[0:42] does not support or oppose political parties or candidates. We sponsor forums to provide

[0:49] voters an opportunity to hear candidates' views about issues of interest in the upcoming election.

[0:56] This forum is being taped and information can be found online at ctvnorthsuburbs.org.

[1:05] Forum rules are printed in your handout. Questions are being collected from the

[1:11] audience and online.

[1:15] The order for speaking tonight will begin in alphabetical order by

[1:19] last name and will be rotated thereafter. Participants in tonight's forum include Mayoral

[1:27] Candidate Sandy Martin and the candidates for Shoreview City Council who are Douglas

[1:34] Blomberg, Jesse Ehrenreich,

[1:39] Corey Springhorn, and Terry Quigley.

[1:44] We will now begin with

[1:46] opening remarks, and we will start in alphabetical order with Douglas Blomberg.

[2:03] I live

[2:07] in Shoreview since 1990. I grew up in Shoreview. My parents had a lake cabin on

[2:13] Fairlake, so I'm quite familiar with what's going on right now. Workplace, I've worked

[2:19] for 3M, CDC, Cargill by work experience, involved in politics. And I just want to give an opportunity

[2:31] that I know that other councilmen have done a great job. But what I want to do is just

[2:35] give you an opportunity to have a choice as to hope we're electing for council this

[2:40] year.

[2:40] Thank you. And next we'll hear from Jesse Aaron Reich.

[2:47] Hi, my name is Jesse Aaron Reich. I'm a recent transplant at Shoreview. I've lived here for going on three years now.

[2:57] I went to the University of Minnesota and that's how I ended up in Minnesota to begin with.

[3:03] I currently work at a accounting firm. I telecommute in. I've always been very

[3:10] interested in politics and saw this as an opportunity to get more into politics

[3:15] and really try and help my community and do what I can to keep Shoreview as

[3:20] such a wonderful place to live. I think the same that the council members

[3:26] currently have done a great job and I just wanted to I guess put my own hat

[3:31] in the ring and see what everybody would think about that.

[3:34] And I wanted to thank the League of Women Voters for putting this on.

[3:39] I think it's a great opportunity for candidates to get to meet some of the people in the community

[3:43] and for the people in the community to get to meet some of the candidates.

[3:47] Thank you.

[3:49] And next is Sandy Martin.

[3:51] Thank you.

[3:52] I'll start by thanking the League of Women Voters for coordinating this forum.

[3:56] It's an important way for people to learn about their candidates.

[4:02] I'm a lifelong resident of Shoreview, and I raised my four children here after returning

[4:07] back after college.

[4:08] I was first elected mayor in 1996, and I'm now seeking re-election for my 12th term.

[4:16] I'm extremely proud of the progress that's been made during those years.

[4:20] Through proactive and long-range planning in every single area, especially financial,

[4:25] we've been able to establish Shoreview as one of the premier communities in the metropolitan area.

[4:31] Our parks, trails, open spaces, environmental initiatives, our community center, our low crime rate,

[4:38] excellent customer service have established an enviable community that is now home to 26,000 residents.

[4:46] And we've done it all while still maintaining a very low tax rate.

[4:51] The key to our success has been teamwork.

[4:53] work. This is a city where dedicated council members work together. They support competent

[5:00] and professional staff. This is a city where hundreds of residents volunteer and provide

[5:06] important input at every level. We support our school districts. We work cooperatively

[5:12] with the county and other jurisdictions. My leadership style is to analyze objectively,

[5:17] to develop solutions and seek consensus. I look forward to the questions this

[5:23] evening. Next we'll hear from Terry Quigley.

[5:33] Again I'd like to thank the

[5:35] League for providing this forum for our group here.

[5:41] I moved back to Minnesota in

[5:44] 1971 and I looked around the various communities and picture you mainly

[5:49] because of the school district.

[5:51] Since then, I've lived in the city,

[5:54] and my employer is a Shoreview organization.

[5:59] My church is a Shoreview church.

[6:01] All six children have graduated from Boundsville High School,

[6:06] and so I'm very familiar with the community.

[6:09] I was appointed to the council in 2000,

[6:12] and this will be my fourth term of four years

[6:16] as a council member.

[6:17] When I came back to Minnesota I had served on a planning commission in Iowa and I thought

[6:23] it would be a good way to get involved with the community so I served on the Shoreview

[6:28] Planning Commission, the Shoreview Economic Development Commission before my appointment

[6:33] to the council.

[6:35] I think the importance of serving is to provide a stable series of policies and direction

[6:43] for a very competent staff for the city and because of this we've been able to

[6:49] attain the successes that the city has had and our surveys have shown the place

[6:55] to be a top-notch community as far as the quality of life and I'm looking

[7:01] forward to another area of service to the residents. And lastly we'll hear

[7:07] from Corey Springhorn. Thanks to everyone for coming and thanks to my

[7:12] candidates for being here and a really huge thanks to the League of Women Voters

[7:15] for providing this opportunity.

[7:18] We collect 12 million dollars of your money

[7:21] through the city levy each year so I think it's really important that you as

[7:24] voters get to know as much as you can about the candidates and that we as

[7:27] candidates know as much as we can about the city and the job we're

[7:30] applying for. I was on the Human Rights Commission for a few years before

[7:33] I ever thought of running for office but when I started thinking about it

[7:36] I wanted to be extensively prepared so I had a private meeting with Mayor

[7:39] Martin and with a couple of the council members whose terms were expiring that year to get

[7:42] as much background as they would give me in the three or four months leading up to the

[7:46] election I came and sat out there in those seats to watch and listen and again just get

[7:50] some background. But I also wanted the voters to know about me. So before I even filed

[7:55] for office I set up a Facebook page for my campaign to interact with the public.

