Welcome to the League of Women Voters Anoka County Commissioner District 4 Candidate Forum. I am Paty Green, the forum moderator, and I am a member of the New Hope Area League of Women Voters. 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 organization 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. Uh we tonight we have Jenny Gistler with us. Jerry Ko did not respond to our invitation. We will begin with the first two questions that were provided to the candidates in advance. And uh Jenny Gistler, you have 90 seconds for each question. The first one is what is your motivation to run for this office and what experience or knowledge would help you to serve effectively? Thank you. So, hi, I'm Jenny Gistler and I'm running for this office for the Enoka County Commissioner District 4 because people should come first. Every tax dollar should matter and you deserve to know what your government is doing. So with all of that, I come to the table with great business experience and expertise across a wide range of subjects, whether that's technology, internal audit, customer service, and delivering services. With that, I can be your best candidate to do that this job for the citizens of Anoka County. I will collaborate. I will listen. and I will make sure that the people's voices are heard in this role. >> Thank you. And what are your goals for the future of Anoka County, Minnesota? >> Thank you. So the goals for Inoka County for me are making sure that your tax dollars are spent wisely. We have a lot of challenges coming forward with us for Anoka County with all of the federal and even state cuts where funds that we used to receive at the county are no longer being given to the county, but there's still the need for services. How are we going to solve those problems? That's going to be key. How do we do it in a way that's efficient and still delivers services without overburdening our taxpayers? with that we need to be fiscally responsible and transparent um in how we go about making all of those decisions. So my goal for in Noa County is that the people's voices are heard and that we find ways to deliver great services um to the residents of our community. >> Thank you. Now we move into the questions that were submitted by the public and the responses are limited to one minute. >> Great. The county board has approved acquiring a segment of Van Beern Street to expand the jail footprint. What is your position on the decision and the process used for making the decision? The the whole jail um situation with Anoka County and the city of Anoka is years and years and years in the making. Um, with everything that's going on right now, the jail needs to be replaced. There is no question about that. That where can it go and how is that going to fit? The the basic fact is we cannot continue to push this decision down the road. Every year adds roughly $20 million to the cost. If people tried to move and say, "Let's move the courouses. Let's move everything outside of the city. We're talking upwards of a billion dollars to do that on the residents on the taxpayers of Anoka County. So sadly, I think the only viable option is what's on the table is to be able to replace the jail in its current location. Thank you. As a county commissioner, what measures, if any, would you support to reinforce or ensure voter confidence in our elections? Thank you for the question. Our elections in Anoka County have been run very well. The the county um team does a great job. They have great controls. They have great processes. They have great training. and to be able to make sure that those continue. Um, on the county website, there's great videos if you ever want to watch to see how the election process happens, how those controls are in place, how we make those elections safe and secure. I think the one thing I've heard that is most concerning to people right now is the potential presence of federal res law enforcement at polling places which could intimidate um some voters. And so to me the thing that I want to hear from an NOA County and the sheriff is what will we be doing to make sure that our voters feel safe to be able to cast their ballot as they should be able to on election day. Thank you. Still on elections, how would you vote on a resolution to allow cities to decide themselves whether to use electronic poll pads or to use the paper poll books and why? >> Sure. Well, I I've read the the actually parts of that court case um from one of the cities in Anoka County on this and it's about fear. the poll books are um safe, they're secure, and having a individual city do something different, I think, opens up more cause for concern in the election process. You're safer, you're more secure when everyone is following the same rules within the county. >> Thank you. Next, discuss strategies you would employ to stimulate economic growth and attract new businesses to Anoka County. So, within Anoka County, there's a lot of different opportunities, right? So, how can we make sure that our businesses are supported? And with that, it's our CDBG block grants that can help businesses get a start. There are ways that we can help make sure that we have great housing for our citizens, which means that they have a a customer base to be able to shop. And it's really a balance of getting the funds in the right spot to be able to help where we need to help and where then we also have to look at, you know, most of the ordinances from a business are at a city level. But how do we work between our cities and our county to work together to find ways to find solutions if there's something that a city wants to do that needs county support to be able to open up that dialogue and give that support? >> Thank you. What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure and capital projects in ana county? So from an infrastructure perspective in an noa county, I think the the keys are really going to be our transportation system as we expand the the po population centers right within the county. People are moving farther and farther north. We need to be able to make sure that there are good transportation ways to move the people around the county. I know that we've got a great transportation plan in the county and it it's working and moving ahead. There is a lot of pain along the way for all of those residents, you know, on um and people who drive Highway 65, but it's going to get better, right? And we need to be able to make sure that those infrastructure projects to be able to serve the people so they can get where they need to go is what I would prioritize. >> Thank you. What are the key environmental challenges Anoka County faces and how would you propose addressing them? >> So from an environmental perspective, a lot of that is going to be based on water, right? what is because there's a number of different wershed districts within the county and how are we protecting that groundwater to be able to make sure that our residents have um good water and clean water and that that water is available um to be able to be used. Thank you. When funding is limited, how should the county prioritize affordable housing, public infrastructure, services for health and public safety? That is a great question, right? It is, you know, how are you, you know, trying to fit 10 pounds in a six, you know, five pound bag. That is how you have to look for collaboration. How you have to work with your state legislature, the House and the Senate at the state. You have to be working with federal partners to be able to find different funding sources and different ways that we can look at, you know, paying for some of these things. You need to