the right fit with our community”.
Another topic brought up by an Optimist member was about her position on Sundown Salute and the plans to have simultaneous celebrations in Junction City and in Milford. The Commissioner stated that she “hopes the two groups will work together, however, she will support both.”