[7:58] I walked in the Slice of Shorby parade handing out flyers and then the weeks leading

[8:02] up to the election and every weekend and most week nights I spent many, many

[8:06] hours knocking on doors and talking to whoever would answer the door, whether it was a million dollar

[8:10] home in Snail Lake Landing or the Brookside mobile home community, apartments, town, homes,

[8:16] and throughout my first term in office I've continued to be accessible and really enjoy

[8:19] talking to whoever wants to talk to me, whether they catch me in person at my church or here

[8:23] at the community center working out, interacting through Facebook or next door or my own website

[8:29] and I look forward to some good interactions here tonight and continuing to serve the

[8:33] the City of Shoreview.

[8:35] Thank you.

[8:37] Before we jump into questions, I wanted to mention that the flyer for tonight's forum references a second candidate for mayor.

[8:45] There was a misunderstanding and he has dropped out of the race, so we have one mayoral candidate.

[8:53] So we're going to start our rounds of questions.

[8:56] And the first question will be answered starting with Douglas Blomberg.

[9:01] The question is, what is the one issue that you will address first after being elected?

[9:12] Probably the first one, my biggest concern is taxes.

[9:16] The amount of taxes that we pay are being paid not only in real estate taxes,

[9:22] but taxes for this, taxes for that.

[9:24] You know, it starts adding up and I, to me, this is a big issue.

[9:28] So that's probably one of the things I'll be addressing.

[9:34] Thank you.

[9:35] And our second respondent is Corey Springhorn.

[9:41] Well, the item on our docket right now is the renovation of the Shoreview Commons,

[9:47] adding some great features here, adding value to the community.

[9:50] And so I look forward to continuing with that project.

[9:52] And we're working with the Parks and Recreation Commission

[9:55] and my fellow council members to create a commons park

[9:59] that we'll be even more proud of.

[10:02] Thank you.

[10:02] And our third respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[10:08] The first thing that I would like to try and address,

[10:11] if I got into the council position,

[10:13] would actually be to look at recycling and some of the issues

[10:16] that are coming up with that recently,

[10:18] given the change in the economics of how recycling has been

[10:22] and how it's been done.

[10:23] The current system of which we've been doing it

[10:26] doesn't seem like it's going to be able to continue

[10:29] to be a profitable venture for the businesses, and so I want to try and find a way to make

[10:33] sure that we can keep recycling going on to help keep our city clean and be able to keep

[10:42] the people healthy and everything like that.

[10:44] Thank you.

[10:46] Next respondent is Sandy Martin.

[10:49] This probably isn't an issue for new candidates, but probably the first thing that we're

[10:54] dealing with right now is the budget for 2019. And that's taken considerable time on

[11:00] the staff's part. They've been preparing since April and preparing the budget. The council

[11:06] has reviewed it on several occasions. And we have moved to a biennial budget, but there

[11:12] are always changes and accommodations that have to be made in that budget so that the

[11:18] second year of it is flexible and so that's probably the number one thing

[11:24] but the recycling issue I just want to respond quickly because the goal of the

[11:28] city was to improve the cost and the efficiency of that system so there was

[11:35] some confusion but I think long run we're in pretty good shape but I am also

[11:40] concerned about the markets for our materials and the final respondent to

[11:45] this question is Terry quickly

[11:50] the the issue that I spend most time considering

[11:56] on the council is redevelopment the community is about 95 percent developed

[12:03] in order to sustain the quality of life that the residents have come to expect

[12:08] and are paying for we need to continue to renew those things which need

[12:13] renewal, to attract new business, and to provide the kind of living quarters that the residents

[12:21] and new people might want. So redevelopment is perhaps the most important thing at a council.

[12:28] A lot of councils get involved with things like where the next bike stand should go, but

[12:32] I think looking down the road for the long term is a more important task.

[12:38] Thank you. Now each candidate will have 30 seconds if they'd like to provide a

[12:43] rebuttal to any of the comments and we'll go in this the same order if you

[12:50] raise your hand if you would like to provide a rebuttal in any way.

[12:56] Yes

[12:56] Douglas Blomber. Yeah a couple of things come to mind and that's what's

[13:01] going to happen in the rice creek area that's been sitting there for how

[13:04] many years I know there's planning and developing that and trying to do it

[13:06] And so I think this isn't a big issue.

[13:09] It hasn't been a big issue for Shorville.

[13:11] I think what's going on T-CAP,

[13:13] there was a meeting last night between Art and He owns

[13:15] in Ramsey County and what happens there is going to reflect

[13:18] what's going to happen to Shorville in that land in there.

[13:23] So I think this is an issue that we've got

[13:24] to keep an eye on.

[13:27] In my area, directly, there were a problem

[13:31] with street lighting.

[13:32] So that would be another issue that we're looking at.

[13:33] Thank you. Anyone else? Sandy? I just wanted to add that really a big project for the new

[13:42] year is providing new services and activities in the expanded community center and we are

[13:50] hiring a new park and recreation director and we have opportunities for a lot of new

[13:56] programs that you can look at in the shore views brochure right now a lot of different

[14:01] different kinds of programs than we've offered in the past.

