Vision, Commitment & Community Health

Marlo Sander, Belview, BCLP 1992
Mayor

Staking a Claim for the Future
When you have a stake in a community, you stay alert to events and decisions that will impact its future, its quality of life. Marlo Sander has that kind of stake in Belview. Born and raised in the area, he married his high school sweetheart, spent 25 years as a member of the fire department, is active in the Belview Booster Club, and is a partner with his brother in Alvan Sander and Sons — a company his father and uncle founded 50 years ago. He also served two, two-year terms as mayor (1991-1994). That makes Marlo a deeply involved, highly inspired stakeholder.

Marlo is again serving as mayor (his second term since the 2002 election). The reason he ran again reflects his commitment to Belview and its promise. “Our school had been closed because we consolidated with the Redwood Valley school district, and there was talk that the building should be sold. People were afraid that the building would be torn down; they wanted it to be put to some other community use.” Marlo had attended the school, so sentiment played a role in his willingness to brainstorm alternatives. But, as a community leader, he recognized there had to be alternatives to demolition for a building that was, socially and culturally, so important to Belview.

A colleague once wrote, “Marlo has been instrumental in bringing together representatives from various state and local agencies and the community to develop programs here in Belview that would benefit the whole community.” The reclamation of the school is a case in point. Marlo had a vision for that building, particularly because his two sons had special needs. His ability to frame that vision in a compelling way led to the school becoming the Belview Learning Center, a day treatment program for youth experiencing mental health problems and needing special education services. The project has earned a commendation from the Minnesota Association of Counties.

Finding the Will to Do the Work
Marlo would not take sole credit for this achievement. He understands that success in community development depends on the work of many hands. He points to Teresa Ostlie, for instance, who got area superintendents together to discuss ways to provide local services to youth with special education and mental health needs. She had also raised the idea with county commissioners and social service agencies. It was an idea that caught Marlo’s attention. “When I get behind something, I don’t give up. I know it’s important to take in the whole picture and to involve those who have a stake in the outcome.” His ability to draw on his network of relationships — his social capital — resulted in getting all the right players into the same room at once.

That was four years ago. Today, the long-term viability of the Center is an active part of Marlo’s leadership agenda. He is doing what he does almost instinctively — working all of the linkages he has in order to facilitate the best result. As a member of the Southwest Regional Commission, he’s learning lessons from people from other parts of the area that can benefit Belview. Two other linkages are closer to home. One of his twin daughters works for the Association of Minnesota Counties and the other for the Minnesota Humanities Commission. Marlo has also talked with Jim Krile at the Blandin Foundation.

As he “worked his network” he learned about the need to create a nonprofit foundation for the building. Two of the three steps to make that happen have already been accomplished, and Marlo now serves as president of Belview Area Improvements, Inc. Its focus is not only on sustaining the school building, but also identifying other ways to use the building for community activities that will enhance the quality of life for people in Belview and the surrounding area.

Rallying Others Around Hope
When asked to identify what he has learned about community leadership as he’s lived in and served Belview, Marlo talks about the need for patience…for listening (“because there are always two sides to a story”), and for knowing the facts. As others have noted, “Marlo does not put stock in rumor or hearsay; he is a fair man who leads by example.” Marlo may not have mentioned attentiveness on his list of leadership qualities, but he told a story that illustrates the role it plays in his life as a community leader.

Marlo’s wife Kim has a passion for hot air balloons. In fact, together they travel the area tracking gatherings of balloon enthusiasts. At one event, Marlo asked if anyone might be interested in holding some sort of rally in Belview. There was enough of an affirmative answer to start the wheels turning. Marlo talked to the Booster Club about the possibility of making a hot air balloon event part of the annual SOD Days celebration in September. That next year, Marlo and Kim hand delivered invitations to balloonists at a rally in Wisconsin, inviting them to be part of SOD that fall. As a result, there were hot air balloons parked along Belview’s Main Street in September, creating each night what balloon-enthusiasts call a “moon glow.”

The story is not a dramatic example of community change or leadership. Rather, it reflects a person whose affection for his community prompts him to stay alert to all of the ways in which he can help rally people around hope. Fresh ideas and new initiatives — whether reclaiming a community building for a new purpose or celebrating the area’s history with a display of magnificent hot air balloons — they all convey a spirit of being community. They also remind people of what they can do when they work together. Marlo knows that Belview must continue to tackle several challenges if they are to be economically viable. The difference he wants to make, even knowing that he will be a small part of the action, is to ensure that Belview thrives for other generations to discover what it means to belong to a place…and to let that place stake its claim on them.