a political party or a candidate for office. The League has a long-standing history in our community of providing unbiased uh unbiased information on elections and the views expressed here tonight are those of the candidates and not those of the League of Women Voters. Sponsorship of this forum is not an endorsement by the League of Any Candidate. Please recall that Minnotonka uses rank choice voting and in municipal elections. When you vote, you will be given the opportunity to rank three candidates in your order of preference. And you can look on the Minnitankka website to learn more about it if you're a new resident here. There's never enough time to cover all the issues. If you feel that your question was not addressed, please contact the candidate directly and ask the question after the forum. And now I would like to introduce our moderator, Deb Brinkman, a certified moderator from the St. Louis Park League of Women Voters. Take it away, Deb. >> Thank you. Good evening, everyone. We'll start the candidate forum with the opening statements. Each candidate will be given one minute for their opening statement and one minute for their closing statement. Opening statements will be in alphabetical order. The order of answering questions will be rotated. Candidates will have one minute to respond to the questions. Please note our timekeeper has a 15 second sign and then she'll have a stop sign and that will be your indication that your minute is up. So, please complete your sentence and we want to make sure each candidate has the full one minute to to give their answer. Five candidates are running for the position of mayor. All candidates were invited here tonight to participate and everybody has accepted tonight. Present are Michael Briles, Alan Cousins, Jonathan Kent, and Rebecca Shack. Not here is John Kaiser. We'll be keeping an eye out for him when he does show up. we will just work him into the flow. Um we won't go back and try to um do opening statements or anything like that. We'll just work them in. Um we hope if most if not all the questions will be but will be those that were submitted by the audience. Um, we have also had a lot of questions that were submitted by email to the League of Women Voters of Minnitanka, Eden, Prairie, and Hopkins. Questions that are unclear, hostile, or of a personal nature will not be asked. Those that fall into the same general category may be consolidated, and that will allow us to cover as many topics as possible in the allotted time. Again, as Sharon mentioned, all questions become the property of the League of Women Voters, Minnitanka, Eden, Prairie Hopkins. Let's begin with opening statements. Again, we will start in alphabetical order. So, the first uh person will be candidate Briles. You'll have one minute for your opening statement. I'm Michael Briles. I'm currently reside in Minnetonka. Um just up the road here. I moved here in 2019. I am married with my wife, Jennifer. I have a son, Oliver, that's 11 years old. I enjoy fishing, hunting, um, nature. I work during the day for General Mills. Um, and I'm just running for mayor to see some changes among safety and parks. Also, I'm a big one for composting and recycling. That's all I got. >> Thank you, Candidate Briles. Candidate Cousins. >> Thank you. >> Thank you to everyone for being here tonight. Um, and thanks to the League of Winnipeers for giving us this opportunity. Uh, my name is Ellen Cousins and my husband David and I have moved into our home in 1991 uh, in Minnetonka, same one that we still live in. Uh, we fell in love with the community and made the decision to stay here when faced with a corporate move. Um, our kids are motans and graduated from the Minnatonka Hopkins, excuse me, school system and all of them still live in the same area. I have a proven track record for getting things done using my degree in business administration and marketing. I've taken on big community projects such as the Alice Smith inclusive playground, the Hopkins school boundaries, and Glenn Lake redevelopment as an economic development authority commissioner. I have a passion for our community and I have always done as as I've always done in the past. I will work with everyone to get things done and in the process will leave our children, grandchildren and theirs a Minnetonka they can be proud of and want to make their home. >> Thank you candidate cousins candidate Kent. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Jonathan and I'm running to be your next mayor. I want to take a quick moment to thank you all for being here and to the league for putting on this event. There's many other places you could be. So, it means a lot to see this room so full and hopefully a lot of people watching uh through the live stream. Also want to thank my uh fellow um candidates for uh being in this race. Uh it's not easy uh to do this. I'm learning this as as I go. This is my first time running. So, um my hats off to everyone who uh is running in this election cycle. So, a little bit about me. I grew up in Minnetonka uh and then moved away for about a decade for college and work and then came back here in 2018. Happy to share more about uh what I'm up to these days, but the short of it is I do caretaking for uh my dad. I work in retail and now I'm a candidate. Um one of the central platforms of my campaign is to make this city more mutual and that's centered around the concept of mutual aid which I hope to work into some of the answers that I provide this evening. I look forward to your questions and uh please uh make time to to talk afterwards. I I hope to talk to as many of you as possible. Thank you. >> Thank you, Candidate Shaq. >> Thank you. Thank you to the League of Women Voters for hosting this forum tonight. It really is such an important part of the local election process. And thank you for attending or watching from home. I'm Rebecca Shack. I've served on the Minnitonka City Council for the past seven years. And prior to that, I was a member of the planning commission and the 2040 comprehensive guide plan committee. I love this city and I'm so honored to be working in service to the residents of Minnotonka. My husband, Michael, and I have lived in Minnetonka for 12 years. We have a giant 5-year-old golden doodle, Magnus. I'm a small business owner. I'm an attorney and I'm a qualified mediator. I own a law firm where I practice family law and um provide mediation services for families in transition. I'm very proud of all the work that we've accomplished since I joined the city council in 2018 and I look forward to continuing to serve as Minnitankka's next mayor. Thank you for your vote on November 4th. Thank you candidate Shaq. Now we will progress into the questions that have been submitted. Candidate Shaq, we'll start with you for this first question and then candidate Briles will answer second. And the question is, this is a nonpartisan office. What does that mean? And how will you ensure that you're acting in a nonpartisan manner as you carry out responsibilities of being mayor? Candidate Shaq, please. >> Yes, thank you. That's a great question. I have endeavored to be since really since joining the planning commission in 2017 to be focused on the community. I am not I do not participate in any um any party uh processes and I am running this race absolutely nonpartisan. My focus is on the city and doing best for the people, listening to all the voices whether they agree with me or not. As a family law attorney, oftentimes I'm in a room with people who cannot agree on anything and I bring that service to the community. So my personal values and and politics don't come into play when it comes to my values come into play, my politics don't. And I really appreciate that our sitting um council operates in the same manner and I'd like to bring that legacy forward. >> Thank you, candidate Shaq. Candidate Briles, please. I guess I grew up in a small Wisconsin town, so I've been, you know, I grew grew up whether you're left or right, or I don't care. Um, I'm here to support everybody. It don't matter if it's left, right, or, you know, anything. But I'm here to support everyone in the community, not just one demographic. So I try to listen to everybody that will listen and I have an open ear for everybody and want to learn new ideas and new things that people want to see done. >> Thank you, Candidate Biles. Candidate Cousins, please. As many of you know, um I've been a longtime volunteer in the Hopkins School District. Uh nobody really knew my politics then and that is how I plan to operate as mayor of the uh of Minnotonka. I do not believe that we should be listening only to one side. I believe we need a balance in this uh council and uh we will uh I will definitely uh listen listen and listen again to all people of Minnotonka because that's who I plan to represent. I plan to represent the residents of Minnitonka, not uh not a certain faction, not special interests. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Candidate Cousins. Candidate Kent, >> thank you for this question. I think it's an important one and I would challenge uh and I include myself in this, everyone listening to contemplate um why this question is being asked and also um what you yourself think about it. uh because admittedly and maybe uh for my colleagues here too. I I have my stance which I'll share uh uh momentarily and then I there's to me I have some questions about um how honest we're being and genuine when we say this is a nonpartisan role and what actually takes place. And I'm not uh by any means accusing any uh current p uh occupier or or prior of uh I think everybody really is doing their best to be nonpartisan. And then there is the reality and it's my belief that um it is impossible to separate fully the politics from the personal. That's my belief. So I will do my best. I will remain as best I can as nonpartisan. And then just look at our Supreme Court. Those folks are supposed to be nonpartisan. I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that that's what they're doing. So, yep. >> Thank you, candidate Kent. We'll take a quick break while um candidate John Kaiser joins us. Go ahead and have a seat. And as soon as he gets settled, we will um proceed with the with the second second question. Okay, we do have quite a few questions on the