[0:00] [Music] [0:38] hello and welcome to the Lakeville city council candidate Forum brought to you by the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce I'd [0:44] like to welcome those in the room and those watching via live stream through rebroadcast the chamber is hosting three [0:51] candidate forums this year Lakeville city council Lakeville Independent School District 194 school board and a [0:58] joint forum for he Representatives district 57a and 57b we would like to thank the city of [1:05] Lakeville for the use of city hall for all three candidate forums as well as [1:10] live streaming and rebroadcasting the recordings throughout the election season I am Amy Kenra with rent I am the [1:17] immediate past chair of the chamber's board of directors and I will serve as tonight's moderator the timekeeper for [1:24] tonight's Forum will be Colleen labau of labo and Associates and a Lille chamber access and issues group member it is the [1:32] mission of the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce to serve as the advocate resource and leader for near our nearly [1:38] 600 members and the entire Lakeville business community in accordance with [1:44] our mission we conduct these forums each election season so that you may get to know the candidates who will like to [1:50] represent and serve our businesses and our residents we invited all three [1:56] Lakeville city council candidates to join us for this forum the candidates in attendance who have been seated by [2:02] random draw from my left are John burmel Dan Walter and Drew box Rood thank you [2:09] all for your desire to serve and for participating in this forum the format for this forum will be [2:15] as follows candidates were sent a list of potential questions in advance we will random draw the questions asking as [2:23] many as we can and have time for with the understanding that I as the moderator have the discretion to ask one [2:29] additional question if I choose to our live audience and attendance thank you for being here we will not be taking any [2:36] audience questions so we do encourage you to reach out to the candidates individually if we do not address topics [2:42] for which you would like more information we do also ask that our in-person audience at City Hall please [2:48] respect each of our candidates and our streaming viewers by refraining from noises and remarks that will disrupt the [2:55] format and detract from the ability to meet each of our candidates each candidate will receive two minutes [3:03] for introductions and opening remarks two minutes to respond to each question [3:08] and two minutes for closing remarks with 15 seconds remaining in each candidate's [3:13] allotted response time the timekeeper will hold up a yellow card and when time has expired they will [3:21] hold up a red card if you continue past your allotted [3:26] time I will ask you to finish your statement with new question we will start with the next clockwise candidate [3:34] each question will be directed to all candidates this is a forum not a debate [3:39] we do recommend that you use your allotted time to answer the questions as they relate to you and your candidacy [3:45] and not to comment or respond to another candidate's answers we also ask that you [3:50] respect each candidate and their allotted time and do not make comments to during or directly following their [3:57] answer period this for is intended to get to know each of you and why you want to serve our [4:03] community with that being said are there any questions wonderful let's get [4:10] started each candidate will have two minutes for their opening remarks so let us begin with our first candidate John [4:17] burmel good afternoon uh my name is John burmel I was elected to the city council [4:22] in 2020 and I am running for election in uh this election cycle for reelection would [4:29] be a privilege to continue to serve our community at uh on the city council I [4:35] want to just take a moment to change thank the chamber for putting this together uh these forums are valuable uh [4:43] they're a good way for people watching to get to know the candidates and to do [4:48] some research a couple things about me personally I have lived in Lakeville for [4:53] 34 years uh my wife Chris and I raised our two adult children here they went through Lakeville School [5:00] all of the things that Lakeville has to offer I always said we haven't just lived in Lakeville we've embraced uh [5:06] life here in Lakeville and this slake fill thing works the kids are off and on their own and and doing well um I also [5:14] have uh two dogs and uh Chester and Cairo so if you've ever walked on ipava Avenue across from Christina Huddleston [5:21] you hit a plastic fence you've met our dogs uh professionally I am the chaplain [5:27] at The Fountains at hosana which is a senior Le Living Community right here in Lakeville uh prior to coming to The [5:33] Fountains I was the director of security and Emergency Management at Carlton College in Northfield and prior to that [5:41] I served a 33-year career in law enforcement for the Apple Valley Police Department uh retiring as a captain [5:48] having experience handling Municipal budgets and and making those tough choices and uh it's a privilege to be [5:55] here and I hope you all get to uh know each of us uh through this [6:00] forum thank you and now we'll move on to Don uh excuse me Dan Walter thank you Amy and I want to also thank the [6:07] Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce for putting on this forum and the other ones uh it's a huge investment I know for you [6:12] in Civic engagement and uh I know as these other candidates can attest uh there there's there's not a lot of uh [6:19] easy ways to get attention for a city council race to make people understand who you are uh and and to share the [6:24] issue so I appreciate that I also want to thank the other candidates that are here it takes a lot to put your name on a ballot and to do the work and knock [6:30] the doors and and and see KY office and our community is better uh because of all of us running for this office um I [6:37] am Dan Walter I'm the newest member of the Lakeville city council um I have served for about 21 months now so when [6:44] it's less than two years like like with a baby you talk about it in months so if we get the two-year Mark we'll start talking about it in terms of years [6:51] people often ask um why did I seek a seat on the city council my response to that is is pretty simple like about half [6:57] the people in Lakeville I'm new here I chose to come to Lakeville because of the quality of life because of Safe [7:03] Streets low taxes great Parks a vibrant Arts community and all of the the great [7:08] quality of life things that draw people here my goal on the city council is to work every day to help protect and [7:14] enhance that and make sure that this is a outstanding place for people to call home thank you thank you drew box rud [7:22] hello Drew Boxford um Echo their comments well thank you for hosting us [7:27] all um start start out with um myself my wife and my two children have uh lived [7:34] here in Lakeville for about N9 and a half years and running for Council is something [7:40] that's always kind of been in the back of my head uh something I've always wanted to do and uh careers I've had in [7:46] the past have always kind of led me down that road I worked with uh had a line of [7:52] Health in their EMS division I ran their Comm Center for 13 years I think and um [7:59] recently now I'm working for Woodburry in their engineering department as one of their project coordinators so I've [8:06] kind of