[14:05] And Corey Springhorn.

[14:07] Just wanted to kind of respond to Mr. Blomberg and say that, you know, we all wish our taxes

[14:12] were lower, but we get great value and sure we compared to other cities, and we actually

[14:17] do pretty well.

[14:18] Our taxes are fairly high because of Ramsey County and the school district, but as far

[14:22] as the city, could we get a little lower hopefully some day, but right now we're

[14:28] getting a good value.

[14:29] you. And Jesse, Aaron Reich. I actually also wanted to reply to you about the the

[14:37] street lights that's been something I've heard from a lot of people that I've

[14:40] talked about is that they'd like to see more street lights around in Shoreview.

[14:45] We have such nice parks and such nice trails for walking and running and at

[14:49] night it can be really hard for some people and I mean in the winter it gets

[14:52] dark so early that a lot of people by time they get home from work it's

[14:55] It's already too dark to do some of the things they'd like to do, so I'd also like to...

[15:00] And get street lights put up in different places.

[15:02] Thank you. All right, we're going to move on to our second question.

[15:06] And Terry Quigley will be our first respondent.

[15:09] And the question is, what are your top three budget priorities for the next four years?

[15:21] Terry Quigley.

[15:22] The main things that I look to as we review the budgeting process and it's constantly reviewed

[15:30] is one to maintain a reasonable levy level. The things we're doing cost and we

[15:40] will have a certain level necessary but it has to be kept within reason and so I

[15:44] look at the level. The next thing is the amount of money that we're able to

[15:49] make available to attract industry through a tax increment financing and

[15:54] perhaps tax abatement would be the next thing and the third thing would

[15:59] be the maintenance of our infrastructure which can get out of hand and is tremendously costly.

[16:06] Those would be the three main budget issues that I focus on.

[16:10] Thank you.

[16:12] Our next respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[16:15] Thank you.

[16:17] I would say that my top three ideas of what we should look at are one, same as my opponent

[16:25] here looking at the levies, making sure that they're appropriate, but also looking at other

[16:30] forms of income that the city can have to try and make sure that we keep a balanced budget

[16:35] going forward and we can provide the kind of amenities that the people in the city would

[16:40] like to see. I think the second would be to look at ways that we can try and incentivize

[16:46] people to move into the city and move into maybe some of the older houses that can get

[16:53] them to, you know, rebuild them and keep them a nice condition, which we have some great

[16:58] programs I think, I'm sure of you all ready for that, but make sure that we can maintain

[17:01] them and expand them if maybe. And then third, I think trying to do different, trying to

[17:08] find ways that we can attract businesses and other ventures into the city as well

[17:14] as finding ways that we can help, you know, other types of professionals in the city.

[17:19] Thank you.

[17:22] Our next respondent is Sandy Martin.

[17:25] Can you repeat the question again, please?

[17:30] What are your three top budget priorities for the next four years?

[17:35] So with budget priorities, I think public safety is always a really important issue

[17:40] for the city and for our residents.

[17:42] And we contract with Ramsey County Sheriff and that provides everyone with great competency

[17:50] and professionalism, but their costs continue to rise, and so we have to anticipate that.

[17:56] Our fire department has taken on all sorts of new responsibilities in the last couple

[18:00] of years.

[18:01] They are the first responders in most instances in the city, and they are trained adequately,

[18:09] really, but they're also starting to serve 24-hour shifts so that we don't have a real

[18:14] volunteer fire department anymore.

[18:17] more. I think the other real quick the other thing is stormwater issues. We've had many

[18:22] many stormwater problems on Gramsie and Grass Lake and Snail Lake in that area due to high

[18:30] rainfall in the last couple of years, precipitation. We need to really address those in some way

[18:36] working with the watershed. Thank you. Our next respondent is Corey Springhorn.

[18:43] Mayor Martin took my top answer, public safety, and certainly in addition to the duty crews

[18:48] of the Fire Department, they do need to modernize their equipment, so we're anticipating some

[18:53] costs associated with that.

[18:55] So certainly we can't argue with the service we've gotten from the Ramsey County sheriffs

[18:58] and the Lake Johanna Fire Department, both are outstanding.

[19:01] Second, with our Human Resources Director in the room here, I have to say employee

[19:05] compensation is a consideration.

[19:07] Our salaries, we like to keep competitive with the market because we've got outstanding

[19:11] staff and we want to retain them. So I want to make sure our salaries continue to be at

[19:15] market level and benefits the same. And then Council Member Quigley took my other answer

[19:23] of economic development. So that continues to be a priority as well.

[19:27] Thank you. And lastly, Douglas Blomberg. Yeah, I think both of them. There are

[19:32] all the issues in the number of answers. Braunwater, police, fire department are

[19:38] are all issues that we need to make sure

[19:40] that they are up to date and being effective.

[19:47] So I'd like to go back a little bit to when you talk

[19:50] about costs and stuff like this.

[19:51] And I think there are a lot of things

[19:52] where we could work with other cities

[19:54] and equipment and whatever to bring

[19:56] some of our costs and equipment down.

[19:58] That's an initiative brought to me.

[20:01] And buying stuff like even salt and wintertime.

[20:04] If we could work together and buy as a unit, we could bring the cost down for that to be more effective.

[20:12] So, okay.

[20:14] Thank you.

