Three words that define you?

Things that define me: Caring, Concerned, a Good Listener, and a hard worker.

Why are you running for the City Council, and what related experience do you bring to the table that makes you uniquely qualified?

I am running for City Council because I care about this City. The job requires a great investment of time. There are lots of meetings and committees that you are required to serve on. I am retired and have that time to give. Related experience: I have actively served on the City Council for the past 10 years (since Jan. of 2015) I know how the Council functions. As a Council member I have also served on Planning and Zoning, the Park Board, CVB Board, Housing Redevelopment Board, Senior Center Board of Directors, and City Operations Commission. As a Council member we are required to keep current on and be certified through testing for the Taxation and Equalization Board too. This is done every three years. I am currently certified for this as well.

Do you think it is important to have a competitive business climate and how can we improve our competitiveness to make sure private sector businesses can start and grow in our community?

We already have a competitive business climate here. Years ago the Council voted down trying to keep business out of the City that would compete with existing business. We have brought new business to Sauk Centre too (Taco Bell, Caribou Coffee, etc.) We have offered low interest business loans to help during the pandemic to keep our businesses going.

Name the two or three most critical issues you believe the City of Sauk Centre faces and how would you address those issues?

One issue we face is the crumbling infrastructure under our streets. The old sewer and water pipes. Many of these pipes were laid in the 30's and 40's and are falling apart now. Water pipes at that time had a smaller diameter which in today's standards might not be able to handle a bad fire in certain areas. This needs to be addresses. The Council is currently working to correct this. This is why the Council chooses certain streets for repair of these conditions before we have a major sewer collapse in the middle of winter. We are doing the worst areas first. We look at this every year. 

Another major issue is the nuisance complaints we receive on neighbors that need to be dealt with. Examples would be someone who has too many dogs and doesn't clean up after them. The neighbors complain about the smell and the constant barking. Or a landlord that doesn't get a rental license and won't keep up his property. Instead he allows the paint to peel all over the outside of the house and rents to very messy tenants that play loud music at all hours and/or are dealing drugs. These are turned over to the attorney but take too long in the system. We need to work to shorten this process and deal with the problems.

How would you engage the business community as you weigh your decisions?

The Mayor and Council always engage the business community as well as the residential community when making decisions. Our decisions impact both. As Council members, we take an oath of fiscal responsibility on where tax payer funds are allocated and spent. We spend many hours going over and approving budgets. Clean air, clean water and a great education for our children. We all strive for this. This job requires a great deal of voluntary time and I have been doing this for the past ten years.

*All candidates were contacted at email addresses and phone numbers listed in public filing records. Questionnaires had word/time limits and are published EXACTLY as submitted. No info is displayed if a candidate didn’t respond. If you would like a copy of the PDF forms that were submitted by the candidate, please submit that request to saukcentrechamber@gmail.com. Thank you.

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