He's served four terms as the mayor of Muenster, and 29 years on the town council prior to that.Yet Benno Korte still isn't tired of being in the driver's seat of the village where he was born and raised. He's running for mayor again, and challenged this time by two newcomers.At 76 years of age, Korte has been retired since 2001, and sees his job as mayor as an occupation that keeps him active instead of sitting at home, getting in his wife's hair."I enjoy it," he said point blank. "I've got a very good administrator, and a very good council."In the past couple of years, the village has expanded with two new subdivisions and a lot of new houses on its west side. Korte seems happy with that progress."Our population is going up slowly," he remarked. "We don't want to do it too fast, but we want it to keep growing."Korte says he works well with the present council, who have been together for some time, functioning like a well-oiled machine."They all voice an opinion, and we approach things as they come up," he said. "And if we are all agreeing, then we go ahead."Korte says his one regret is that the village post office has moved out to St. Peter's College from its prior Main St. location. That would be one of the things he would like to see come back into the area where all the local businesses are located.Otherwise, Korte, who with his wife Marie raised six children in Muenster, is proud of the village, its local businesses, it's K-12 school, and the way the community has been able to progress while maintaining a small-town feel.