seen how how the whole city government works from the other side and that really is [8:12] what kind of pushed me to want to do this finally and just from being seeing [8:18] how everything's done from the inside um it's really something that I pride [8:24] myself on is um working through decisions logically and I feel like [8:29] that's something I can really bring to the table and [8:35] having um providing everybody with a choice to have three candidates I think [8:40] is important um so yeah that's what I'm here for [8:48] right thank you thank you for those opening remarks now we are going to move on to our candidate questions um each [8:55] candidate will have two minutes to answer each question I'm going to randomly draw the questions and this [9:01] question is going to be about transparency and then we will stand uh start with Dan [9:08] Walter transparency is a key to good governance how do you plan to ensure [9:13] there is transparency regarding decisions and directives in our community by both staff and [9:20] councel thank you for the question Amy I think the first uh most important part of that is for council members to be [9:26] ambassadors of uh city government and What's happen in city government to take ownership of the deliberations that we [9:32] have on on issues and projects and so forth to be out in the community and available um so that uh you know it's [9:40] it's not a lot of you don't get a lot of automatic feedback on things you need to seek it out many times we have rigorous [9:46] transport we have uh rigorous transparency laws uh in this state as well and so everything that we do is [9:52] actually transparent but as we all know you know I've been on the council as I mentioned 21 months I can count on one [9:58] hand the number of public hearings I've been in that have had people at them I think Amy you were at two of them actually um so I appreciate that uh so I [10:04] think there's also an obligation for constituents and and the citizens of of of Lakeville to be engaged and be aware [10:10] as well um but first and foremost it's about the elected officials it's about being out and available uh and [10:16] transparent and also just seeking feedback on the issues that are uh that we're considering whether it's franchise [10:21] fees or whatever we need to when we're out in the community ensure that we're seeking feedback and people's thoughts [10:26] on those issues thank you [10:32] Dre well um as far as transparency goes I think uh the answer the question is [10:38] part of the question uh transparency is key and I agree with Dan that a lot of [10:46] um a lot of what is done in Council is required to be transparent and it should [10:52] be um nearly everything that a council does is required to be transparent I mean there's only a few times when [10:58] councils are allowed to have closed door meetings you know for things that shouldn't be public like um negotiations [11:06] for contracts and things like that but that information gets public eventually anyways [11:12] so all that is open for the public it's just a matter of people wanting to [11:18] engage and and get that information as far as staff go um there's a lot of [11:24] directives that are given by Council or by the city administrator I'm not sure [11:29] how much of that is available to the public some of that is a little bit hard to find um it would be great if that was [11:35] um more widely available for everyone and then as far as the public [11:41] goes for um transparency the city does a great job with engagement and it's again [11:48] like Dan said it's kind of on the public on how much they want to become involved and how much they want to engage with [11:55] the council and with staff um to become involved and be a part of the process [12:01] the more they're a part of the process the more transparency is there thank you moving on to John [12:07] Burl um great question and I think it's a uh it's a significant question um I [12:14] think the first key to transparency is being involved and being available uh it [12:20] is very difficult to hide something or be secret when there's a personal connection so personal connections are [12:26] critical to transparency and uh open communication from that uh the other thing is is to be [12:33] clear um I believe I believe that it's best to use Clear simple language even [12:39] in complex issues there are issues that are very complex but I think citizens [12:45] and I think staff want to hear plainly and clearly what's on our minds and we [12:50] want to hear the same and the constituents want to hear the same thing to the people uh also it's important to [12:57] be accountable uh defensiveness is not helpful for accountability or for [13:03] transparency uh we need to listen and even if we don't don't agree with what [13:09] somebody's saying I think it's very important to really hone in on that and listen and try to get somebody's [13:16] perspective if we get defensive right away or start to argue there's no transparency there because transparency [13:22] is a two-way street and then you know take responsibility uh you can't just say [13:28] well well you know um I tried my hardest but it just isn't possible it's I think [13:35] we need to take responsibility for our comments we need to take responsibility for our votes and we need to be able to [13:41] look at people and go this is why I I did this um I also agree totally that [13:48] it's a two-way street uh everything here is available every meeting there's a lot [13:53] of chairs in the chambers here their broadcast you can sit in here every meeting we give the opportunity for [14:00] public comments so I would invite our community to do that and I think those [14:05] are the keys to uh to solid transparency thank you moving on to our [14:11] next question this one is going to be about [14:17] taxpayers Lakeville continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota and the demand for amenities [14:24] services and Public Safety resources is constantly increasing for years [14:29] Lakeville has experienced such growth because of its competitive tax and fee position in recent years and with [14:35] current proposals on property taxes and fees it appears this Competitive Edge [14:41] may be waning how will you work to address the needs of Lakeville in a way [14:46] that does not overburden taxpayers and continues the growth the community has [14:51] enjoyed we will start with Drew box rud thank you um in my work with uh wood [14:58] bearing the engineering department and also at uh Ali EMS we were participants [15:04] in Grants and Partnerships and I think that is a a huge source of income that [15:10] the city has already tapped into and that is something that they should continue to do um everybody likes free [15:16] money free money does come with strings at times so that has to be careful because sometimes that free money does [15:22] have uh some strings to it that are um a little bit more [15:29] uh a little bit more more um honorous than they should be but um that's [15:35] definitely something that should be continued to be pursued quite a bit um also the [15:42] franchise fees that have already been looked into is something that I think uh is a great thing to be looked at and [15:49] that can be done selectively um many other cities of our [15:54] size and similar demographics already have franchise fees like this um we one [16:00] of the few that don't that is of this size and in this area in um our [16:05] region um and like I said it could be done selectively so it's not hitting everybody the same way and [16:12] then I think if we did our if we do our tax rate growth slowly