Welcome to the League of Women Voters Anoka County Commissioner District 2 candidate forum. I'm Paul Sitz, the forum moderator and a member of the League of Women Voters of Anoka Blaine Rapids area. I do not live in this district and I cannot vote for any of the candidates. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan civic organizations which does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates for office. The goal of our forums is to help citizens become informed voters. All candidates for this race were invited to participate in the forum. Candidates Rean Burr and Brian Kirkham will be participating tonight. We will begin with two questions provided to the candidates in advance. Answers to the first two questions are limited to 90 seconds each. Candidate Brian Kirkham, what is your motivation to run for this office and what experience or knowledge would help you to serve effectively? >> Well, first off, I want to thank everybody at the League of Women Voters for putting this together. This is always a a fun event to try and get to know myself and my opponent Rean. Um, I I have many reasons why I'm running for county commissioner, but I'm only allowed a certain amount of time, so I'll make this fast. The biggest reason I'm running is to help lower property taxes. The last couple of years, there's been some massive increases in the levy and another one being proposed for 2027. We all are affected by property taxes in one way or another. And living in Minnesota, we're one of the highest tax states in the nation. These massive increases need to stop now. I've been an elected official for over 13 years at the city level. I was elected twice to the city council in Bethl and during that time I was involved in six budgets. Not one of those budgets did we increase our spending by one penny in our levy. Been elected to the Ham Lake City Council twice. Once as the mayor and once as a city council member. Hamlakes's financially one of the best ran cities in the state of Minnesota, hands down. This experience, knowledge, and most importantly a proven record makes me the best person for this job. Thank you. >> Candidate Rean Beer. What is your motivation to run for this office and what experience or knowledge would help you to serve effectively? >> Thank you, Paul. Good evening and thank you League of Women Voters. I am honored to be here. I'm Rean Burr and I'm running for Anoka County Commissioner because of everything this wonderful community has given to me and I want to give back and help make sure Anoka County continues to be a wonderful place to live, work, raise a family and retire. I view county commissioner as a job, not just a political position and I believe my experience places me well for that job. I am a mechanical engineer by education and spent more than a decade working in patents. I am also a business leader and the founder of the Lupus Research Foundation, which is funding lifechanging research and is going to change the world, is already changing the world. Through these roles, I've learned how to gather lots of information, disseminate it, and work with people who have all sorts of views, solve problems, and turn ideas into results. I've also seen firsthand what can happen when we bring new opportunities to our community. During my time at the Four Seasons Curling Center, I helped it become the US Olympic training site. I'm also very collaborative with the Lupus Research Foundation, with our chambers of commerce, other nonprofit groups, and industry to achieve common goals. Whether it's sitting down for a cup of coffee and determining what we're going to do next, or making those things happen right away, I will bring this energy to keep our communities safe and protect our quality of life. Make practical decisions. And I am asking for your vote because I will work hard for you as your commissioner. Candidate Rean Burr, what are your goals for the future of Anoka County, Minnesota? >> Thank you. My overall goal really is pretty simple. I want Anoka County to continue to be a great place to live. I love living here. I love waking up every morning and I've said to my husband many, many times, "This is paradise. I want to help preserve what makes our area so special while also planning wisely for the future. That means keeping our communities safe, maintaining our roads and infrastructure, and making sure we are providing excellent services while being responsible with taxpayers money. I always consider myself to be good value and a very effective person. So, I am the taxpayer and if I were watching this program, I'd want to know too what these candidates stand for. So, I care about supporting our law enforcement and low property taxes. I want county government to listen. I don't believe government should decide what people want without asking them. My background as an engineer and business leader has taught me to gather information, listen to different perspectives, work with everybody, and make informed decisions. My goal is responsible, effective county government that protects what we love about Anoka County while making it even better for the future. Candidate Brian Kirkham, what is your motivation to run for this office and what experience or knowledge would Nope. What are your goals for the future of Anoka County, Minnesota? >> There we go. Thanks. [laughter] Um, I have many goals for Anoka County, but I just want to focus on two of them. First off is transportation. The last couple of years, we've had a lot of success on getting funding for Highway 65. Phase one has already started construction in Blaine. Phase two, we recently awarded money from the federal government to close the gap for the overpass at Bunker and Highway 65. The