[20:16] Now, if you'd like to make a 30-second rebuttal, please raise your hand.

[20:25] Okay, we'll move on to the next question.

[20:29] This is related to solar and wind energy development.

[20:33] And the first respondent will be Jesse Ehrenreich.

[20:36] The question is, what, if any, city regulations are important for solar and wind energy development?

[20:51] I guess I don't see a lot of wind energy being produced in Shoreview,

[20:56] and I don't necessarily see a lot of areas that that would be very economical to try and generate,

[21:02] at least not on a large scale.

[21:05] We don't have a lot of the big open areas that you see

[21:07] and farther outlying communities where you can really pick up some big winds and have large sustainable wind farms.

[21:14] As far as solar energy goes, I haven't honestly done enough research into it in the area to see how profitable that would be

[21:22] or how feasible that would be in Shoreview, and I'd like to look more into that.

[21:27] And if it is something that is a feasible endeavor, something that can generate a good amount of power in Shoreview,

[21:33] I'd like to maybe look at what kind of incentives we could put in place to give people to maybe

[21:39] install their own solar panels.

[21:43] And I think that would be something that I would have to talk with other people in the

[21:47] council and other committees that would be more knowledgeable on that.

[21:51] Thank you.

[21:52] Next respondent is Douglas Womberg.

[21:56] Yes, I do use solar power through Excel.

[21:59] So it's generated out in Forest Lake, and it's awesome for me, I like it.

[22:04] I know the regulations, what they had to go through when I first prescribed to it, between

[22:10] Ramsey County, they're already a lot of regulations of what they can and cannot do.

[22:15] And so I don't see anything where, in short of you, we have a place where we could have

[22:21] solar energy or renewable energy.

[22:24] energy.

[22:26] So I don't know if it will be an issue or not. It is not an issue. I think there are

[22:31] other ways. I think there are other ways that we can get it from other countries through

[22:35] Excel.

[22:37] Okay. Thank you. The next respondent is Corey Springhorn.

[22:43] Well, I will say I am not the expert on regulations for renewable energy. I would

[22:49] defer to City Staff Ellen Brenna and the Environmental Quality Committee who has

[22:54] a lot more expertise on that than I do, but certainly we have talked about creating a

[22:59] solar garden. I believe on the public works building, and that's something I think we'd

[23:04] like to continue to look at, and hopefully get going on.

[23:11] The next respondent is Terry Quickly.

[23:16] The solar and wind energy sources so far have had very limited application, and items

[23:27] that have come before this Council have been pretty scarce. We do have a good wind

[23:33] site because of our elevation here but there's so many problems with wind

[23:37] generation power and solar power in this climate and with the orientation

[23:43] that a solar farm requires. The trade-offs are not at all practical for

[23:49] the city. As Member Springhorn mentioned, we did review the process at the

[23:54] maintenance redevelopment we did on our building there, and it worked out not to be feasible

[24:00] based on the construction that was done. So we need to keep an eye on it, but there isn't

[24:05] any real solution for the city at this time, my view.

[24:11] Okay, thank you. And our last respondent is Sandy Martin.

[24:17] I certainly am not an expert either on these, but I think that as we look at our

[24:21] comprehensive plan we are looking at probable zoning changes that will allow residential solar

[24:30] applications. And sometimes the lots need to be larger for a solar panel if it's not

[24:37] on the roof. And we have to look at that, and I think that's part of our comprehensive

[24:40] plan. I want to update my fellow council members. The solar panels are going in

[24:47] and on the maintenance center across the street.

[24:50] There's an ideal roof over there, a flat roof.

[24:54] They are ready to move forward.

[24:56] They're working with Excel,

[24:57] and that is very, very exciting for our community.

[25:01] But you're right about the wind.

[25:03] That's not determined by regulations.

[25:05] That's determined by the wind, how it's located.

[25:11] Thank you.

[25:13] If any candidates have any re-puddles,

[25:15] please raise your hand.

[25:16] Jesse, Erin Reich.

[25:17] The only thing I guess I wanted to mention was that I want to make sure that there is

[25:22] an ease of access for our market to get access to wind and solar energy, even if it's not

[25:27] necessarily generated in our community. I know that there is some great wind power that's

[25:32] generated in other places in Minnesota. And as far as solar, a big part, I guess, of what

[25:39] I was talking about was residential solar. So being able to put panels on your roofs

[25:43] or you know on your property or you know as technology advances you know other

[25:48] places. We'll

[25:56] move on to the next question and the first respondent will be

[25:59] Corey Springhorn and the question is what specific steps or programs is the

[26:06] city taking to assist police officers in working with diverse populations and

[26:11] de-escalating situations.

[26:15] Thank you that that's actually something every

[26:17] Every time the sheriff annually comes and gives an update, and I press on that every

[26:21] year, that's like the first question I always ask is what's he doing and what's the department

[26:29] doing to make sure that communities of color and native people are felt respected and included

[26:34] in the community and that relationship with the sheriff's department is good.

[26:39] And I've been satisfied with the answers that both current Sheriff Severe and previous

[26:43] Sheriff Bostrom have given. I know that Sheriff Bostrom is himself a member of the Black Police

[26:49] Officers Association, the Hispanic Police Officers Association. So they're really working on the

[26:54] culture in the Department of Inclusiveness. And I think as a city, we just want to support

[27:01] that and encourage it and keep pricing them on it. And I think they've done a really

[27:04] nice job.