enough it can be [16:20] done in a way that doesn't um doesn't eat away at that at that benefit that we [16:26] have right now of having such a low tax rate because we do have a very low tax [16:31] rate compared to the rest of the county and our county has a low tax rate compared to the rest of the counties in [16:36] the state so even if we do have our tax rate increase some it will be still [16:43] lower than much of our surrounding communities thank you moving on to John [16:49] burmel I want to start just by I really want to take a moment uh to [16:54] acknowledge the economic pressures that our community is feeling as I door knock [16:59] I hear This Time After Time After Time I was door knocking with a couple that came home from the grocery store we had [17:05] a long talk uh people are feeling inflation they're feeling prices [17:13] and this is a a huge issue to people and so I just I want to recognize that um I [17:20] agree our tax capacity rate has been the lowest in the county for years this year [17:25] we'll see how things shake out if it isn't the lowest it'll be number two uh so we are in a great tax uh a great tax [17:35] position and I people I want people to uh to recognize that um in terms of [17:41] strategies for keeping us competitive uh I see three things uh one of them is [17:47] just partner opportunities uh opportunities that we have uh to invite outside agencies to [17:54] help fund our initiatives a great example of that is a safer Grant we just got awarded that Grant uh which will be [18:01] very helpful as we move our fire department to a hybrid Department uh [18:06] that will help defers a significant part of the cost for uh at least three years [18:12] I think we remain strong in our fiscal policies uh Lakeville is unique uh we [18:17] have a finance committee that gives Some solid advice we have fiscal uh policies [18:24] that address um our our Surplus our budget surplus IT addresses our debt [18:30] levels uh those policies have earned Us in the time that I've been on the council a AAA credit rating and finally [18:39] uh just maintain that AAA uh Bond rating um with good savings and Good Financial [18:47] policies people want transparency and they want to know what they're paying for and I think that's the biggest thing [18:52] thank you John moving on to Dan Walter I want to start off by [18:58] acknowledging um Lakeville is already in an extremely strong competitive position we do have [19:04] the lowest tax rate in Dakota County we have no franchise fees now whereas most of the communities around us have had [19:09] those uh for for quite some time to fund everything from Public Safety to uh street lights um and as John said I I I [19:17] totally agree and totally can understand and relate to the pressures people are feeling it's it's it's tough out there [19:22] with interest rates High the cost of of feeding your family and living a in a home is high so that just weigh weighs [19:29] on me heavily every time we talk about fees or levies and I think that's the most important um important uh part of [19:37] this discussion is to make sure we're understanding how it impacts people with that said we have enormous challenges uh [19:45] in front of us especially in the public safety area with the growth of this community where it's 75,000 people we [19:51] hav't kept pace um when it in terms of police most people don't know we have a part-time paidon call fire department [19:58] that we're Gra ually transitioning to a hybrid one um those are going to be some big Investments um and we need to be uh [20:04] mindful of that and we need to make sure we're clear and communicating to people the value of those um just like I'm [20:10] hearing from people at at doors the importance of the quality of life I'm hearing or excuse me the um the [20:16] pressures economically I'm hearing concerns about public safety and the need to ensure we're making those Investments so it is a really tough [20:23] Balancing Act I think the onus of this question I think probably goes back to the current franchise fee discussion and [20:29] I was uh I will say I went into this the discussion on it as a proponent of it because I think it's a it's a new and Innovative way to fund some of uh city [20:36] government one of the concerns that I keep hearing especially from people in the business Community is that it is putting part of city government on [20:42] autopilot we pass it once and then let it go for 20 years so we don't have that deliberation each year so that's of [20:49] concern to me and I have to admit I'm somewhat undecided on that issue right now so I'd love to hear from people as [20:54] to what they think about that thank you thank you [21:02] and for our next question we will start with John burmel this one's on strategic [21:07] priorities Envision Lakeville was created to serve as a road map for the future of the city how have the [21:15] Community Values and strategic priorities of Invision Lake Lakeville been carried out and what still needs to [21:22] be addressed well I think what's been carried out um in what we've done well [21:28] is just a sense of community and belonging uh people thoroughly like [21:34] living in Lakeville and this community has changed I mean I've been here for 34 [21:40] years but even in the last couple years this community has changed in the last [21:45] year I've been to a dwali celebration a Chinese New Year celebration a cricket [21:51] tournament and one of our newest showcase Parks is going to have a Cricket pitch in it so I think that [21:57] we're doing very well in welcoming uh diversity into our community and I just [22:04] people appreciate the small town feel that we have in Lakeville um it's it's a [22:10] large city but you still feel like you live in a small town I hear that [22:15] frequently uh in terms of Natural Resources uh our Park referendum uh made [22:20] some improvements to Trails and to Ritter Farm Park so we have a a host of natural resources available and we have [22:27] a high quality life here people rate that high in terms of improvement uh some Diversified Economic Development uh [22:35] it would be good to see more commercial uh development uh more robust uh [22:40] represented in the community in a connected community in terms of Lakeville this has always been a bother [22:47] it's we have three zip codes three City addresses and three school districts that we are there are people that live [22:53] in Lakeville that quite frankly I'm not sure they realize they live in Lakeville and I think that the more that we can [22:59] educate people and have them understand that the more like our business area [23:04] especially our downtown uh would be uh used and uh housing options one person [23:12] out of every five who works in Lakeville lives here and it would be good to have [23:17] some housing options where we can increase that number and keep uh our Lakeville money in Lakeville with people [23:23] living and working here thank you moving on Dan Walter I just want to Echo what [23:29] John said about people sometimes being confused as to where they live because of the ZIP code issue because I went to somebody's door and she argued with me [23:35] for a while that she lived in Rosemont so I relatively new to the community um we had to have that discussion so I I [23:41] totally agree on that um every business every level of government every nonprofit needs to have a strategic plan [23:47] and vision en Vision Lakeville is that for the city of Lakeville we I believe it was 2013 that it was first passed and [23:54] uh has been updated every five years since um I think uh we do good job in ensuring that every uh action