budget. So we will um focus our attention on the budget at this point in time and candidate Kent will start with you for this first question followed by candidate Shaq. The question is um what is your opinion of an 8% property tax levy for Minnotonka the Minnitanka 2026 budget? >> Thank you. I think my short answer is I have a lot of questions about uh that number and how we arrived at it. And I will lead with uh while I am new to this process admittedly I have been attending study sessions and city council meetings and looking at the material online which I encourage everyone to do. One thing I really credit the city for is how transparent uh uh the process is in terms of making information available. Um, more broadly speaking, I think we need to take a step back and ask more. It's not that it's not happening enough, but I think it needs to be considered more. What do people want here? Uh, because I I think that we get ideas of it through surveys and who might show up to the meetings and participate in the process. And I certainly do trust to an extent the elected leadership and staff and they put in a lot of hard work. And then when I knock on doors, I consistently hear one thing, which is that the property tax uh increases continue to go up at too high of a rate and people don't know what's going on. So they have their part. People have to do their own homework and then I think there's a whole lot more that could be done. Um so I think there's other broader questions that need to be considered. >> Thank you, Candidate Shaq. Thank you. You know, as a sitting council member and somebody who has to vote on this year's budget, I think the community knows where I stand and that we spend a lot of time talking about it over the past eight months. I do not take the issue of taxing residents lightly. Every dollar counts. And I will say in the past several years, we've been challenged in four main ways. One, the loss of commercial real estate value, which is putting more pressure on the residential tax base. the inflation particularly as it relates to equipment and the costs of medical insurance and unfunded state and federal mandates which we do have to pass along through our tax levy. Finally, public safety and I'm unapologetic to the commitment that we've made over the course of the past three years to p public safety and implementation of the public safety master plan. We're committed to finding ways to keep the levy under control. And I take my job as a council member or mayor um to make the most judicious and responsible realtime decisions about the budget each year very seriously. >> Thank you. Candidate Shaq candidate Cousins followed by candidate Briles. >> Our taxes are rising more than the 5% we've been used to. uh that has been historical. Uh almost 8% in our 26 property taxes is just uh not uh something that I am happy about. It's time for the council to say no to increases and that's where it should start. The council's budget has almost a 15% increase for this year. This seems outrageous in a time where residents are facing uncertain economic conditions and these increases are way over what most of us are getting in pay increases. How can we be an inviting city when we keep hiking taxes year over year over year? Budget um has some things I agree with and some things I disagree with. I disagree with raising salaries of some personnel while firefighters uh get less than a sauna host and interns. Furthermore, we should pay in we should make pay increases for all city staff the same. Thank you. >> Thank you, candidate Briles. >> I am rather new to this as well, so um I'm just trying to figure some stuff out. I do not agree with the 8%. Um, is there a number that makes sense? No. Cuz I mean, our safety, our police, our fire department, you know, they deserve to be paid. We need upgrades to certain things. Understand, you know, inflation and rising costs and tariffs are now going to take effect. Um, do I do I have a solid number? Seven, six. No, I'm not sure. But 8 seems a little steep, but where do you draw the line? I mean, I know other cities are double digits and above us. So, when I look out there, I'm glad to only be paying 8% versus 14 or 20%. So, that's all. >> Thank you, candidate Briles. Kennedy Kaiser, please or Kaiser. >> Yes. Uh checking. Yes. Um yeah, that's um the high taxes in this city hurt poor families. They um horrible for single mothers, people in transition. And it's uh devastating. It's devastating because um too many people don't uh think about the the poor and they don't think about the people who are struggling. They and um it's time that uh we lower taxes. It's time it's overdue. We need this 8% is uh is there 8% more police? Is there 8% more roads? Is there 8% more schools? Why why is there an 8% tax? Where where am I seeing this 8%? Why why don't I get my 8%? Thank you. >> Thank you, Canon. Kaiser Kaser. All right, we're going to have one more question on the budget. So, with the uncertainty around federal spending, what would you do as mayor to help manage the potential budget impact? And again, we'll go a little bit deeper. What um do you have any other ideas to pursue other sources