[27:06] Thank you. The next respondent is Terry Quickly.

[27:09] As

[27:13] has been mentioned, we deal with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, and all of the

[27:22] incidents that were made aware of have been well handled by the deputies in my judgment.

[27:29] And the demographics of Shoreview mean that we have a relatively small number of the

[27:37] types of incidents where de-escalation or police abuses might come into play.

[27:45] And the training that's available for the deputies has been very sufficient in my view.

[27:52] So I feel comfortable that we're well suited to handle that consideration in our area.

[28:02] Thank you.

[28:03] Next respondent is Douglas Blomberg.

[28:07] Yeah. Once again, I'm not too familiar with what's going on in this area. I have talked

[28:11] to some of the police officers, and I'm just feeling that I'm talking to them. They're

[28:17] aware of the problems that are going on, and they are addressing them in a good effective

[28:22] manner.

[28:25] Thank you. Next respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[28:29] I think it's very important that our police forces are proactive in learning how to de-escalate

[28:37] situations and how to appropriately handle situations with different minority and ethnic

[28:42] groups.

[28:43] And so I would like to, you know, continue working on that goal with the police.

[28:47] I haven't heard a lot of issues with the Shoreview Police Department and, you know,

[28:52] my limited interaction of seeing them, you know, when I'm driving around or talking

[28:56] to them at Shoreview days has always been nothing but pleasant. But I think going forward

[29:01] we have to, you know, look, I think Shoreview is going to change. I think we're going to

[29:05] have more people moving out here as the city expands, and so I think we have to make

[29:09] sure that our police force is ready to handle some of the challenges that can come up

[29:14] with having a diverse population. A big part of my studies when I was in university

[29:19] was in anthropology, and so I always tried to look into other cultures and other groups

[29:25] and try to really understand them, and I'd like to be able to bring that kind of knowledge

[29:29] onto the Council.

[29:31] Thank you.

[29:33] And our last respondent is Sandy Martin.

[29:36] I'm proud that the City has a Human Rights Commission that has been tremendously active

[29:43] over the past 20-some years, and they are a source of great recommendations and advice

[29:50] for us.

[29:50] The other thing that the city has done in the past two years is we joined a

[29:55] League of Minnesota Cities program on race.

[30:00] Racial equity. And staff has spent considerable time attending meetings and trying to appreciate

[30:09] and understand a little bit better the diversity in our communities and in our culture. So that

[30:15] program has been very, very positive. And we're also talking with the sheriff's department

[30:22] about what we're learning in this racial equity program.

[30:26] Thank you. Any rebuttals?

[30:32] Corey Springhorn.

[30:34] I should just mention also diversity, thinking of it as more than just racial and cultural.

[30:39] I work as a Human Resources Manager for a company that provides mental health services,

[30:43] so that's the other thing that I have addressed with the sheriff

[30:45] and want to know what they're doing with regard to interactions with people with mental illness

[30:50] and, again, been satisfied with their answers and they've made some positive changes

[30:55] of what services are available to people at the detention center and good training going

[31:02] on with the department for how they interact with people with mental illness in the community.

[31:07] And Jesse, Erin Reich.

[31:10] I wanted to build off what Corey just said there.

[31:12] I think that's true.

[31:14] I'm a little embarrassed myself that I didn't think to include talking about people with

[31:18] different mental health issues.

[31:21] I, going through university, had my own troubles, bouts of depression and anxiety,

[31:25] And I've seen other people that I've been close to have more serious troubles with that.

[31:31] And I'd like to be able to help the police learn how to deal with people who have different

[31:35] types of mental and emotional disabilities and issues.

[31:42] Thank you.

[31:44] Our next question, Sandy Martin will be the first respondent.

[31:48] And the question is, there's a huge need for affordable housing in the Twin Cities

[31:54] and surrounding suburbs.

[31:55] What will you do to increase affordable housing in Shoreview?

[32:02] This is a question that is near and dear to my heart.

[32:05] I served on the Metropolitan Council Affordable Housing Task Force way back in 2002.

[32:13] Every time there's a proposal in Shoreview for development,

[32:17] we have asked for some inclusionary housing

[32:22] housing, and we have been able to secure that in this new development.

[32:27] We just approved at Rice Creek Commons.

[32:30] I think they're adding 20 affordable units.

[32:33] The city is assisting.

[32:35] The other development by the loading development is also including affordable housing.

[32:42] I think the main thing that we can do as a city is not to eliminate any.

[32:48] When there's redevelopment, we need to keep those affordable units whenever we possibly can.

[32:56] We don't have a lot of new land or vacant land to develop,

[33:00] but when there's a redevelopment, we don't want to exclude any affordable housing.

[33:08] And the next respondent is Terry Quigley.

[33:14] Affordable housing is one of the elements in our economic development authority as far as housing goes.

[33:24] One of the components that we face is the lack of public transit, the lack of a variety of

[33:33] entry level jobs, the housing necessary to house the people who would be available, and

[33:40] of course most of the development in affordable housing take some form of cost or subsidy

[33:45] from the city.

[33:46] So we're trying to make progress in all of those areas, but it's slow and difficult,

[33:53] but we continue to work on it and we have goals set in that area.

[33:59] Thank you. And the next respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[34:05] I, being a young person, affordable housing is something that's very near and dear to my heart.

[34:10] I'd love to be in a position where I can move into a house and out of an apartment.