uh [24:01] everything we vote on fits under that umbrella and how it relates into each of the five strategic priorities outlined [24:08] under Envision Lakeville um I had the opportunity before serving on the council to serve on the cultivate a [24:13] sense of community task force which was a special task force created uh just to focus on that that one piece the sense [24:20] of community and it I had the opportunity to chair that organ that that group as well um it was a wonderful [24:27] experience to get to see the University of Lakeville how this this community has gotten richer culturally and in terms of [24:34] diversity and faith and and the array of uh of of qualities there um much of what [24:40] we looked at for that was we we met with the folks from ppra we met with the Arts um Art Center to find ways that we could [24:47] strengthen the Multicultural aspects of things and I'm proud that of of what's happened in that front Mark pan prag has [24:53] had a number of the the the cricket tournament uh the Asian food festival last year and then the Arts Center has [24:58] also Diversified quite a bit that they do uh for the summer concert series so I'm proud to see that I think that's [25:04] important um it is for me the priority probably the biggest piece out of Envision lakevi that we need to work on [25:11] is that sense of belonging and placemaking um that is one that's always going to for any Community that's [25:16] bringing in new people that's going to be uh an issue of concern and something we need to continue to work on so thank [25:23] you Dan Drew box rot I want to start with um if you haven't read through some [25:29] of the information on the Invision Lake uh Invision Lakeville go read it it's [25:34] really interesting um I read through a bunch of the 2023 update that's on the [25:40] uh City website and some of the responses to all of the um Citywide [25:46] survey is really interesting I love reading through that stuff um some of the answers to the survey about why they [25:54] love Lakeville is great we love the small Town feel but we still get to have [26:00] all the great Services of being in a city you know how how do we how do we [26:07] keep all those great services but keep the small town feel you know all these issues that you know how do we play both [26:14] sides of that coin are the same things that are coming up in a lot of second ring suburbs um like Lakeville um so [26:22] that's something that most cities are dealing with how do we how do we keep that small town feel but at the same time be really welcome to everybody else [26:30] um that hasn't traditionally lived in the second ring suburb um a lot of the wording changes [26:37] that they had recommended and adopted from that 2023 update um to be more [26:42] inclusive I think is awesome um I don't know if that was part that you were on [26:47] but if it was great work oh all right um just I think I think that was awesome [26:55] just because words matter and how how it how it's worded really um really makes it truly inviting [27:04] to people on how um how they're seen and [27:10] how they want to be how they want to be heard in the community um one other thing that I thought was really [27:15] interesting from the Invision Lakeville report was uh that it mentioned our debt and I think that is something really [27:21] important is that we have very low debt in Lakeville and I think uh that's something very important to keep going [27:28] um John mentioned the AAA rating and I think that is very important to keep [27:33] going thank you with our next question Dan Walter will start and this [27:40] one is going to be on connection given that the Lakeville chamber is a business advocacy [27:46] organization tell us specifically about your connection and involvement in the local business [27:53] Community thanks Amy um so I actually am I I work for a company that I believe is [27:59] one of if not the largest employer in in Lakeville depending on what what data you look at so I uh was involved with [28:06] the chamber before uh serving on the city council um and engaged in those activities um also at the at the state [28:14] level I'm uh incoming chair for the Minnesota retailers Association so specifically have um expertise I guess [28:20] and connections on the retail sector which I know is really important uh to us as well um as a council member I have [28:27] really really um I saw the Chamber of Commerce as being uh a great opportunity to immerse myself in the business [28:34] Community ever since uh starting in January of 2023 um I think there's been [28:39] maybe two ribbon cuttings in that time that I haven't haven't attended and there have been a lot um there's no [28:44] better way to see how this community is is growing and thriving than than getting to go to the to the you know [28:50] grand opening of a new tattoo parlor downtown or a a dog grooming business so I appreciate that and I think it's [28:57] really important for us again it kind of goes back to some what my answer to an earlier question we need to be [29:03] ambassadors for our city uh and that includes understanding and knowing those businesses being customers I think [29:09] there's also a joke with the chamber ambassadors every ribbon cutting I tend to become a customer of whatever that business uh is um I actually moved my [29:17] mom into a different uh assisted living facility after going to that ribbon cutting so I really try to engage uh and [29:23] take ownership as a as a community leader in those uh in those businesses [29:29] uh I really think it's important whether it's business or other groups that you're accessible that you're responsive [29:34] uh to people to ensure that you're understanding uh their issues to me that's the highest expectation of leadership is is that level of [29:40] Engagement uh the business Community has an important role in this community obviously as uh not only as employers [29:47] but in providing critical Services we all hear about restaurants and the need for more restaurants and and such so [29:53] it's really our job to make sure we have our arms around that and we're connected uh to to make make meaningful impact [29:59] there thank you next up is Drew box rud all right so um start with my wife [30:06] and I are uh small business owners ourselves uh nothing that you know we [30:12] can present you with a steak and potatoes or anything like that but um so [30:17] being small business owners we have um we have a craft business that we operate [30:25] um but it's not like I said it's not uh brick-and mortar type of thing we did uh [30:31] participate in the downtown craft fair last year and that was a lot of fun uh my wife also has her own business that [30:36] she runs for her main job um I've also consulted with uh Lakeville links the [30:43] indoor golf simulator that's over by cro 50 and 35 in that area in the same [30:48] building as the school district uh consulted with them pre-opening and uh actually bartended with them I was kind [30:55] of in between jobs for a little bit there and that was a great experience um to help them with the pre-opening with [31:03] their bar setup and what all they need to do with um hiring bar bartenders and [31:09] getting all the Safe Serve certified and all that and then uh the other thing [31:14] that really is important to our family and we try and invite all of our friends [31:21] and our extended family is is really to support all of the local restaurants and [31:26] breweries and businesses you know it it might be cheaper to go up to Apple [31:31] Valley and go to Home Depot or Menards but it's really awesome just to go down to Ace Hardware and