Brooks, who was elected to the city council the year after the devastating Red River Valley floods of 1997, was hired as the day-to- day executive in Warren largely because of his experience overseeing a flood-recovery project for St. Michael's church and school in Grand Forks. Meanwhile, Warren's recovery efforts had become bogged down in bureaucracy. "There was a lot of flood-related work to be put together, reports to be filed and FEMA money to collect," he says.
Brooks believes his dual role has enhanced his ability to serve both communities. "It has given me a tremendous amount of empathy for the city employees in Grand Forks and also a lot of empathy and insight into the thoughts and processes of the city council in Warren," he says. It also helps to know what is happening on both sides of the border in regard to policies and innovative ideas, he adds.
This civic hat-swapping does, however, sometimes make for a challenging exercise in self-control--especially when Brooks is wearing the hat of a city employee. "I'm not one to keep my mouth shut," he says. "However, when I sit with the Warren council, I need to keep my mouth shut unless spoken to. Sometimes I think I've drawn blood on my lip."
