Being on the board ‘just spoke to my heart’

Woinarowicz advocating through Minnesota Association of Small Cities

THE GROUP FROM MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF SMALL CITIES at the U.S. Capitol Building. Pictured, l-r, Beth Carlson, board member; Teather Bliss, secretary; Cap O’Rourke, executive director; Melissa Woinarowicz, board member; and Cheryl Hahn, vice president. (Submitted photo)

By Anna Jauhola
Kennedy has certainly had its fair share of champions over the decades, which made it a thriving rural community. The 2020s have brought its own set of challenges and the small city has found its newest champion in City Clerk Melissa Woinarowicz.
As the city continues to struggle to find a part-time maintenance employee, Woinarowicz has become certified to handle water issues. As city clerk, she covers all aspects of running a town, from fielding calls to running utility bills and reading meters, to creating the city’s newsletter and filing reports.
Since she was hired, it’s been clear Woinarowicz found a love for small city operations, which led her to apply for an at-large position on the Minnesota Association of Small Cities board. This board specifically advocates for cities with a population of under 5,000.
“It just kind of spoke to my heart, and I thought, ‘If I can champion for small cities, why not?’” Woinarowicz said in a recent interview. “I didn’t think I’d actually get it, but I did. It’s been fun.”
When she decided to apply, she asked the Kennedy City Council for a letter of support, which they quickly gave, plus references. Several people encouraged her to apply, knowing she’d be a great addition. She was named to the board at the beginning of 2025.
Securing a seat on the Minnesota Association of Small Cities board serves a dual purpose for Woinarowicz – not only has it given her an education she can get nowhere else, it has allowed her to advocate heavily for the city of Kennedy and cities like it.
“It was very scary to me at first. I kind of thought, ‘Am I in over my head here?’” Woinarowicz said. “But I’ve learned a lot.”
Since 2017, the city’s water tower has not worked and residents are hooked up to the Kittson Marshall Water system. While this provides decent pressure for households, it does not allow enough pressure to operate the hydrants in town. She repeated several times how the Kennedy City Council has pinched pennies in every way possible, to contribute as much funding to the water project as possible.
Most recently, Woinaro-wicz had the opportunity to travel with other board members to Washington, D.C., Sept. 10 and 11. The group met with several officials, including Rep. Michelle Fischbach and Rep. Pete Stauber.
They visited a lot with officials about federal grants and the struggles small cities have to obtain them. Many grant applications are 60 pages long, Woinarowicz said, which really puts single-employee small cities at a disadvantage. She noted many larger cities have dedicated grant writers.
“I’m part-time. How can I do my job and then competitively apply for these grants?” Woinarowicz said. “At the federal level, they consider any city with 50,000 people or less a small city.”
The Minnesota group emphasized the need to streamline the federal grant process and change their view of small cities. The most accessible federal grant for small cities is through the USDA Rural Development. However, cities like Moorhead and Willmar are still considered small cities, which really puts towns like Kennedy on the backburner.
“We don’t seem to matter except we do matter,” she said. “And so we need strong voices to scream until they hear us that we matter.”
She said Cap O’Rourke, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Small Cities, is the loudest of those voices.
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She said most recently he has pushed for different auditing standards for small towns, especially as municipal auditors are becoming more scarce, and more expensive. This will save small cities a good chunk of change – Kennedy currently pays $7,500 for an annual audit.
While they were at the U.S. Capitol visiting with national officials, Woinarowicz said O’Rourke would often reference Kennedy’s population of about 170.
“And they’d say, ‘People?’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, one, seven, zero,’” Woinarowicz added. “I think for them to see a person from a town this size, and hear about the situation, was impactful.”
Although Woinarowicz is new to advocating on a national level, she’s no stranger to testifying on a state level. Last year, she went before the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee and spoke about Kennedy’s water issue. Rep. John Burkel introduced a bill to include funding to help the city complete its water tank restoration project.
While she was at the Capitol, O’Rourke invited Woinarowicz to accompany him in various committee meetings to see how the Association operated.
“It was incredible to watch,” she said, noting the influence he has with legislators is awe-inspiring.
She is excited to continue learning as much as she can and advocate passionately for all small cities through her membership on the Minnesota Association of Small Cities board.