actually talk to [31:37] somebody and have them answer my question about why in the heck does this [31:42] thing not work and actually have somebody talk to me and say okay yeah go to this aisle [31:49] and grab it and it'll be set so supporting the local businesses I think is huge and we really try and push that [31:56] with all of our neighbors and friends as well thank you moving on to John burmel uh I [32:01] I grew up in a small business household my dad was a barber he owned a barber shop for 42 years you owned a barber [32:07] shop in the 70s you know what hair was like in the 70s we ate a lot of mac and cheese when you 80s came and the crew [32:14] cuts came back we moved up to Hamburger um so i' I [32:19] appreciate small business and I appreciate the web there and I [32:25] appreciate the way that businesses support each other I've seen that my entire life including Lakeville um I've [32:31] supported our business Community for 34 years by doing the things like going to Ace Hardware versus a a bigger place [32:38] coming downtown to to get something maybe to eat uh I think this is probably a very one of the most important [32:45] questions in terms of economics and keeping Lakeville money in Lakeville when we support our local businesses [32:52] we're spending money that is going to be spent Again by people who are investing their lives in our our community and so [32:59] economically it's a great way uh to keep uh keep ourselves flourishing uh in terms of chamber [33:06] involvement um I became involved with the chamber when I became involved with [33:11] the council and what an opportunity to network what an opportunity to help [33:17] other people Network I get asked I'd like to think about starting this I know who to call to connect people to try to [33:24] grow our business community so I think that's that's huge and the events are [33:29] significant in terms of building relationships that are going to help our our business Community I participate in [33:36] the events I love the ribbon cuttings I love the events access and issues those types of things um and we need to make [33:44] decisions that support downtown like uh design and lighting and stuff and I'll just close by saying this [33:51] if anybody doubts uh the veracity of my commitment to the business Community I go to a barber in town [34:01] wonderful thank you moving on to our next question this one is on [34:08] support how will you support City staff in their efforts to Market Lakeville as a business-friendly destination to [34:15] potential new and re excuse me relocating businesses and we'll start with Drew box [34:23] Rood uh first of all I want to say um I don't know how much the city staff needs [34:29] to be supported because they're already doing an awesome job um if you haven't [34:34] looked through the city website look through the city website and all the stuff they have on there for businesses [34:43] um there's great resources about um what you need to do if you're moving a [34:49] business here what you need to do if you're trying to build like uh build an [34:54] actual building what you need to do if you're coming in to buy an actual [35:00] building that's already pre-built they have all of the information already laid out there and [35:08] to me that's that's huge already having that information out there some cities [35:13] don't have that set up and ready to go and I think that one that's huge so [35:19] great job City of Lakefield staff I think that needs to be supported and needs to be continued um and then the [35:25] second thing um supporting the different departments um with flexibility when needed if [35:30] somebody comes in with a business idea and they want to put uh a business that doesn't meet the [35:35] exact zoning requirements on a specific Corner maybe it meets the spirit of what [35:43] is supposed to be in that area but not the letter of it so maybe something that [35:50] needs to be changed and worked through um with planning and through Council and [35:56] that kind of flexibility is important and and can easily be um tied up and [36:02] have somebody turn to a different city if it if it's not work through easily so that flexibility is is important and [36:10] again great work to the city staff to already have that website full of resources thank you now [36:17] we we'll hear from John burmel I I agree I mean the point I would make on this [36:22] question is flexibility is key uh we're at this point where a place and I don't [36:28] know if it's a place just in our community or a place in history um or an area where era where technology and our [36:36] community needs are growing and changing at such a rapid rate some of the [36:41] processes and policies that we have uh can really be outdated very quickly and [36:48] so we need to be flexible to uh to adjust to that couple examples um some [36:54] warehouses that uh that went in where we did height Varian es and the reason we need to do the height variances is [37:00] because the equipment that they use to move stuff up has changed and become so [37:05] much safer that they can put things higher and had we not been willing to do that those uh businesses might likely [37:13] have gone elsewhere uh so we need to be able to do that uh just recently we approved a zoning change for a small [37:19] business that wanted to move from one location to downtown and we had the [37:24] flexibility to look and act in the spirit of of what we're looking at uh to [37:31] make that happen so I think that's very important for us to be flexible I think [37:36] we also need and why I know we also need to be supportive of Staff publicly uh [37:43] I'm always always take the opportunity to tout how good our staff is because I [37:48] don't know if everybody in Lakeville knows how uh capable the people are that [37:54] work for them are and uh so I think those are probably the two keys uh to [37:59] supporting City staff thank you let's move on to Dan Walter so we are really [38:05] fortunate to have um an outstanding team in our Community Development Area um [38:10] with Tina goodroad and Katie Bach we've got a lot of new energy there a lot of new ideas um which I think are really [38:16] important and then also I want to give another shout out to the chamber they work in tandem with the chamber uh which [38:21] which serves as another cheerleader for the community in articulating the values that we uh we provide to to to [38:27] businesses so I I love that relationship of working together with staff uh and and the Chamber of Commerce um we the [38:34] other this this week at our work session we received the uh Economic Development uh commission's long-term Vision there [38:41] for some ideas uh in the economic development space some really Innovative stuff but some again some things that [38:46] may have some some tough decisions one of the ideas was to create an economic development Authority which means to [38:52] bring more resources to economic development but again that means a another form of Levy so we as a council [38:58] I think need to make sure we're looking uh with a with a forward-looking eye at some of those ideas to be supportive [39:04] where we can uh to be mindful of uh of the need to support that growth um and I [39:10] think the other important thing I mentioned the the economic development commission the most important thing for for people in a city council role I [39:17] think is to utilize others expertise as well um none of us have the expertise in [39:23] in in in what a new business in the industrial park might necessarily need but we do have those those um those [39:29] individuals on the EDC and other roles within the city