third phase of this is the improvements at Highway 65 and Highway 10. This is going to be the most expensive portion of this project. We need to put pressure on the state and the federal government to make sure we get this fully funded. After that, I'd like to move on to what I would like to call phase four, and that's moving north through Ham Lake up to East Bethl and ending at Viking Boulevard. The second goal I'd like to touch on is economic development. This has always been a passion of mine while serving on city councils. I'm always reaching out to land owners, networking with business owners, trying to promote the cities I've been representing, and I've had a lot of success at doing that. Every city in the county is unique in their own way. I have customers in every single city with the exception of Hilltop. I know the city's strengths and weaknesses for their economic development. Trust me, I will be the biggest champion out there supporting economic development in Anoka County. Thank you. >> The next questions were submitted by the public. Responses are limited to one minute. >> Candidate Brian Kirkin. If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources? >> Um, transportation would be it. Um, there is uh some pretty dangerous county roads, especially in Ham Lake. Lexington Avenue has been a problem for years. Um we uh a few years ago the county applied for funding and they ranked like 31 out of 32 and it was unfortunate that we didn't qualify up any higher and it's the way that the laws are written in St. Paul. We didn't qualify because of um certain demographics. Uh there wasn't a bike friendly area and so unfortunately cities like Chaza Chanhass and some other areas qualified. So, transportation, roads and bridges, that's my number one priority. >> Candidate Reagan Beer Burr, if new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources? >> Well, I actually agree with that, Brian. In doornocking, talking to people all over, um I have found the same thing. And me personally, it's dangerous. Um, when you're driving down Lexington or Rison, making a lefthand turn, that can be problematic. Also, I've been talking to people who live on the corner of 149th in Rison, and there have been several accidents there. So, I believe that there are simple solutions and ones that don't cause a lot of money or need a lot of money that we can do to increase the safety of our residents. Also, the intersection of Viking and 65 is is is an area for potential improvement or uh ideating. So, I will work with um all of our agencies as well. And I've also had the opportunity to talk to people in East Bethl, different city councils as well to also be collaborative and make sure that I can help gather the right information so we can make decisions based on expert knowledge without spending, you know, too much money. So being pragmatic and efficient with taxpayers dollars. >> Candidate Reagan Burr. As county commissioner, what measures, if any, would you support to reinforce or ensure voter confidence in our elections? >> Well, I believe our elections are secure. Um, I also know that the county has put different things in place for transparency. I don't know if they relate directly to elections, but I do have confidence in our elections and our voter and our voting system. >> Candidate Brian Kirkham. >> Oh, can you please repeat the question? I thought you were going to >> Yeah. As county commissioner, what measures, if any, would you support to reinforce or ensure voter confidence in our elections? Well, election integrity is very important to me. Um, especially being an elected official, uh, we need to make sure that our elections are secure, safe. Um, I think a lot of that needs to be done at the state level. Um, I am in favor of voter ID and some other things that need to happen, but a lot of that is done at the state level. Um, I do believe that if certain cities do want to go use paper ballots that they can do that. Not saying that, um, you know, all cities should do that. City of Bethl, you have 160 voters that might come. You can save some money by using paper pole pads versus electronic ones. Um, but it all depends on how the state law reads it. I know the city of Oak Grove is in a current lawsuit right now with the state of Minnesota and we'll see what the outcome is of that. But election integrity is very important to me. Candidate Brian Kirkham, discuss strategies you would employ to stimulate economic growth and attract new businesses to Anoka County. >> Well, I've always had the belief low property taxes help create economic development. Um, having good infrastructure around um, you know, I had a choice when I moved from Bethl to Ham Lake about maybe looking at living off of Highway 10 in an OKA and Ramsey. I did not choose that area mainly because of the infrastructure there. Now we're at a point where there's a bunch of overpasses along Ramsey and Anoka and so it's a very nice highway, but still having good infrastructure um will keep businesses around. Low property taxes is another thing that I believe um I don't believe in tiffs. I don't think that businesses should get tax-free incentives to move to places because it's not fair for the other people that have been doing business there for decades. Candidate Rean Burr, discuss strategies you would employ to stimulate economic growth and attract new businesses to Anoka County. >> In the Lupus Research Foundation and my work and other endeavors as a self-starter, I've always found that being collaborative is the best way to support small business and support economic development. And I believe we can still maintain our a rural feel in the uh district too. But my philosophies I believe this question