asked who LaPoint would work for: the whole city or downtown Moorhead business interests? He asked who might get priority if a business was looking for a large space, the long-vacant Sam's Club near Interstate 94, or the recently emptied Herberger's store in downtown's Center Mall.

LaPoint said he would be working for all.

"We're not here to broker the spaces," LaPoint said, but to provide businesses with contacts they could use to make decisions.

Helmut Schmidt was born in Germany, but grew up in the Twin Cities area, graduating from Park High School of Cottage Grove. After serving a tour in the U.S. Army, he attended the University of St. Thomas in St Paul, Minn., graduating in 1984 with a degree in journalism. He then worked at the Albert Lea(Minn.) Tribune and served as managing editor there for three years. He joined The Forum in October 1989, working as a copy editor until 2000. Since then, he has worked as a reporter on several beats, including K-12 education, Fargo city government, criminal justice, and military affairs. He is currently one of The Forum's business reporters.