St. Cloud’s longest-serving mayor prepares for retirement [Video]

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — St. Cloud’s longest-serving mayor is getting ready to retire after 20 years in office.

On Tuesday, Dave Kleis gave his last State of the City address. He reflected on the tough times, but also how he’ll continue to revitalize the city’s downtown before officially leaving office on Jan. 13.

His first order of business, though, is to travel. The Globetrotter has already visited 133 countries and has a reputation for making others feel welcome and building relationships throughout a lifetime of service. 

“Not only did I not expect to serve 20 years, I didn’t expect to serve 20 minutes,” said Kleis, who first ran for mayor as a senior in college at St. Cloud State University. “I was encouraged to run in 2005 and I’m glad I …