and we need to make sure we're relying on that expertise and not [39:35] trying to to to to fit it into maybe what our vision of a specific industry [39:40] uh is um finally I do think again I mentioned it before I'll probably [39:46] mention it a couple more times we all need to be advocates for our community um when there's a new restaurant that's [39:51] launched in the Twin Cities looking for an area um whether we're whether it's the mayor or members of the council we [39:56] need to be looking for ways to reach out and make sure Dave's Hot chicken or whatever is looking at at at Lakeville [40:02] and that we're singing that uh singing the value of of our community thank you let's move on to our [40:08] next question this one is in regards to law enforcement and we'll start with John [40:14] burmel local police departments are dealing with an increase in crime opioid use calls related to mental health and [40:21] medical alerts due to an aging population while at the same time are seeing a decrease in law enforcement [40:27] career interest what if anything do you feel needs to be done to ensure that we are one meeting the public safety needs [40:35] of Lakeville residents and businesses and two attracting law enforcement professionals thank you this one warms [40:41] my heart um that's my professional background uh I'll start by saying this [40:47] when someone in our community calls 911 uh they expect an officer to show up who [40:53] is well equipped well trained capable and knows our [40:58] values and so those are some of the keys to recruiting police um I have had the [41:05] professional responsibility to recruit and hire police officers and I can tell you it's highly competitive and it's [41:12] fast moving and so you need to have a Competitive Edge uh pay is one of those [41:17] I support policies uh that uh uh support paying a competitive wage for our police [41:25] officers top-notch training and equipment and community support and [41:31] police officers want to know that there are opportunities inside their department so those are some of the keys [41:36] to recruiting and Lakefield does a very very good job with that uh we have a uh [41:41] very professional Police Department uh they do very well with their training [41:47] and the officers have lots of opportunities um I also support policies uh that address the programs [41:55] that are front and foremost now with law enforcements mental health uh the county [42:00] has invested in in uh mental health professionals to be with the police [42:05] department and to help with that uh that's significant for our community and [42:10] it's also significant for the police officers uh there are peer support groups um that are going and those are [42:17] the things that police officers are looking at when they want to work come and work in the community how am I [42:22] supported what's our training what kind of equipment do we have and lastly how [42:29] does the community support us and it's best I I I always whenever we get an [42:35] opportunity like to uh to break up the professional uh well run Police Department we [42:41] have thank you next we'll hear from Dan Walter when talking about Public Safety [42:46] I think it's important to acknowledge my two um counterparts up here John bural as a career as a police officer and [42:53] drewy you're EMS professional as well so I want to thank them for their service in those roles this is a community that [43:00] has always had a strong appreciation uh for Public Safety uh whether it's law enforcement or whether it is a volunteer [43:06] fire department um we've got people that are willing to to to to answer the call and that is that is critical uh for for [43:14] for any Community um I as I've mentioned before I think Public Safety has to be the council's top priority um it's what [43:20] I'm hearing from people uh as their their concerns um and also just the growth of the community we've we've [43:26] grown grown rapidly and we need to ensure that we're keeping Pace uh in in both police and the professionalism of [43:33] our fire department like I mentioned before those are going to result require some Investments and uh this this next [43:39] Council will have some some major decisions to make there to ensure that we're keeping Pace um on those issues um [43:47] I want to Echo what John said about Community Support as well um you know one of our state representatives Jeff [43:53] Woody retired police officer started an initiative called la enforcement 365 [43:58] initiative um after the tragedy that happened in Burnsville um last a few [44:04] months ago maybe maybe a little longer uh you know one of the concerns is we want to show Law Enforcement that we [44:09] have their back 365 days a year and not just uh at the time of the funerals and when we put the signs in our yards that [44:16] we want to as as an way of operating we want to make sure that law enforcement knows that we've got their back and that [44:22] is one thing that would be a priority for me uh on the council in the future [44:27] thank you now we'll we'll hear from Drew box rud well this is one uh that I wish I had more than two minutes on so um as [44:36] um when I was at Al EMS um running the Communication Center there we use the [44:42] medical priority dispatch system it's a big fancy way to say we ask you a whole bunch of questions when you call 911 for [44:48] medical um Dakota County EMS or Dakota County Communication Center uses the exact same system and I know that our [44:56] Police Department here here in Lakeville goes on a lot of Medicals I think that it could be cut down quite a bit Dakota [45:03] County like we did it at Alina they know what they're doing they've gone through [45:08] certifications and I think um a lot of the [45:14] Medicals that police and fire are sent to could be dialed back everybody wants [45:19] to get a quick response from everything but police don't need to go on a medical [45:24] where somebody rolled their ankle at a softball game you don't need everybody [45:30] there you just need an ambulance there to help the person and get them to the hospital um so I think that's one thing [45:36] the reason I bring that up is because on the questions that we got uh Medicals was mentioned on there as well um one [45:43] other thing that can help alleviate some of the officer time and uh is redl and uh speed [45:52] enforcement cameras this is a pilot that have started with uh Minneapolis and state patrol and I believe one other [45:59] city as well I think that's something that the city council can can get um be [46:04] supportive of it's not something that obviously we can pass but I think it's something that um we can support and it [46:12] takes a lot less effort and a lot less time for an officer to go through and um [46:18] go through the red light tickets or the um speed enforcement tickets with the uh [46:24] cameras than it does to actually set out there and enforce it and that is still something that's very important and I [46:30] have a whole lot more to talk about with recruitment but I'm going to run out of time thank you we are down to two [46:38] questions the second to the last question is about [46:44] Workforce we need to continue to develop and support strategies to recruit and retain qualified candidates for the in [46:52] demand positions available in Lakeville the city is an active partner in the chamber Lakeville Works program designed [46:59] to create awareness of in demand careers in Lakeville how will you support this partnership and work to ensure that [47:05] Lakeville has the services and amenities that will attract the workforce to fill our jobs go ahead