be looking at what is that prioritization. Are there things that well maybe we can take another year and before we fix that road or maybe there's another year before something can happen. Um and how do we maybe also get more creative in how we deliver services? Are there things that we can combine? Are there things that we can do differently that deliver that same amount of service um with the same cost? It's going to be a great challenge as we move forward. >> Thank you. The county is very politically divided. How do you handle working with people who disagree with you? So to me, it's finding that common ground, right? So I always um talk about if I put a penny on on end, two people, one person will say that there's a head, the other person will say that there's a a building. and they're both right, but they're just looking at it from a different perspective. And so, how do we help people understand what view that other person has, maybe looking at it from that other perspective to get to the point of not why are we different, but what are the things that we can agree on? Where can we look? And and I I've typically found, especially when I do this with business and in my job today, that the majority of the things we can get to agree on because we all want to help the residents of an Okaoka County, we all want to be able to do the right things for the residents. It we just may differ a little bit on the approach and then you just have the dialogue to be able to get to where you want to go. Thank you. Flock cameras are becoming more common and have generated significant debate. The Anoka County Sheriff's Department adopt 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? >> Thank you. Yes, flack cameras are a huge topic, right? Um, for me, the biggest issue right now is the use of the data. I can't trust that any data that's collected is used appropriately. And so with that, my my gut is to say we need to shut these down until we can put the right controls in place to make sure that you know because yes, you can always have a argument that it helped me solve this crime, but if it helped solve the crime, but there is a lot of other unintended consequences. People using the system incorrectly, people using the data incorrectly. We need to be able to shut that down and then put thoughtfully move forward in a way if we can get to where that data and people can have that um security that they're used appropriately. >> As a county commissioner, what role, if any, do you think the county board plays in immigration enforcement? Okay. Um the county board doesn't play any role in im immigration enforcement. It's It's not our job. That is a federal job. We have, as we've already talked with some of these questions, we have so much on our plate. We can't afford to use our county resources paying for and doing the federal's job. We need to let the federal people do their job. Thank you. If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources first? Oh, [sighs] that's a hard one because there are so many things that the county does that are are great. There are so many services that the county provides. And to me, I think the the biggest piece is where is the most pain being felt by our residents? Where can we put that money to help alleviate the the stress and that burden for our residents in how we deliver services and what services are delivered because in the end of the day we as a county deliver services and our services need to be delivered to the residents in the way that they need them and to be able to do that support. >> Okay. What is your understanding of the zoning laws in Anoka County and how would you navigate changes that need community input? So, oh, zoning and planning. I spent 12 years, I think, if I count right um on our Rapids um planning commission. I was the chair for the last three or four years. So, I'm well verssed in comprehensive plans. I'm well verssed in um land use and zoning. Um and so most of all of those things are done at a city level versus a county level. And with that though, we have to be able to make sure that our cities and our counties work together. you know, um that there are ways to be able to make sure, you know, that your comprehensive plan and your land use are in in alignment and that they are focused on delivering the the right things to the communities um within Anoka County. >> Thank you. How would you leverage technology, including AI, to improve county services and transparency? Okay. Well, AI is one of those things that there's a it's a double-edged sword. Um, there are opportunities where AI can assist us. One of the things that I think AI can come to the table with is the vast volumes of data that our staffs are asked to work through that you can look at AI um to be able to do that analysis and help look at finding where's a pattern, where's something that doesn't look right, to be able to identify things that could potentially identify fraud um in that data because there's us so much data to be able to look through. Um there's other sides of AI. There's a cost. It's not cheap. And so we would need to be able to use it responsibly in a way that helps take a burden off of our workers so they can be not working in numbers but working with people. >> Okay. What needs to happen to clear the way for a new bridge across the Mississippi River to connect Ramsey and Dayton? Oh, Mississippi River crossings. I swear that those take decades to to plan and I know um that there's conversations about that and and really it is being able to make sure is the land per obtained? Do we have the space? do we have the funding? And then working with the partners at the state and the federal level to make sure that everybody's coming together to be able to deliver a project. Um, and it it's about communication and partnership. >> Thank you. Now, we're going to move into closing statements. You have one minute for your closing statement. >> Okay, great. So, first I want to say thank you to the League of Women Voters. I truly appreciate the opportunity to speak with them um today and you know getting my thoughts out and so people can learn more about me. Um I appreciate that and I hope everybody ha who asked a question got their question asked and if there's things that you want to know or you have follow-up questions certainly reach out to me. I'm accessible and would be able to um have a conversation on any topic. You can reach me at gistler4oka countygmail or my website is gistler for anoka county.com and I would love to um talk to all of you in an noa county with any questions. With that I know early voting starts as early as um September 18th. So, I hope I can earn your vote on November 3rd and would love to be your next commissioner for an NOA County District 4. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. The League of Women Voters of Anoka Bla Rapids area thanks Jennifer Gistler for speaking to the voters about issues and for running for office. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. Also, thank you to QCTV staff for producing a video o of this forum. If you're interested in watching more candidate form videos or in learning more about League of Women Voters, visit our website at lwvabcmn.org. We encourage you to share links to entire candidate forum videos. Sharing excerpts or clips is prohibited except for official media reporting. Information about absentee voting in person and by mail can be 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 again at mnvotes.gov gov and at League of Women Voters site vote411. Your vote is your voice. Make your voice heard by voting in the general election on November 3rd. Thank you.