Kasson mayor enjoyed life in Alaska before coming to Minnesota

Christopher McKern grew up near Chesaning, MI, which is about 25 miles from Saginaw, with a brother, a sister and an adopted sister from Columbia. His father worked in a meat packing plant and their mother was a nurse. Chris attended a private Lutheran High School in Saginaw, (near Lake Huron), staying in the school dormitory and playing baseball.
He would work at various farm jobs, construction and at the meat packing plant to help pay for school tuition. Chris then went to Martin Luther College in New Ulm for two years and studied elementary education and considered being a teacher.
During the summer he went to Alaska to work at Summit Lake Lodge in Moose Pass, which is located on the Kenai Peninsula (80 miles south of Anchorage). The person who owned the lodge was originally from New Ulm and would recruit students to come to work at his place during the summers, McKern said.
Chris returned to Alaska in January and spent the next 10 years working at the lodge in Moose Pass. It was a busy place as they would have up to 2,000 people each day coming to their shops and dining area as it was located right next to the busy Seward highway and the only major road in the area. It gave him the experience working with great mentors on all aspects of the hospitality business.
Chris would lead snowmobile guided tours along the deep snow trails for 6-8 guests of the lodge but said they were careful to not take them into areas where snow avalanches could be a problem. When the guides were out on their own at times they would be more adventurous and sometimes travel to snow areas that were not as safe.
The guides took training classes to learn about the weather, wind conditions, snow pack, etc. to know areas to be avoided for avalanche dangers.
Since they were 45 miles from another town, he said he had to learn how to fix equipment as they used generators to make their own electricity (they have now gotten electric power in the last 20 years).
When he first got there and something needed to be repaired, he said he would ask the fellow who had been there for a long time “how do you know how to do that.” The man said you just learn how to do it and that turned out to be true for Chris, since bringing a repair shop would result in a costly service call. He said there were moose, caribou, many black bears and a pair of bald eagles who would have their nest location close by each year plus lynx.                                                                                    
There were great photo opportunities each day for someone looking for an interesting picture of  wildlife and nature scenes, he said.
He attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage and studied finance and economics. During the winter months they would only have a few hours of daylight, but since he was working inside much of the time it really didn’t bother him and he got used to it. Chris did some caribou hunting and said the fishing was fantastic and just no comparison to the smaller size fish they are able to catch in Southeast Minnesota.
While living in the unincorporated community of Moose Pass, he was on the local school board, the president of the Sportsman Club and when he suggested some ideas of events they should hold, the group said he could be the mayor so he ended up with the job without a formal election.
His family moved to the Kasson area in 1999 and considered homes in Kasson and Dodge Center when Chris started working for Edward Jones in Rochester. They rented a house (sight unseen) near Dodge Center for two years before moving to Kasson.
In 2001 Chris and his five-year-old daughter flew to Alaska for him to see a friend and so she could also see some of her friends. This was right before Sept. 11 and no planes would soon be able to fly so they ended up staying for 2-½ weeks longer while waiting for things to change for a return flight.
Finally they were able to rent a car in Anchorage to drive back to Minnesota. He would put in 14-hour days on the five-day road trip and his daughter did not complain, he said.
When they came to the U.S.-Canada border he needed proof of permission of another parent for his daughter or would not be able to enter the USA. He was finally able to get a faxed permission copy from her mother.
When the border patrol agent asked his daughter what they were doing in Canada, she started telling that her dad had went to see his friend so they could fish, she was seeing her friend and kept talking until the agent finally said they could go on in which was a relief.
In 2004 Chris purchased a tax and financial business in Kasson. Later he started working for McKern Financial Group as an enrolled agent specializing in farm and business taxation, accounting, insurance and payroll and also as a financial adviser.
Agriculture has been in a tough financial situation the last few years and he tries to come up with longer-term solutions rather than just short term fixes for his clients.
Chris says all his jobs have had something in common: developing relationships with people in various settings.
Chris and his wife Candy have been involved with many boards in the Kasson community and have helped organize the Kasson Festival in the Park for several years. They have been honored for their community support by being named the Festival Grand Marshals and the Chamber Business People of the Year.
Chris served on the Kasson-Mantorville school board and has been the Kasson mayor for two terms and will serve a third term following the 2020 election.
While being mayor and a school board member, he has been put in positions where he tries to use common sense for the benefit of the students and the Kasson residents, he said. Many regulations are set by the state so you have no choice in how some things are administered or funds used.
Chris says he does get calls and emails at times each week and some issues he turns over to the city administrator as he says he is not in charge of the city staff or their maintenance projects.
As mayor he conducts the business of the council meetings and he also has a vote along with the other council members.
One of the big issues on the horizon will be the upgrading of Mantorville Avenue that is scheduled to happen in 2021. Hopefully it will not be delayed another year because of the financial impact on state funds from the virus, he said. This will be a major upgrade as the sewer and water lines will be replaced so both the city and state will be involved with the scheduled improvements.
Since Mantorville Avenue is a state highway, Kasson maintenance crews cannot do repairs to the road surface when residents complain, but they take care of repairs to water and sewer issues that occur.
Chris said he likes to golf for recreation and he and Candy enjoy traveling to see their four children as two live in New York state, another daughter lives in Wisconsin and a son is a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and hopes to be playing football again next year.
They like working on puzzles at home and take trips several times each year to Kansas City to pick up fabric for the store and also eat at the many great BBQ restaurants available. Chris is an avid college football fan and has been able to return to Alaska on occasion to visit with friends and also do some fishing.
The McKerns have enjoyed living in the community and show their dedication by being involved with so many activities.

Chris said he likes to golf for recreation and he and Candy enjoy traveling to see their 4 children as two live in New York state, another daughter lives in Wisconsin and a son is a student at UW River Falls and hopes to be playing football again next year when a season will happen. They like working on puzzles at home and take trips several times each year to Kansas City to pick up fabric for the store and also eat at the many great BBQ restaurants available. Chris is an avid college football fan, and has been able to return to Alaska on occasion to visit with friends and also do some fishing.
The McKern’s have enjoyed living in our community and show their dedication by being involved in so many activities.