Paul Janish described his first few months as Chicago White Sox director of player development as a hectic and exciting time.

The former big-league infielder took on the role in November after working on Rice University’s baseball staff since August 2017, including the last two seasons as the associate head coach.

He’s digging in to his responsibilities with the Sox.

“I’m glad to finally be on site (in Arizona) with a bunch of people in the same room because up to this point it’s been a lot of virtual stuff,” Janish said during a video conference last week. “With spring training right around the corner, just hitting the ground and getting in the trenches a little bit with both staff and players and becoming more familiar with everybody.”

Janish provided updates on the top three prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com — shortstop Colson Montgomery, pitcher Noah Schultz and catcher Edgar Quero — as spring training gets closer.

No. 1 prospect: Colson Montgomery

The team’s first-round pick in 2021 spent time at three levels — the Arizona Complex League White Sox, Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham — after a midback strain delayed his start to the 2023 season.

The 21-year-old slashed .287/.456/.484 with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 64 games. He also had three homers and 20 RBIs in 20 games during the Arizona Fall League and was the MVP of the Fall Stars Game.

“Colson’s got a bright future, there’s no question about it,” Janish said. “With regards to where he’s starting (the season), some of that’s to be determined. At the end of the day, the goal is for him to be a really good major-league player, and I think that’s going to happen.”

When it comes to Montgomery’s timeline to the majors, Janish said it’s hard to predict.

“He’s going to choose his own path with regards to production, and there’s going to have to be some decisions made on just evaluating when he’s ready to go up to stay,” Janish said. “Because with that kind of player, you really want him to get to the major leagues at a time in which he’s ready to contribute and produce and stay there for good.

“So some of that stuff is to be determined. What I do know is he’s a really good kid, and he’s excited about coming to major-league camp.”

No. 2 prospect: Noah Schultz

The Sox selected the left-hander with the No. 26 pick in the 2022 draft. Schultz, 20, went 1-2 with a 1.33 ERA during 10 starts for Class A Kannapolis last year after dealing with a forearm strain. He went on the injured list in late August with shoulder impingement.

“First of all, he’s huge,” Janish said with a laugh about the 6-foot-9 Schultz. “I had the opportunity to meet him here recently in Arizona, and from a health standpoint, I think he’s in a good place going into the season.

“There’s a strength element that’s going to continue to develop over the course of time that will help him be more consistent. But we’re really excited. He’s got all the talent in the world, and it’s just going to come down to being really intentional with his development program and making sure as he progresses that we’re not giving him too much before he’s ready for it.”

Schultz, who went to Oswego East High School, had 38 strikeouts in 27 innings in 2023 for the Cannon Ballers.

“(Noah is) a really good kid, really talented kid and he really wants to be good,” Janish said.

No. 3 prospect: Edgar Quero

The Sox acquired the switch-hitting catcher along with pitcher Ky Bush — ranked the team’s No. 9 prospect — in the July 26 trade that sent pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels.

Quero, 20, slashed .277/.366/.393 with four doubles, three home runs and 22 RBIs in 31 games with Birmingham after the trade.

Janish said Quero goes about his work “pretty intentionally.”

“The work ethic is something he’s got in him,” Janish said, “and he’s currently developing a little bit of a routine on a day-to-day basis to maintain throughout the course of a season, which we can all sympathize with.

“That position requires a lot both mentally and physically. At the end of the day, he really needs to play. He’s in a really good spot for his age, and his ability is going to give him the opportunity to play in the major leagues.

“We just want him to be at a point where he’s ready to be consistent at that level, which, at that position in particular, we all know is going to be asking a lot.”

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Township elections generally aren’t that exciting. Incumbents are rarely challenged, and there aren’t usually write-in candidates mounting serious campaigns.

That’s not the case this year in May and West Lakeland townships.

In May Township, Mark Diessner, former vice president of the Square Lake Association and a vocal critic of Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership’s plans to open a summer camp in Wilder Forest, filed to run against Town Board Supervisor Steve Magner, who has served on the board since 2021.

In West Lakeland Township, Chairman Dave Schultz decided late last year not to run for re-election after 15 years on the board, but did not make an official announcement; he later told the Pioneer Press that recent negative campaigns were the reason for his departure. One candidate, Vince Anderson, filed to run and his name appears on the ballot while Rachel Dana has mounted a write-in campaign.

The election is Tuesday. The four other Washington County townships — Baytown, Denmark, Grey Cloud Island and Stillwater — switched to holding elections on the first Tuesday in November, to coincide with the general election.

All of the townships will hold their annual meetings on Tuesday night.

May Township

Mark Diessner, 59, was one of many residents who started attending township board meetings after the Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership announced plans to purchase Wilder Forest for a summer camp. Diessner and the Square Lake Association fought against the plan.