[34:15] And I have tried to look into the issues that are revolved around this, and it seems a big

[34:21] issue is just there was such a long period where there weren't a lot of new houses being

[34:25] built after the last economic bubble burst.

[34:29] And so I think part of what we have to do in the community is trying to incentivize

[34:33] just new developments and new houses being built.

[34:36] As newer places are built, even if they're not necessarily low income places, they

[34:40] will help bring more housing into the community

[34:43] and start lowering some of the other costs.

[34:46] But I think it's definitely important

[34:47] to look at development that can be

[34:50] more affordable development.

[34:52] So maybe looking at the redevelopment of some areas

[34:55] and putting in things like townhomes or duplexes,

[34:59] something that I see around where I live.

[35:01] And it seems like it does really well

[35:03] and it creates a very nice community where I live.

[35:08] Thank you.

[35:08] And the next respondent is Douglas Blomberg.

[35:12] A photo post housing.

[35:14] I think, first of all, we've got to define that term.

[35:16] And what is affordable?

[35:17] Just buying a home?

[35:18] Or is it our key taxes, anything else?

[35:22] And you've got to look at the whole picture and say,

[35:23] okay, how do we deal with this?

[35:25] And this whiteboard around was taxes.

[35:27] Is that taxes sometimes are just driving people out of their houses.

[35:32] And the fact of the matter is,

[35:33] is that I live in the northern part of Shoreview,

[35:37] of TCAP and this is an older houses that has built in the 50s and we're having

[35:44] houses that at that time if I went for 10, 20, 30 thousand dollars are now going

[35:49] for 250 thousand dollars and so it's with taxes this is a tough question to

[35:58] answer when you're talking about housing as opposed to apartments or some

[36:04] other lifestyle living.

[36:08] Thank you and next respond and last respond is Corey

[36:11] Springhorn. This is also a subject I care about a lot partially because of my

[36:16] professional life in mental health services. One of the biggest barriers

[36:20] that our case managers find in helping the people they serve is lack of

[36:23] affordable housing. So as Mayor Martin said we want to keep pushing

[36:28] developers when they want to do projects here to keep some of their

[36:33] units affordable, but also we do encounter opposition from neighbors in areas where affordable

[36:40] housing is proposed and there's misunderstandings and I think in some cases some prejudices

[36:45] and I think it's incumbent on us as council members to help educate the public on the

[36:51] value that a diversity of housing options and a diversity of population bring to the

[36:55] community.

[36:58] Any rebuttals?

[37:00] Please raise your hand.

[37:01] Jesse Ernreich.

[37:03] I guess what I wanted to rebuttal on was a little bit of what Douglas said here, how

[37:09] do we define what is affordable housing and as someone in their mid-20s and looking at

[37:16] my friends who are in their 30s and 20s, honestly some of the biggest barrier for us

[37:20] into moving into an area or moving into a house is just the straight cost of buying

[37:25] a house.

[37:26] Much like he said, buying the house in the 50s was 10, 15 grand and now we're

[37:31] looking at places that are 250, um, I'm sorry.

[37:38] Any other rebuttals?

[37:39] Sandy Martin.

[37:40] Well, everyone is right on target because the median price home in Shoreview now is $303,000.

[37:48] So that is really out of the reach for a lot of young people and a lot of young families.

[37:55] So it's about density.

[37:57] It's about allowing greater density in some areas so that, but the big problem is getting

[38:03] developers in a position where they can build affordable housing.

[38:07] It isn't profitable for a lot of developers.

[38:15] Any other rebuttals?

[38:22] It was just 30 seconds per candidate.

[38:26] Thanks, though.

[38:32] All right.

[38:33] Moving on to the next question, and the first respondent will be Sandy Martin.

[38:37] The question is, what is your view on the Rice Creek development, and how do you see

[38:44] it affecting Shoreview?

[38:48] I think I was the first respondent on the last question too, is that okay?

[38:52] The Rice Creek development has regional impact for all of us, and I really am supportive

[39:00] of the development that's been proposed, and there are developers and there is interest

[39:06] just ensure of you in specific places,

[39:08] but they're waiting to see what happens

[39:10] at TCAP or in that development.

[39:13] So, I hoping that this will move forward.

[39:18] The county has used our taxpayer dollars,

[39:21] 91 million dollars of our taxpayers' money

[39:26] to buy that property and to help to develop it.

[39:29] And it's time now to move forward on that.

[39:32] Thank you and the next respondent is Douglas Blomberg for

[39:43] and it's a matter of

[39:45] I'm happy with the decisions that have been made so far and I think we got a

[39:51] flop on that make it happen the

[39:56] next respondent is Corey Springhorn the

[40:01] property neighbors shoreview so I think is our council and in the city we need

[40:07] to be aware of the added competition for businesses that that area will

[40:12] provide. So we need to make sure that we're supporting our businesses and in our business

[40:17] climate so that businesses continue to want to come here even when there's open land and

[40:22] urban hills set to be developed. And I think we need to kind of keep an eye on the impact

[40:26] that it'll have on traffic up in Mr. Blomberg's neighborhood and Mr. Lemke's neighborhood

[40:32] on the audience here and just kind of be aware of the public safety impact of that

[40:38] additional density of population in the area.

[40:43] Thank you and the next respondent is Terry quickly.