also speaks to our values include respect, understand and having gratitude. So when I'm working with new partners or getting together with our industry leaders, whether they're huge worldwide companies or local companies, is to seek to understand what are their values? What can I do to be a wonderful partner and commissioner? Is it good for our community? and then go forward and rock it. So respecting another person also includes looking for things that you admire about them and can learn from. I believe that every person can learn from every person on this planet including in the realm of economic development and what is best for our community and then having gratitude for what we have around us and bringing that energy to future partnerships. Candidate Regan Burr. As federal support for essential programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, Head Start, and related services faces uncertainty, how would you help struggling families and aging residents access health care, nutrition assistance, and child care? >> Thank you for that question. I believe it is so important to support our senior citizens and the people most vulnerable. So it will it'll be very crucial to fight to maintain those benefits or seek ways that we can make it work. I believe we can have our cake and eat it too so we don't always have to go to the taxpayer for this. But I have had some experience lobbying for lupus research from the Department of Defense several times on Capitol Hill. And when elected, I hope to make that a big part of my job. Candidate Brian Kirkham. As federal support for programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, Head Start, and related services faces uncertainty, how would you help struggling families and aging residents access health care, nutrition assistance, and child care? >> Well, I believe in private donations a lot of times. Now, you can't um you know, go and donate a bunch of uh money for SNAP programs and things like that, but I would like to kind of keep things the status quo right now at the county level. Um I know that there are some things that we can shift around for funding. There are some areas that we can cut that wouldn't be related to this and maybe if the county has to shift some funds from one area over to another, that might be a good way to do things. candidate Brian Kirkham. What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure or capital projects in Anoka County? >> Well, the big topic is the jail. Um, and that might be a question that we might be asked later on, but that is one um big thing. I've toured the jail before. Um, it is uh very very old. It's not efficient. Um, the Department of Corrections has threatened to shut it down at times over certain things. So, that is one of the biggest capital improvements that we need to work on in the county. Of course, I touched on transportation as well. We need to focus on our roads and bridges. There's some uh county roads that are very narrow, don't have shoulders, and it's just not in Ham Lake. It's other areas as well, St. Francis, Oak Grove, now than Lynwood. Um, and so those are some big issues that we need to focus on. We need to be going after grants. uh we've been very successful in Bethl and Ham Lake uh going after grants and receiving state and federal funding and along with some county funding too. So those are some avenues that I think that we can look at to try and help out those capital improvements. >> Candidate Rean Burr, what do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure or capital projects in Anoka County? >> Well, I would agree, Brian. uh the jail is a is a very important piece and also our infrastructure uh infrastructure for the safety of our roads and ensuring that we can get people safely to work and to our schools. Uh the jail is a good example of where a county commissioner has to balance public safety with fiscal responsibility. We need a safe functional facility for our law enforcement and inmates. At the same time, any major jail project represents a significant investment by the taxpayers. So I want to make sure that we ask the right questions before committing to a solution. And those are skills that I I also feel quite strongly about is reaching out to the people who are experts in the right areas so we can make informed decisions. What do we actually need? What will our capacity needs be in the future? So I'm looking at long-term solutions as well uh that in the long run will keep us financially and physically healthy in our households. So long-term and value are two of my key uh things that are important to me. >> Candidate Rean Burr, what are the key environmental challenges in Oka County faces and how would you propose addressing them? Well, I know that we want to um take a look at how we categorize our land. And another thing that is important to me is to maintain the rural feel of our beautiful areas where we live. Again, where I can go outside and have neighbors close enough to me that I can ask for help, but also uh where I feel that sense of privacy and I can have my life in uh the rural field that I enjoy in Ham Lake. candidate Brian Kirkham. What are the key environmental challenges Anoka County faces and how would you propose addressing them? >> Well, I would address them more at the local level. I think a lot of the uh planning and zoning, all that's done at the city level. Um like to to kind of copy what Regan said, uh the rural characters are really nice in certain parts of the county, but what is good for now then isn't good for Columbia Heights or what's good for Columbia Heights isn't good for now then. So, a lot of these issues should just be done at the local level, city level, not at the county