Hey neighbors,

Happy New Year! I hope 2026 is off to a strong start for you and your family.

This month’s update covers a wide range of ground. There are some genuinely uplifting updates on community projects funded here in the ward, exciting news about the kickoff of the Pool Committee, and a few important meetings coming up. There are also some heavier topics, including my concerns about recent events in Minneapolis, questions about our city budget, and troubling behavior by a Berwyn police officer. It is a lot, but it all matters, and I hope you will take a few minutes to read through the full newsletter.

But before jumping into all of that, I want to personally invite you to my next ward meeting! We’ll be meeting at the new Senior Center that opened this fall. The details are just below. If you’ve been curious to see the space and how city funds were put to use, this is a great chance. I’ll share updates on what’s happening in the ward and, just as importantly, spend time listening to your priorities for the year ahead.

With that, let’s dive in.

There are a few upcoming meetings where paying attention, tuning in, or showing up can make a real difference. If you care about what’s happening in the First Ward and in Berwyn more broadly, these are the dates worth circling.

Thank you once again to everyone who participated in our first participatory budgeting process! The community response was incredible, and I’m happy to share that all of the funds have been fully disbursed and received by the organizations and projects you selected.

Because of your input, real, tangible improvements are already happening in the ward:

In addition, three local organizations received funding to support their ongoing work:

This process showed what’s possible when residents have a direct say in how public dollars are spent. And this is just the beginning. This year, we’ll be running a full participatory budgeting cycle, including the chance for you to propose your own project ideas. I truly can’t wait because I think this is a great example of direct democracy in action!

On Tuesday, January 13th, we held the first meeting of the Pool Feasibility and Design Exploration Ad Hoc Committee. While no decisions were made about the pool itself since the committee still needs to bring residents on board, I was honored to be nominated and accept the role of chair of the committee!

Residents who attended the meeting talked about what the pool has meant to them over the years and what they’d like to see in the future. Swim lessons, youth and teen programs, simple things like a concession stand, better signage, etc. It was clear that the pool matters to people and that there’s a lot of interest in seeing it improved.

Six residents will eventually join the committee, with representation from north, central, and south Berwyn. We agreed to use a simple application process, available both online and on paper, to make it as easy as possible for people to apply. Applications are expected to open in early February and stay open through early March. The committee plans to review applications on March 5th and hold its first full meeting on March 19th.

Once the full committee is in place, the focus will shift to doing listening sessions with the community, talking through design and location options, and exploring funding. Our pool has served Berwyn for decades, but it’s aging and expensive to maintain, and this process is about figuring out what comes next together.

I’ll share more details soon about how to apply, and I strongly encourage First Ward residents to consider getting involved!

At the December 23rd meeting, City Council voted on appointing Michael Ochsner as the new City Attorney. It’s not a role most people think about, but it has a major impact on how the city runs, so I want to share how I approached that decision and why I voted “no”.

The City Attorney is the person the city turns to for legal guidance on almost everything. They help write and interpret ordinances, advise City Council and the Mayor, handle contracts, and help protect the city from lawsuits and costly mistakes. The advice given in this role can affect the city for years, even decades.

My vote was not personal. I met with Mr. Ochsner after the Mayor shared he was putting him forward for the role, and he struck me as thoughtful, hard-working, and genuinely committed to Berwyn. He has lived in Berwyn his whole life and was a Berwyn Police Officer for 30 years prior to moving into the field of law. This decision came down to experience, not intent or character.

Mr. Ochsner has less than three years of legal experience and I was concerned that this was not enough experience for the complexity and size of Berwyn. In my view, that lack of experience increases the risk of either relying heavily on outside legal counsel, which can be costly, or him learning on the job at moments when we need clear, confident legal guidance.

I still stand by that assessment. My job as an alderman is to weigh risk before it becomes a problem, even when the decision is uncomfortable. That said, the appointment was made after the Mayor broke a 4-4 tie vote, and my focus now is on the work ahead.