Mark Diessner (Courtesy of the candidate)

“During that experience, I saw that there were people on the board who didn’t appear to be listening to the residents,” Diessner said. “There was a tremendous amount of turnout to each one of those meetings and very passionate conversations, and I just felt like some of the board members weren’t listening, and they weren’t representing the constituents. I got the feeling that (Magner) was quoting chapter-and-verse from a code book and not really listening to the people he represents. That was an eye-opening experience for me. I think I could do a better job.”

Diessner grew up in Afton and has lived in May Township since 2015. He and his wife, Ashley, have three children. He is the co-owner of Total Mechanical Services Inc., a St. Paul Park-based commercial and industrial mechanical contracting company that specializes in large-scale water treatment, HVAC services and ice arenas. The Diessners also own the Aesthetiq Institute and Med Spa in Oakdale.

One of the main issues facing the township is what will happen with three large parcels — each more than 100 acres — that are currently for sale in the eastern part of the township. “People live in May because they want the rural small-town lifestyle,” he said. “I live in May for that reason. I would like for it to continue to have the rural character that it has. The town board plays a key role in ensuring that the future use of these parcels is consistent with the character of our area.”

At the same time, he said, the town board needs to protect the interest of the landowners to realize the value of their property.

“It’s important that the landowners can be made whole if they want to sell their property and make a profit,” he said. “Like everything, there is a balancing act to that. You need to find that sweet spot where everybody is happy.”

For more information, go to markformay.org.

Steve Magner, 58, served on the township’s planning commission for 17 years before being elected to the town board.

Supervisor Steve Magner, second from left, speaks during a meeting of the May Township board of supervisors at the May Town Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Magner said he is running for re-election because he still has things he wants to accomplish. “There are still some zoning changes that I would like to get done,” he said. “I want to keep taxes low. We’re trying to put a lid on how much we spend on the levy. Costs keep going up; costs for maintaining the roads keep going up.”

Magner said he pushed to keep this year’s levy increase capped at 5 percent. An original proposal was for more, but Magner said he couldn’t support that “because I know a lot of folks who live on fixed incomes.”

“I’m not going to be the guy – like in other bedroom communities or tourist communities – that forces them out because they can’t afford the house that they lived in their whole life, because the taxes were out of control,” he said. “I’m not doing that.”

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Magner grew up in St. Paul and is the code-enforcement manager for St. Paul. “I do believe that having 30-plus years of big government gives me insight,” he said. “I have a pretty wide band of understanding of how municipalities work, and the problems that face them.”

Magner and his wife, Lora, have four children. He said he likes being the go-to person when an issue arises in the township. He plows the Town Hall and septic field. “When we get the call at midnight about the tree that blows down, it’s usually me who is going to go out there first and triage it,” he said.

Magner said he knows that some residents were not happy with how he voted on issues regarding Wilder Forest and Warner Nature Center. “I have my detractors and people who don’t like my decisions, but I am a big believer that you are a steward of the public dollars,” he said. “These dollars have to be spent for the better good of the community, so we have to define that. That means I’m sometimes making decisions that some people do not like.”

West Lakeland Township

Vince Anderson, 77, is running on a platform that includes “a clearly defined comprehensive road plan for bonding,” he said.

Vince Anderson (Courtesy of the candidate)

“They are trying to pay cash for everything, and that’s not how you do it,” he said. “You can’t let it go forever, and then say, ‘Oh, we’re just going to save for it.’ You’ll never get them done. We need prudent management of road projects and town spending without extravagance. We do not need to waste money on a town hall addition.”

If elected, Anderson said he plans to push the town board to adopt even-year, November elections – like most of other townships in Washington County, he said. The switch would mean an increase in voter turnout and cost savings, he said.

Anderson, a former Stillwater Township board member and former vice president of the Carnelian-Marine Watershed District, has a long history with the township. Three years ago, he requested an opinion from the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration about town board votes and meeting locations. The board was found to have violated the state’s open-meeting law, according to an advisory opinion issued in January 2021.

Anderson, who has three children and five grandchildren, moved to West Lakeland Township in 1999. He worked in systems management for most of his career at First Bank System (now U.S. Bank), Toro, National Car Rental and others. He retired in 2002 in financial management from Structural Wood in St. Paul.

For more information, go to vja2024.com.

Rachel Dana, 40, has lived in West Lakeland Township since 2017. She has served on the planning commission since 2021 and said she was tapped to mount a write-in campaign after residents realized Schultz had decided not to run for re-election.

Rachel Dana (Courtesy of the candidate)

“I never would have run against Dave,” she said. “Unfortunately, when I was informed (he wasn’t running), the filing window for candidacy was closed. When only Vince was running, I thought it was a public service to put my name in. … I reserved my website domain last July, so it was definitely in my future; I just didn’t think the timing would come so soon.”

