Michele Peterson, The Amazing Woman Helping to Guide Chatfield Into the Future

By Zech Sindt

When Chatfield’s city administrator, Michele Peterson, was fresh out of high school, she didn’t know much about city government. “I didn’t even know this was a job. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I knew this was a job,” she laughingly revealed.

Peterson may seem like just another paper-pusher behind a desk in a small southern Minnesota city office building, but in reality, she’s one of the key figures constantly working to strategize and guide Chatfield into the future. She said that in her role with the city, she is the one who always has to keep her eye on the long game. “I spend a lot of time speaking with many different stakeholders, both internal and external. I look at developmental policies and try to figure out what’s next for our city. I help Chatfield get to the next step,” she said. 

Not originally from Chatfield, Peterson grew up in Rochester and graduated from Mayo High School in the ‘90s. After high school she got married, and then moved to the area shortly before her oldest child started school. She left Rochester because she wanted to raise her children in a small community. She said she really enjoys the area. “You know your neighbors here. You go to the grocery store, you know them. You go to the bank, you know them. There’s obviously a lot more people in Rochester, but here you know everyone,” she commented affectionately.

Peterson attended Augsburg College as a non-traditional student and graduated in 2014. During her time in college, she juggled duties as a wife, a mother, a student who often did classes in the evenings, and as a deputy clerk for Lanesboro. She remained in the clerk position for four years until she became Lanesboro’s city administrator. After eight years of managing Lanesboro, and with all her children out of high school, she started looking for something new. She set her eyes on the Chatfield City Administrator position. “I wanted to continue to challenge myself. This opening came up so I applied.” 

Peterson has been Chatfield’s city administrator since the end of August last year. She loves the job. “Chatfield is fantastic. The people have been wonderful. It’s really provided me with that new set of challenges I was looking for so I could build up new skills,” she said. “The most rewarding part of this job is helping people, making something you didn’t think could happen, happen. I really enjoy working with different people to make a difference here.”

Peterson says Chatfield has had a change in leadership over the years, and with that leadership change, priorities have also changed a bit. “We’re refocusing right now. My predecessor was here for over 30 years. I have a little different focus, different ideas. We’re going to try to increase housing and housing options, we’re currently focusing on infrastructure,  and we’re trying for different funding sources to increase infrastructure to help build up our teams. I think it’s good, but I think we can do more,” she said.

Peterson said the biggest difference in her current position from her position in Lanesboro is  that she is more focussed on year-round business in the community. “Lanesboro tends to be seasonal, but Chatfield is busy all year,” she said. In Lanesboro, she had more statutory duties. In Chatfield, she’s able to spend more time planning, talking, and researching, or as she chuckled, “all of the fun stuff.”

As Chatfield moves into the future, Peterson says she expects Mayo’s upcoming expansion will impact all surrounding communities, including Chatfield. She says it will definitely play a role in Chatfield’s growth. “I don’t really see us as a Mayo bedroom community, but there are a lot of people who do live here and commute to Mayo and many other businesses. Many of them also work from home. I believe Chatfield is a very viable option for those who want to live in a smaller community and commute to Rochester. There are many reasons to move here,” she said. 

Everything isn’t always peaches and cream in Peterson’s position, though. “It’s hard sometimes because occasionally I have to put something forward that may not make everybody happy,” she said. But she’s okay with that. “I always keep the needs of Chatfield in the forefront of my mind. More than anything, I know that people want to be heard. I try to be a good listener. I believe if you’re a good listener, you’ll go a long way with that,” she said.  She feels the most important part of her job is to listen to the needs of the community.

As a wife and mother, Peterson’s also done a wonderful job. All of her children are in college now. Her oldest, a daughter, is in graduate school studying environmental geography. Her oldest son is studying computer science. Her youngest children are twins. One twin is studying electrical engineering, and the other twin is studying construction management. 

After 13 months as Chatfield’s city administrator, 12 years working for the city of Lanesboro, and over 20 years as a mother and wife, Peterson has some advice for everyone. “Always try to be positive. Look at the bright side of things.”