[40:49] Well there has been a lot of bumps in the road on a project of this scope and it appears

[40:57] now that they're as close as they've ever been to getting started and we have some development

[41:03] that's proposed just to the east of that that will be impacted by it so I think it

[41:09] has an effect on the City of Shoreview and the other elements, competition for building,

[41:14] competition for the school positions, traffic means that it's going to be a major enterprise

[41:22] and I think the entire community, Arden Hills as well as the rest of our neighbors are

[41:27] going to have to collaborate in making sure that it's as smooth as it can be for a project

[41:32] of this size.

[41:35] Thank you, and the last respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[41:39] I agree with most of the other candidates here.

[41:41] I'm very supportive of the development in that area,

[41:44] and I like the ideas that have been proposed so far.

[41:48] And I think, you know, we have to look at things

[41:50] like how is this going to affect traffic,

[41:53] how is this going to affect, you know,

[41:55] lots of different things about our economy and stuff here.

[41:57] And, you know, one of the things that I think

[41:59] that could, we should look at, too, going back to the housing is, you know, there are

[42:04] going to be lots of new, you know, entry-level jobs and things, hopefully, that will kind

[42:08] of develop in that area, and what can we do to make sure of you an area that attracts,

[42:13] you know, these young professionals that attracts, you know, young families and things

[42:18] like that, that will want to work there and support those businesses.

[42:23] Thank you.

[42:25] Any rebuttals?

[42:26] Sandy Martin.

[42:27] Well, I would just like to draw us back to that affordable housing issue and one of the

[42:33] flaws in the current plan for TCAP is that there isn't any that I know of affordable housing

[42:41] included in that plan.

[42:43] And I know that at their hearing this week, there were a number of people there discussing

[42:49] that piece of it.

[42:50] So we would encourage some of that affordable housing to be built in that area to serve

[42:57] of all of our neighborhoods.

[43:05] Jesse, Erin Reich.

[43:08] To build off what Terry had said earlier,

[43:11] one of the issues that comes with affordable housing,

[43:14] making it more affordable is finding public transit

[43:17] and things like that.

[43:18] And I think when we're looking at these

[43:19] kind of economic developments and the,

[43:22] how taxing that can be on our roadways and things,

[43:24] I think one of the things that can really

[43:25] also help with that is looking to improve

[43:27] our public transit system to make it easier

[43:30] for people who are, you know, lower income earners and younger to be able to get there

[43:35] and get to work, but not only that, it will just be, it'll be better in the long term

[43:39] for environment, cheaper on our roads and all of that.

[43:45] Thank you.

[43:49] In our final question of the night, the first respondent will be Cori Springhorn, relates

[43:54] to the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network.

[43:58] So Shoreview is a member city of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network of suburban

[44:03] Ramsey County.

[44:04] How might you support and promote the Blue Ribbon Network?

[44:09] The Yellow Ribbon Network, sorry.

[44:10] Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network.

[44:14] Yes, Steve Scott is out in the audience and I've had some conversation with him about that in the past.

[44:19] We had former Council Member Eddie Wickstrom very involved in that organization

[44:23] and have not been able to replace her involvement.

[44:28] So we've actually talked, I brought that to a council workshop last year.

[44:32] And we haven't gotten there yet, but I think we definitely want to support their efforts.

[44:38] Unfortunately, their Bilderberger nights are the same time as our council meetings on Monday nights,

[44:42] so we're not able to physically be there in person to support them.

[44:45] But I would like to work a little harder to find a volunteer to, on behalf of the city, stay involved in those efforts.

[44:54] Thank you. And the next respondent is Sandy Martin.

[44:58] Well I would agree with

[45:00] Of course, Springhorn, 80 Wickstrom was a marvelous representative from the city. We've been looking

[45:06] for some community groups that might want to embrace that also. And we've asked the Lions

[45:13] Group and we're asking some other community groups to try to find people who will get

[45:19] more involved with that. Because as a council member mentioned, we meet on the same night,

[45:26] But we don't really have the time council members don't but we're very very supportive of their efforts

[45:34] Thank you. The next respondent is Terry quickly

[45:40] the

[45:41] challenge for our National Garden Reserves going forward is an ending

[45:46] We don't see any

[45:47] Opening at the end of the tunnel on that so the need for a support group for all the families and returning home members

[45:55] is still there we did have a

[45:58] a wonderful member and member Wickstrom who worked very hard on that. I'm a mediator

[46:06] for the Department of Defense and I'm very familiar with all the problems that are bringing

[46:11] home. So I look at names of people who are involved and keep trying to fill that need

[46:19] in our community and will continue to do so.

[46:24] Thank you. And the next respondent is Douglas Blomberg.

[46:28] Yeah, I could mention that we're fortunate that we had the Shorby YMCA in our area, and

[46:33] I know to some extent that they had involved in helping these people out, so,

[46:42] but I, you

[46:44] know, this is a tough answer. I've taught these people their need and whatever, and

[46:49] I think this is something that, just because we're part of the community, is just making

[46:54] aware that they're there. And as a person that we can help them out and be an asset

[46:59] to and find out what's going on over at D-CAP.

[47:04] Thank you. And the last respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[47:08] I think organizations like this are very important in a community. I think it's really important

[47:13] that we do what we can to help support our current and previously serving armed forces, veterans

[47:21] and things like that, they, you know, there's a lot of issues that they face coming home

[47:26] and I think organizations like this can really help them, you know, find ways to cope with

[47:32] some of those issues and give them a community that will be there to be supportive of them

[47:37] and to help them. And I think as a community it only helps us be stronger and more, you

[47:45] know, unified to help everybody within our community.