level. >> Candidate Brian Kirkham. Flock cameras are becoming more common and have generated significant debate. The Ina County Sheriff's Department adopted them through a bid that came in $500 below the amount requiring board approval. How would you ensure residents with privacy concerns are protected and have a meaningful opportunity to voice opposition? >> This is a big topic here uh throughout the entire nation. So, I don't think the sheriff's department really thought it was going to take off like this. I see both sides of it. Um I really I see the police side of it that there has been criminals that have been caught. There's been uh little girls that have been abducted and they've been able to be found safely because of these. But we also need to protect our our rights as citizens, too. Um I'm always open. I've been getting emails constantly about this topic. Um, as far as if I'm a county commissioner and this pilot program is done, as of right now, I would not be in favor of it. Mainly because of the dollar amount as well as also the privacy rights. Uh, we're looking at, I think I heard a cost of $1.7 million. And if we're going to be doing something with the jail right now, that is our number one priority. And we financially should be more on a lockdown and we shouldn't be uh expanding our budget over that right now. And so, um, yeah, I've been hearing a lot about it throughout the last couple of months and so, um, it's a very hot topic and I think more is to come of this year. >> Candidate Rean Burr. Flock cameras are becoming more common and have generated significant debate. The Ina County Sheriff's Department adopted them through a bid that came in $500 below the amount requiring board approval. How would you ensure residents with privacy concerns are protected and have a meaningful opportunity to voice opposition? >> Well, the flock cameras are getting a lot of flack, aren't they? >> Um, sorry, I've been meaning to uh tell that joke for weeks and weeks and weeks. Um, when I met with Sheriff Brad Weise a couple weeks ago, I had a lovely visit with him. I'm so impressed with him and I'm thankful for his service. Very thankful. Uh like I say, I want to maintain an open mind. I don't think public safety and personal privacy have to be opposing goals and I am excited by the technology. At the same time, I do understand the privacy concerns. Uh what information are we collecting? How long is it being retained and who is it being retained by? Who has access to it? So my responsibility in my mind as a commissioner before I make any decisions is to know the facts fully and thoroughly. I want to understand the tech, listen to law enforcement, listen to our residents, look at all the results, and make sure we have strong policies and accountability in place. That's the name of the game is transparency because I want an Oka County to be safe. That's really important to me. But I also want the residents to know that their privacy and personal freedom matters. >> Your time is up. >> Okay. Candidate Regan Burr. When funding is limited, how should the county prioritize affordable housing, public infrastructure, services for health, and public safety? >> Again, I think that that comes down to gathering information. So, I am knocking on doors, talking to people, talking to different groups, talking to different cities, talking to our law enforcement and our commissioners. It is so important to get the input of the people that we are working for. Again, I am not viewing this as a political position. It's nonpartisan. I know you guys wouldn't want me to care if you were a Republican or a Democrat when I'm making decisions. So, I care about what matters to you. I'd gather all the information necessary and find out who are the experts that we need to talk to to prioritize those things which are the top priorities of a commissioner. And another thing I want to bring up is I have the ability to be able to unite people, come with a collaborative spirit, but also seeking to understand and I want to unite the commissioners so that we can make informed, pragmatic decisions together. >> Candidate Brian Kirkham, when funding is limited, how should the county prioritize affordable housing, public infrastructure, services for health, and public safety? Well, you got to spend on the needs and not the wants. That's number one thing. Um, we need to affordable housing that comes with low property taxes and that's that from the state or I'm sorry, from the county, from the cities, from the townships, from the school boards, all the way down that pie that you get that has all those places I just listed off. Uh, we need to make sure that we're being fiscally responsible. That is my number one priority and that's how you're going to help make housing more affordable. getting rid of red tape that government has that just causes I've seen it at the city level. I've seen it at the county state especially is that when you have more red tape it just makes projects more expensive too and that's one way and like I said going back to spending on the needs and not the wants. >> Candidate Brian Kirkham the county is very politically divided. How do you handle working with people who disagree with you? >> I like to think of myself as a good nice person. I'm open to anybody's opinion. Um, just because I don't agree with them doesn't mean I need to have to be mean with them or anything. I, uh, have friends on both sides of the aisle. Um, I am open for any discussion. That's the nice thing about being on the city council or being at the county level. It is a nonpartisan thing. And so, um, I'm just always open to listening to everybody's ideas and and gathering the facts. And I'll be honest with you, I