New City Manager Sees Fridley as a Vibrant Community

Now into his fourth week on the job as Fridley's new city manager, Walter "Wally" Wysopal said he is finding the community to be vibrant and in the midst of revitalizing itself with several new development initiatives. 
Wysopal, who took office on June 27, emerged as the top candidate among 46 applicants for the post. He succeeds Bill Burns, who retired in January after 24 years at the helm of Fridley's city government. 
In taking the Fridley post, Wysopal did not have to stray far from home: For the past six years, he and his family have been residents of Fridley. 
"I never thought about being the city manager of Fridley, said Wysopal, who mostly recently was city manager at North St. Paul.  But that changed when Wysopal learned that Burns was retiring. 
"I knew Bill Burns professionally; he had a great reputation in the professional ranks and Fridley had a good reputation as a stable place to manage with good elected officials," Wysopal. "So being a resident (of Fridley) is just an added bonus."
Besides Fridley good government, Wysopal said Fridley's  strong neighborhoods was another factor in seeking out the city manager's post. 
"What I didn't realize is that Fridley also has a large employment base," Wysopal added. "That adds to the dynamics  of the community"  
About 30,000 people work in Fridley, doubling the city's overall populiation, Wysopal said. "The business community is big and strong, vibrant. There are a lot of big and small businesses  that feed into the positive development.|" lot of Anothrert 
Another thing Wysopal said he finds impressive is the redevelopment occurring in the community. "The redevelopment projects going on here is a sign of the community's vitality and that it's not resting on its laurels. It shows the community wants to remain vital. 
One of the redevelopment projects that Wysopal points to is the plans of Minneapolis-based Real Estate Recycling to redevelop the BAE Systems site into an industrial park. The 140-acre site is on East River Road south of I-694. 
Looking ahead, Wysopal said a significant challenge for Fridley, like many other cities, will be maintaining and upgrading the community infrastructure and to carry out that work so that it affordable to residents. 
Given the change in city's administrative leadership, Wysopal said this an opportune time for the City Council to review community-wide priorities including whether there is an opportunity for greater sharing of municipal services with other towns. 
About Wally Wysopal
Age: 52
New position: Fridley city manager 
Family: Wife Teri and five children, ages 9 to 23. 
Hobbies: Local government. "I enjoy learning about it and studying it." He is, among other things, an adjunct instructor at Metro State University. 
Pursuing: A doctoral degree in public administration from Hamline University.