[47:48] Thank you.

[47:52] Any rebuttals, please raise your hand.

[47:54] Sandy Martin.

[47:55] I just remembered that at our community center we have special rates for veterans and their

[48:01] families and try to be supportive in that way knowing that they can enjoy the benefits

[48:08] of the community center with their families at a reduced rate.

[48:14] Thank you.

[48:18] It's the time in the night for our closing remarks.

[48:21] We're going to allow each candidate one minute for their closing remarks, and we're going

[48:28] to start with Terry Quigley.

[48:34] Thank you.

[48:36] Very briefly, there's two documents that I'd like to call your attention to having to do

[48:41] with events in this community that you're all interested in.

[48:46] One is the Shoreview Resident Guide, which is a very thorough piece describing a number

[48:52] of issues.

[48:53] is the other one is community benchmarks. How does Shoreview compare? Now, we have a very

[49:00] robust website, so I recommend you look at the website and there's a publications guide

[49:05] and a phone number you can call and get copies of these documents to further your understanding

[49:11] about a variety of programs in this very wonderful community of ours.

[49:20] Thank you. Our next

[49:21] This respondent is Jesse Aaron Reich.

[49:25] I kind of want to build off what Terry just said there with the Shoreview Guide.

[49:29] It is an absolutely wonderful thing if you guys haven't looked through it.

[49:34] When I moved here I immediately was thumbing through it and I found lots of great communities

[49:38] to be a part of.

[49:40] I was involved with the Shoreview Lights Band program up here which was a great way

[49:45] to meet new people and get to be a part of the community.

[49:47] So I think it's really important that everybody does go out and use those resources that the

[49:53] city does provide.

[49:55] I think Shoreview is a wonderful community that has just – it's so great.

[50:01] I always feel like I'm at home, even though I've just – I've only been here for

[50:04] a few years.

[50:06] And I think that is in large part because of all of these programs and all of these

[50:10] things that we have in place that allow us to be together as a community, and I'd

[50:14] like to see that continue to grow and prosper as the city also continues to grow and prosper.

[50:21] Thank you. Our next respondent is Sandy Martin.

[50:24] I think those who know me well know that I've always cared deeply about our community. They

[50:29] know that it's never been about politics for me. It's always been about public service.

[50:35] I think they know that I believe that local government should always be nonpartisan.

[50:39] They know that I'm enthusiastic about the future of our community.

[50:44] So you make up your minds, and as you make up your minds about who to cast your vote

[50:50] for in this election, I'd urge you not to focus just on current issues, but to evaluate

[50:56] candidates based on their ability to be objective, to study the issues analytically,

[51:02] to listen to all sides, and then to make the best possible decision for the good

[51:08] of the entire community. Please know your opinion matters and your vote makes a difference.

[51:15] Thank you so much for being here tonight and for listening. Thank you.

[51:19] Thank you. Next respondent is Corey Springhorn.

[51:24] Well, it has truly been an honor and a privilege to be on the Shelby City Council for the

[51:27] last four years during a period of great activity in the city when we've seen the

[51:30] opening of the new Kowalski's, the Water Treatment Center at the Ramsey County Library

[51:34] next door. It's been a very exciting time and soon the expanded water park as well and

[51:40] indoor playground. But I really want to say also an honor it's been for me to serve the

[51:44] last four years with Mayor Martin and Council Member Quigley. I've learned so much from

[51:47] them and continue to do so. Doug, this is, I believe, your fourth time running. I appreciate

[51:52] your continued passion for the city and your commitment. And Jesse, whatever happens

[51:58] in November, I want to continue to hear your voice around here for a long time

[52:02] because you've got a lot of great things to say.

[52:04] And just thanks again to the League of Women Voters

[52:06] and I would appreciate votes of the people in the audience

[52:11] in November.

[52:13] Thank you.

[52:13] And our last closing remark is from Douglas Blomberg.

[52:17] Yeah, thank you once again for doing this.

[52:19] This is awesome.

[52:20] Growing up in Chorville, in the little church

[52:23] like you name it, this town, this city is just dear to me.

[52:26] And I want to be the best.

[52:29] And this is where my heart lies in.

[52:31] And, you know, I support our other councilmen,

[52:34] I support our mayor, I know them from way back

[52:37] and they had done a tremendous job.

[52:40] What I'm offering you is a choice of maybe

[52:41] a little bit new leadership with a different way

[52:45] or something or other that would be an asset

[52:47] to this show of you and make it grow.

[52:50] So I'm asking for your vote, I'm asking for your support,

[52:53] but then again, the choice is up to you

[52:56] when you go to polls and I think you got a great crew

[52:58] with people here that are all capable of taking charge of Shoreview and making it grow. Thank

[53:05] you. Thank you. On behalf of the League of Women Voters, I would like to thank the candidates

[53:12] for their participation, CTV North Suburbs for broadcasting this event, the City of

[53:18] Shoreview for the use of their facilities, our League volunteers and you, the audience

[53:23] for your attendance and interests.

[53:25] Election Day is November 6th.

[53:27] Let your voice be heard by voting.

[53:29] Thank you.

League of Women Voters - City of Shoreview Candidate Forum - Mayor and City Council

Agenda

Transcript