Wentz sworn in as new city commissioner
Mark Wentz is West Fargo's newest city commissioner officially sworn in Monday night, after receiving unanimous approval through a vote of the board. He will oversee the sanitation department portfolio serving until June of 2014 the term vacated by Lou Bennett, who officially stepped down in June because he moved out of the area to be closer to family.
Wentz was selected from a field of seven interested candidates that was narrowed to a pool of three for final interviews, including Duane Breitling and Brad Olson.
A resident of West Fargo since 1998, Wentz is president and general manager of Red River Electric, an electrical contracting firm, based in Moorhead. He is a 1990 graduate of North Dakota State University with a major in Business Administration and minor in Economics. Wentz' wife Nancy Pulczinski was born and raised in West Fargo, so when a job transfer presented the opportunity for the family to return to West Fargo to live in 1998, they jumped at it. Nancy is presently a teacher at Cheney Middle School, and their two children are both students at West Fargo High School, Tyler, a senior. and Jenaya, a sophomore.
Wentz said he is both honored and excited to have the chance to serve the community in his new position, noting that he has always had an interest in city government and the timing was right for him to start giving back to the community. "The city of West Fargo has a bright future and it is important we keep that vision of attracting more businesses and residents to our community. West Fargo is growing by leaps and bounds and it is very exciting knowing that I will be a part of a team making decisions that will have an impact for generations to come. I am looking forward to having an active role in the community by working with a great team of city commissioners."
Wentz also feels his work experience in management and his ability to communicate with people will be a tremendous asset to bring to an already strong city commission.
Speaking on behalf of the commission, Mayor Rich Mattern said "Mark is an excellent choice to replace Lou. During the interview process he was very engaging and I felt, as I think the other commissioners did, that Mark was someone that we were very comfortable with and I think he will bring some very good ideas to the table. We really did have some excellent people that applied for the commissioner position, so the decision was difficult. However, in the end, I think all of us on the commission felt that Mark was the best choice.