Dana, who also serves on the township’s building committee, is a director of construction for Ryan Cos. in Minneapolis, where she leads the company’s national retail construction team. She said her real estate career helps with all of the issues facing the township: “roads, development, annexation, all these things an urban township is faced with.”

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The township’s biggest budget item is its roads, she said, and township residents on Tuesday night will discuss whether to bond for them. “Right now we’re faced with a bonding decision,” she said. “We all agree on the fundamentals: Our roads need to be fixed.”

Dana said she would support bonding for road repairs as long as it doesn’t “burden our residents with excessive costs.”

If elected, Dana said she would work on improving communication between residents and the township. “If the average resident is informed, the town board can make better decisions,” she said.

Dana is married to Tyler Christensen; she has three stepdaughters and twin daughters.

For more information, go to racheldanaforwestlakeland.com.

America’s employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in February, adding a surprising 275,000 jobs and again showcasing the U.S. economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates.

Last month’s job growth marked an increase from a revised gain of 229,000 jobs in January. At the same time, the unemployment rate ticked up two-tenths of a point in February to 3.9%. Though that was the highest rate in two years, it is still low by historic standards. And it marked the 25th straight month in which joblessness has remained below 4% — the longest such streak since the 1960s.

Yet despite sharply lower inflation, a healthy job market and a record-high stock market, many Americans say they are unhappy with the state of the economy — a sentiment that is sure to weigh on President Joe Biden’s bid for re-election. Many voters blame Biden for the surge in consumer prices that began in 2021.

Though inflationary pressures have significantly eased, average prices remain about 17% above where they stood three years ago.

Friday’s report drastically revised down the government’s estimate of hiring in December and January from what had been blockbuster increases to still-solid gains. The report also gave the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve what could be a dose of encouraging news: Average hourly wages rose just 0.1% from January, the smallest monthly gain in more than two years, and 4.3% from a year earlier, less than expected. Average pay growth has been exceeding inflation for more than year, but when it rises too fast it can feed inflation.

The latest figures reflected the job market’s sustained ability to withstand the 11 rate hikes the Fed imposed in its drive against inflation, which made borrowing much costlier for households and businesses. Employers have continued to hire briskly to meet steady demand from consumers across the economy.

The February figures will likely make Fed officials more comfortable about cutting rates sometime in the coming months. With December and January job gains revised sharply down, wage growth easing and the unemployment rate up, the Fed’s policymakers aren’t likely to worry about an overheating economy. Most economists and Wall Street traders expect the first rate cut to come in June. The Fed stopped raising rates in July and has signaled that it envisions three rate cuts this year.

The unemployment rate rose last month in part because more people began looking for a job and didn’t immediately find one. The Fed will be reassured by the influx of job seekers, which typically makes it easier for businesses to fill jobs without having to significantly raise pay.

Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services, said he was impressed by the breadth of hiring last month: Among industries, health care companies added 67,000 jobs, government at all levels 52,000, restaurants and bars 42,000, construction companies 23,000 and retailers 19,000.

By contrast, factories cut 4,000 jobs. And financial companies, including banks, insurers and real estate firms, added just 1,000.

When the Fed began aggressively raising rates in March 2022 to fight the worst bout of inflation in four decades, a painful recession was widely predicted, with waves of layoffs and high unemployment. The Fed boosted its benchmark rate to the highest level in more than two decades.

Inflation has eased, more or less steadily, in response: Consumer prices in January were up just 3.1% from a year earlier — way down from a year-over-year peak of 9.1% in 2022 and edging closer to the Fed’s 2% target. Unemployment is still low. And no recession is in sight.

The combination of easing inflation and sturdy hiring is raising hopes that the Fed can achieve a so-called “soft landing” by taming inflation without causing a recession — a scenario consistent with Friday’s numbers.

Faucher said he expects average monthly job growth to decelerate to around 150,000 and for the unemployment rate to rise to slightly above 4% by year’s end. A cooling labor market, he suggested, will allow the Fed to start cutting rates this spring.

Many Americans are exhibiting confidence in the economy through their actions: Consumers, whose average wages have outpaced inflation over the past year and who socked away money during the pandemic, have continued to spend and drive economic growth. The economy’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — grew by a solid 2.5% last year, up from 1.9% in 2022. And employers keep hiring.

In the meantime, the job market’s modest slowdown is happening so far in perhaps the least painful way: Companies are posting slightly fewer job openings rather than laying people off. The number of Americans filing for weekly unemployment benefits — a rough proxy for the number of layoffs — has remained low, suggesting that most workers enjoy solid job security.

Wage growth still remains slightly high from the Fed’s perspective. Some economists argue, though, that pay increases don’t need to drop so much: A surge in productivity that started last year — as companies invested in machines and used their workers more efficiently — means that employers can pay more and still reap profits without raising prices.

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