Dan Walter well I want [47:14] to thank you for this question because I think Lakeville works is is a model uh program uh public private partnership um [47:22] that I know we've touted with people outside of Lakeville as well it's a great model uh I want to applaud uh the [47:28] Lakeville school district for being part of that and being such such great partners with the with the chamber um [47:35] the city as you mentioned has been a partner in that and I I think we need to redouble the city's commitment to that [47:40] program we have a lot of departments within city government that would provide good opportunities there as well whe and their their professions where [47:47] there are people retiring out um whether it's water treatment whether it's Street Maintenance whether it's law enforcement [47:53] there's a lot of opportunities there that we could uh work with Lake works on uh as well I also one of the things [48:00] that's kind of I have a background I worked a little bit at the University of Minnesota for a number of years and higher education and one of the things [48:06] that's kind of loomed for me is that we need some higher education presence in in in the city of Lakeville as well um [48:12] you know we've got great relationships with our community and technical colleges and I I I want to be mindful of [48:18] the potential at some point to get some higher education presence here to to support this goal but um again I I just [48:25] I want to give a shout out to Christa Jack on this one I I believe I've sat through her Lakeville Works Spiel 20 [48:31] times in 21 months um and I'm a True Believer I'm a True Believer and and she invites us as City Council Members to be [48:37] part of some of the programs with high school students and when you see the enthusiasm that they have to have been [48:42] exposed to a new career option a career option that they may not have considered it really is uh really is heartwarming [48:49] so uh this is a great great initiative that we need to to continue thank you [48:55] next we'll hear from Drew box rud all right so when I first read this question I was assuming that it means [49:01] what will Lakeville do to have employment for people that [49:08] work at Lakeville the city of Lakeville is that what the question is meaning the question is more intended [49:15] for the citizens of Lakeville how do we create jobs or the jobs that we have in Lakeville how do we continue to [49:22] encourage residents of Lakeville to reach out to those employers um okay and yes keep the [49:28] people living in Lakeville working in Lakeville okay so at first I read it as [49:34] how do we as city council encourage people to work for the city of Lakeville if that was the [49:41] question then my answer was going to be benefits benefits benefits because if you're working for the city you're [49:46] usually looking for a job with benefits and pay is usually [49:52] second switching to that question what they're actually asking um [49:57] the Lakeville Works partnership uh I pretty much agree with what Dan said and [50:04] I don't have a better answer than that so thank you drew on to John thank you [50:11] John bural thanks yeah I I love uh Lakeville Works um it's interesting when [50:17] my kids were going through high school they felt an intense pressure to uh to [50:23] pick a college to go to a four-year Institute and my kids had friends that that wasn't [50:31] the route that was meant for them that you know they the ability to just work [50:39] and fulfill uh what you're good at I love Lakeville works because it takes [50:45] and it shows opportunities for people uh that they may not see or hear from their peers at school and it provides a lot of [50:53] opportunities I agree with Dan that it would be nice for the city to be able to double down and to get uh people working [51:01] in some of the jobs uh that Lakeville Works program would lead them to I think [51:07] for us it's important to leverage our networks to provide opportunities uh [51:13] when we hear of a business that's going boy I just can't get anyone to come and do stuff with us well we have this ability to we have this program [51:19] Lakeville works at The Fountains at oana we we are full of high school students we do a mcaps program I would love to [51:26] see a place like ours uh incorporate continue to incorporate Lakeville Works into that and provide uh career [51:33] opportunities for people uh that is you know a path outside of I I'm the product [51:39] of a tech school I I when I came out of high school I went to a tech school and [51:44] uh I had opportunities uh to get exposed to law enforcement through ride alongs and [51:49] whatnot and I think it was very valuable so I'd like to leverage our networks I'd like to leverage our City's offerings um [51:57] and just make sure that we continue to provide opportunities and keep our eyes [52:02] open for them and then finally um just to be present and to support these [52:08] events I think it means a lot to these students to see city [52:13] leaders uh recognizing what they've done thank [52:20] you and lastly the fun question what do business is on your [52:27] personal wish list for Lakeville we'll start with you drew box rud okay I have two answers um one if [52:36] it's a business that I'm going to be a patron at then it's an all you can eat sushi restaurant because although we [52:42] have some sushi places uh I would like an awesome all you can E Sushi Place partially because when I go to those I [52:49] can just order stuff that I like and then my kids can try all of it and when they don't like it then I can eat it uh [52:56] um if it's a business I'm going to own I feel like there's a really big need for [53:01] um like a multiport facility so um my two daughters uh play softball and my [53:08] one daughter plays soccer so there's big need to get into like uh the cages in [53:14] Burnsville or batting cages or like the Dome at North High [53:20] School there's a lot more need for that kind of facility so that was be that [53:26] would one that I would like to own a big huge Warehouse that you can adjust [53:31] however you want have people in there practicing all the time thank you John burmel all right so there are certain [53:38] people in this room that know what I'm gonna say uh but really two things that [53:43] I would I would say number one a Shields would be amazing uh a large retailer uh [53:50] that addresses a variety of people's needs uh Shields would be wonderful in [53:56] here uh but my my True Heart rests with White Castle um I would love to see a [54:02] White Castle in our community so what I'm thinking is this if we can attract and draw a Shields here that would have [54:09] a White Castle and part of the parking lot we got her set we're all good [54:16] perhaps a White Castle food truck a White Castle perhaps that's a good idea [54:21] I'm gonna write that down thank you Dan Walter mine's a little different uh and [54:26] that it's technically not a business but um as an animal lover myself I think one of the things we're missing in the South [54:32] Metro is a Humane Society um you know we've got a great one in the Metro the Animal Humane Society but if you look at [54:38] their map you got to drive all the way to Golden Valley to see dogs and cats um and I know there was one in Burnsville [54:44] uh for for a while and the land use disagreement resulted in it it closing but I think one of my big surprises that [54:51] I've had as a dog lover is uh the number of doors I'm knocking I I I swear there's as many dogs as people in [54:57] Lakeville now um cuz every door you knock at um you get a bunch of barking and it's