might not like that person's opinion, but I'm I'm still going to treat him like a human. I'm not going to be mean or anything like that. And so, um, even, you know, Rean and I, I got somebody running against me and she's a very nice individual and I I've heard nothing but great things about her. So, um, yeah, I just don't think we need to be divided like how we are in some areas. >> Candidate Rean Burr, the county is very politically divided. How do you handle working with people who disagree with you? >> Thank you, uh, Brian. I completely agree and thank you for the kind words. Right back at you. >> Yeah. Um, same thing. I'm not going to ask people where they stand and very few people have asked me where where I lean. like I stand up straight, you know, and it has happened when we work with people who we disagree with, whether it's, you know, in my roles that I've had working for organizations or within the Lupus Research Foundation where you're trying to find out if you can run an event in Boston. So, uh, differing opinions, I think, always come down to, well, what what is at stake, what matters, and what are the people's priorities, and and what is the truth. So, I'm always going to find out, well, what is the truth? And then know that any decision that I make, as long as I make it with the good intentions and knowing I have all the right information in front of me, I'm going to believe that the right decision was made. Candidate Rean Burr. As C as a county commissioner, what role, if any, do you think the county board plays in immigration enforcement? >> So, this is tied to topics that I've been asking uh folks on the board for a while. I think that's an excellent question. We may not have direct purview over immigration um but we have direct um relationships with law enforcement and again I support our law enforcement. Um I can't wait to work with them more actually and uh make sure the needs of our citizens are met as well but keep things transparent and open. So um uh one thing I've learned from my peers is to even when we aren't directly working on something or responsible for it, we're indirectly related to it. So we do need to work with other people. I will love working with uh the federal government and the state government as well as our cities and all the organizations uh that are involved and the people with that because this job is about people. Candidate Brian Kirkham. As a county commissioner, what role, if any, do you think the county board plays in immigration enforcement? >> I don't think the county board really plays any role. Uh the laws are the laws. They're on the books and we just need people to enforce the laws. Whether it's uh the sheriff's department helping out because there's a bad person that uh the federal government wants. If they're in our custody, we should share that information with the federal government and enforce our laws. Okay, that was the last question. >> Wow, just rifling through things fast. >> We will now turn to closing statements. And candidate Brian Kirkham, what is your closing statement? >> Up until a few months ago, I never planned to run for county commissioner, but my path in life has led me here. I've lived in this district for all but two years of my life. I know the people very well here and I share a lot of the same values with them. I have over 13 years of problem solving budget shortfalls, dealing with inflation or working on creative ways to create to write grants to come and save taxpayers money. This checks off all the boxes of experience, knowledge, and most importantly, and I can't stress this enough, a proven track record. I ask the residents of Anoka County District 2 to vote for Brian Kirkham this November. Thank you very much. >> Candidate Rean Burr, what is your closing statement? >> Well, folks, I can tell you what I bring to the position. I am an engineer and a problem solver, a business leader, and a nonprofit founder. We have ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra raised with an organization I founded millions of dollars. This has gone directly towards a diagnostic tool as well as a new medication and another new medication novel new pathway on the way. I have spent much of my career bringing people together to solve problems. I know how to ask questions. I want to be interested versus interesting, gather information, and work with people who don't always agree with me to come to great decisions. I am a self-starter. I'm willing to do the work to make it happen. I don't view the county commissioner role as a political title. I view it as a job working for you and it is my responsibility to you who live here. I'm ready to do that job. I'm Rean Burn and I'm asking for your vote and you can learn more at reanforc county commissioner.com. Thank >> the League of Women Voters of Anoka Blaine Rapids area thanks Regan Burr and Brian Kirkham for speaking to the voters about issues and for running for office. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. Also, thank you to the QCTV staff for producing a video of this forum. If you're interested in watching more candidate forums or in learning more about League of Women Voters, visit our website at lwvabcmn.org. We encourage you to share links to entire candidate forums. Sharing ep excerpts or clips is prohibited except for official media reporting. Information about absentee voting in person and by mail can be found found on the Secretary of State's website, mnvotes.gov. Other election information, including voter registration, can also be found on the Secretary of State's website at mnvotes.gov gov and at vote 111 for vote411. Your vote is your voice. Make your voice heard by voting in the general election on November 3rd.