I look forward to working in good faith with our new City Attorney and I hope to build a productive working relationship. I sincerely hope that my worries end up being smaller than I feared and that the city is well served by his work. If that’s the case, everyone in Berwyn is better off, and that’s what matters most to me.

Also at the December 23rd meeting, City Council voted on the City’s 2026 budget. This vote sets the financial plan for the entire year, and after reviewing it closely, I voted no. I want to explain why.

My biggest concern is how thin the margin is. The budget is technically balanced, but only by about $16,000 on more than $70 million in spending. That leaves virtually no cushion. For a household, that would be like having $5,001 in income and $5,000 in bills. One unexpected expense and you’re in trouble. For the city, it could be one extra snowstorm, a slight dip in revenue, or a major piece of equipment breaking down. A responsible budget needs breathing room. This one doesn’t have it.

Another concern is that the budget relies on some very optimistic revenue assumptions. One example is local ordinance fines, which jump from around $60,000 to more than $500,000. That increase is tied to a plan to bring traffic court operations in-house, but that change isn’t finalized and there’s no history showing revenue anywhere near that level. Spending money based on revenue that doesn’t yet exist is risky.

There’s also a larger structural issue. The General Fund, which pays for most day-to-day services, no longer covers its costs with its own ongoing revenue. We are increasingly relying on transfers from TIFs and other special funds to balance the budget. That’s not sustainable long term. All of this is happening while our reserves continue to trend downward and our debt remains significant. And on top of it all, the budget assumes the economy will remain strong, even as many economists warn of a potential slowdown and outside funding sources face uncertainty due to the actions of the federal government.

Long story short, this budget works only if everything goes right. I don’t think that’s a responsible way to plan for a city. My goal is to protect Berwyn from being caught off guard and forced into sudden cuts or tax increases later. That’s why I voted no and I continue to have a great deal of concern about how this may impact our city in the year ahead.

What’s happening with ICE enforcement in Minneapolis right now is deeply disturbing. The death of Renee Good is not just a headline about something happening in a distant land. She was a real person. She had children. She had a whole life ahead of her that was taken in a moment. She could have just as easily been one of us, and that should trouble all of us.

We have lived through this here. Operation Midway Blitz happened in our region. We saw what large scale ICE operations look like on the ground. We watched neighbors get taken while heading to work. We saw families desperately trying to figure out what had happened to their loved ones. We felt how shaken a community can be when fear suddenly becomes part of everyday life. It is reasonable to believe that ICE will return in high numbers again in the future and it scares me to imagine waking up to news that one of my neighbors has been killed by ICE agents.

As your alderman, but more importantly as a neighbor and a mental health professional, I want you to know that I am not numb to this. I’m angry, sad, and deeply worried about what this means for our country and for people who are simply trying to live their lives. Right now, my priority is your safety.

I believe that feeling safe in your neighborhood means being able to walk out your front door without fear. It means parents know their kids will come home from school. It means your life won’t be upended by violence or intimidation from people who are supposed to protect the public. Those sound like basic expectations, but right now they’re being violated.

If you are scared right now, that makes sense. If you are angry, that makes sense. If you are exhausted, that makes sense too. Please know that my door is open. If you or someone you know needs help finding resources, legal support, or anything else, reach out to me. I’ll keep doing everything within my role to protect our neighbors.

Renee Good should still be alive. Her family deserved better. Our community deserves better. Please take care of yourself and look out for our neighbors. We’re strongest when we care for one another and choose solidarity over fear.

January so far is pretty quiet in terms of community events, so there’s not a ton on the calendar, but I’m sure that will change as days get longer and once people recover from the overload of the holidays.

Calendars:
Berwyn Community Calendar (city events)
WeLoveBerwyn.org (community events)

If anything here raised a question, concern, or just made you think, please reach out. I really do read and respond, and those conversations help guide what I spend my time on.

As we get further into the year, my focus is staying connected to what’s actually happening in the First Ward and working on the things that make daily life here better. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to stay engaged and speak up.

I hope to see you at a ward meeting soon!

Best,
Micah