usually multiple dogs so I [55:04] think that would be a great addition but following the precedent here of having two uh in terms of res restaurants uh my [55:10] the one I would love to see is Wing Stop um many people here haven't heard about it it uh I I I pretty much lived in it [55:18] briefly when I lived in Iowa during covid um it's it's a wonderful uh if you like wings so all right thank you [55:27] candidates now we are going to move on to our closing remarks and each [55:32] candidate will get two minutes for their closing remarks so we will begin with [55:38] John burmel I just want to say thank you again for the opportunity uh this is a a [55:44] good forum for people to uh to get to know us a little bit better it's been good to participate with two other [55:51] candidates that have the best interest interests of our community at heart um [55:56] and I appreciate uh their commitment uh to run for office and and to want to serve you know my priorities people ask [56:03] what are your priorities my priorities quite simply are the things that you elect City Council Members to do uh pass [56:10] a reasonable Levy support Public Safety support roads support our Parks and [56:16] Recreation to provide opportunities for people and a good quality of life um I'm [56:21] really proud of some of the things that we've accomplished and what I've supported in my time on the council uh [56:27] the finance policies I mentioned earlier that have led to a AAA Bond rating I hope people understand the impact that [56:34] has on our community financially positive impact the park uh the uh [56:39] successful Park referendum uh youth advisory commission we have now invited the youth into [56:46] speaking into City issues uh that's huge for me the rental registration ordinance [56:52] which I believe will help us keep our single family neighborhoods and our multi housing rental housing uh good in [57:00] terms of quality of life and and condition and uh The Envision Lakeville [57:06] update was huge and this transition from a high from a paidon call to a hybrid [57:11] fire department those are all things that I've supported that I'm very proud of us as a council uh that have done uh [57:18] I love Lakeville I want to continue uh to provide solid leadership here I [57:24] believe experience matters and finally uh if you have any questions [57:30] about uh my positions on things things that you didn't hear answered here you can reach me at [57:36] 61279 0180 or go to elect johal.com [57:42] thank you John burmel Dan Walter thank you I also want to thank the chamber again for holding this event for [57:49] bringing us all together and and also my fellow candidates for um putting their name on the ballot for stepping up uh to [57:54] serve the community of Lakeville makes us a better Community uh because of it so I have had the rare and unique [58:01] opportunity to represent the people of Lakeville now for 21 months on the city council and I was appointed to this [58:07] position and that to me I think has put a higher burden on me in terms of what I do every day wake up every day trying to [58:14] find new ways to meet people engage the community to listen to put my ear to the ground and my thumb on the pulse to [58:21] understand what the people of this community want um I've I've tried to do that diligently [58:26] uh on a daily basis um my uh priorities are threefold Public Safety fiscal [58:33] responsibility and low taxes and quality of life in that order I think we can do all those things I know it's not going [58:38] to be uh easy to balance the tax challenges uh with uh with the needs of the community but I I feel like I'm up [58:45] for that that task um I am new to Lakeville I moved here for the great quality of life and my job on the [58:52] council is to protect enhance that quality of life and make sure more people can have access to it I get asked [58:58] quite a bit about my yard signs which have a bulldog on that and I I have to plead guilty I just wanted to show off [59:03] my dogs um and anybody who's talked to me for more than 10 minutes I will get the phone out and show you the dogs but [59:09] the more they're English bulldogs and and Bulldogs are a rare breed they're never the most attractive or athletic [59:15] person in the room or dog in the room they're not the smartest dog in the room but they're the most stubborn and they're often the hardest to convince [59:22] that I think reflects a little bit about my style of leadership I'm stubbornly committed to these goals uh that I've [59:27] outlined tonight to make Lakeville a better place to live and we'll work tirelessly to achieve them so uh again [59:34] if you want more information uh www.dan walter.com has more information I'm Dan Walter I would appreciate your vote [59:41] thank you thank you Dan Walter Drew box rud uh start off by saying thank you for [59:47] having us here and uh just want to touch on a couple things so uh my previous [59:52] employment I think is uh a great place to start working in a L and the EMS and the communications center my work with [59:59] Woodberry and the engineering department has helped me work in a city to see the other side of the of the business I [1:00:07] guess and then uh I I've also been a police uh Reserve officer uh for Centennial Lakes up in the northern [1:00:14] suburbs and like these two have both said I love this town um we moved here [1:00:21] because you know we moved here from the east side of St Paul it was a good experience for the age we were um [1:00:30] but we wanted to come here and raise a family and this is this is what we want and this is this is the place we want to [1:00:36] be and the place we want to stay um when we are trying to figure out what our [1:00:42] slogan would be for the campaign we were talking with one of uh one of my daughter's [1:00:48] uh uh teammates and uh her mom said well [1:00:53] your your slogan should just be well trust him with our kid so you should trust him with the [1:00:59] city um it didn't quite make the cut because it was too long but I I really liked it so um I would appreciate your [1:01:07] vote if you need more information about me drewb boxer.com and uh everybody should vote coming up [1:01:14] in November thank you drew box rud well with that being said on behalf [1:01:21] of the businesses and residents of Lakeville and the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce I would like to thank each of of the candidates once again for your [1:01:27] desire to serve and for participating in this candidate Forum I would also like to thank the city of Lakeville and staff [1:01:33] for the use of the facility and recording our forums as a reminder the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce is holding [1:01:39] three candidate forums this year Lakeville city council Lakeville Independent School District 194 Board of [1:01:46] director Board of Education and a joint forum for House of Representatives district 57a and [1:01:53] 57b all candidate forms are being conducted and broadcast live with rebroadcast on lgtv Channel 180 on [1:02:01] Charter and on the city of Lakeville and Lakeville Chambers YouTube channels you [1:02:06] may contact the chamber at 952 468 2020 for the link also an important note the [1:02:14] Lakefield Chamber of Commerce has not and will not endorse any candidate in any election this year so on behalf of [1:02:21] the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce board of directors I want to thank you for watching and please remember remember [1:02:26] your vote matters we like to see you out voting on November 5th thank you for watching and have a wonderful night [1:02:36] [Music]