Open door communication key in Skaret's success

After pursuing dreams of politics on Capitol Hill, Milford's recently-hired city administrator is happy to use his Washington experience in the place he finds most exciting; right here in the heartland.

The 31-year old Bismarck, N.D., native spent three years in D.C., after finishing his undergraduate career at the University of Minnesota-Morris, interning with U.S. Senator and Congressman Rod Grams as well as Rep. Jim Ramstad.

"I had a great experience out in Washington, D.C.," Skaret said. "But my heart was back in the Midwest. I really wanted to get into an area of government where you work closer with the people on the ground."

In 2004, Skaret enrolled in the University of South Dakota, completing a Master's Program in Public Administration.

Skaret's first position as a city administrator took place in Madison, Minn., located in Lac qui Parle county, near Watertown, S.D.

"Madison is a small, farming community," Skaret said. "Tourism is a big industry down there. Milford is a larger community than Madison, and with that brings different opportunities and different challenges."

On the job since January, Skaret has already had the opportunity to key in on the advantages of his community.

"I think there's a lot of opportunity here," he said. "Milford is, I think, a very strong and vibrant community already, but there is a lot of potential, particularly on our main street, for residential development -- we do have room for commercial and industrial growth as well. There's a lot of pride in this town, not only of Milford, but also (as) part of the Lakes area."

Milford Mayor Don Lamb commends Skaret for his willingness to dive in to his position.

"He appears to really grasp things rapidly," Lamb said. "He just jumped right in with both feet and has done an excellent job in the short time that he's been here. We're really happy with him and hope that he stays."

Along with its opportunities for growth and a rich tradition, Skaret knows Milford is not immune to political dissensions that plague every small community. Still, he hopes his policy can help calm any discord.

"I have an open door policy, you can see that with my office, my door is open 99.9 percent of that time," Skaret said. "I think that approach trickles into the way I view how city governments should operate with all departments and with other governmental entities."

Maybe its hours spent listening to debates on the U.S. Senate floor, or a love of political conversation, but, in his third month on the job, Skaret is still ready to listen.

"I think open communication regardless of whether you agree or disagree, is a good thing," he said. "I think any time you can bring people together to have discussions and engage each other, I think that's a good thing."