of revenue and how would that impact the residents of of your community? We will start with candidate Kaiser first. >> Let's see. I am a uh president uh for a couple years of the um Lions Club in Hopkins and I am work uh to uh support the uh underprivileged of of our community and it's uh going to take a community to um work together and to to solve solve these problems and raise the money cuz I uh I raise money for the community. That's uh that's what I do. And um it's um takes getting your fingers dirty. takes a lot of hard work and we can uh count on me that will make sure that to put uh raising money for the community as a priority which I do anyways. >> Thank you. Uh next we'll go to candidate Briles followed by candidate Kent. I think that we need to look for more grants, maybe put off some of the bigger purchases like firet trucks and maybe they need to go out a year or two and it needs to be a little bit longer. I also would look to work with other cities to see where they can help us and we can help them on certain things. um and look to others for ideas because I know I don't have all the ideas and neither does everybody else but I think grants and money from the state would be the best bet and then maybe your friends you know other cities. Thank you, candidate Briles. Candidate Kent. >> Thank you. So, a few ideas come to mind and um I would offer up that uh as events unfold, I would uh want to keep a close ear to what uh neighboring communities are doing, really anywhere around the country or world. Uh I'm open to a good idea. I don't really care the source of it. Um uh relatively speaking. Um and I think that's an important mindset to bring uh to life as well as governing. Um, quickly I'll say that I think that um, so far what I'm hearing from some of my colleagues and they're entitled to their opinions is almost a difference and a presumption that uh, the presence of police means we are safer. Uh, I don't believe that. Um, and I'm not here to say that I uh, don't uh, like police or don't think they have a hard job. I think in a context of our budget, the reality is 44% is uh attributed to uh our public safety and that includes police. So I think we need to start reimagining and rethinking how those uh services are used. Um I would also highlight mutual aid and I would audit the city and look at uh staff pay including those at the top. I would offer uh if the city manager was willing to take a pay cut, I as mayor would as well commenserate. There's one idea. Thank you, candidate Kent. Candidate Shaq, thank you. So, getting to the question about um potential federal impacts in the good news is in Minnetonka, we don't get a lot of money. The bad news is in Minnetonka, we don't get a lot of money from the federal government. We do get some one-time grants and that will probably end. I think we're re realistic about that. But most significantly now, I'm aware that our community members, our local nonprofits and businesses who are both employers in the community are experiencing a huge impact from the federal cuts. And so what that means is that um there could be job loss and business loss for folks who live in our community. And that also needs are going to be unmet, needs that were previously met by nonprofits. So, as a city, we have to be really prepared to look at how we're going to be asked to fill those gaps. People it people are going to rely on senior services. We already know they're relying heavily on health care via 911 and our police and fire. >> Thank you, Candidate Cousins. >> I'd start by count uh looking at hard at our budget. Uh the council 14.7% increase. I don't think that's necessary. City manager, uh, 10.9% increase. I don't think that's necessary. I think we start tightening tightening our belts, uh, within our our own budget right now. We also though can look at corporate partnerships. We can look at other cities. I see that um, let's let's see what Eden Prairie is doing. I think that their increase this year is about half of what we're doing here. um they're they have a larger city and yet they their taxes are not going up like ours are. So I would definitely look at uh look at our own budget, see where we can cut. I would look at corporate partnerships. I would look at other city partnerships and I'd look at other city budgets to see how they're doing it and we can't. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next question, we'll switch topics a little bit, but we'll kind of stay focused in the area of safety. So, how would you assure school safety for our Hopkins Minnotonka students in light of the annunciation shooting? And we will start with candidate Cousins, followed by candidate Kent. So, Excuse me. >> In the not too distant uh past, our schools all had school resource officers. I would start by adding those back into our schools and I would also add school add school resource officers versus uh taking them away. Um the tragic events that happened in uh at annunciation uh are unspeakable. Um but we should and we should make sure that all students feel protected are protected and not just those obviously in our public schools. annunciations. A Catholic school, the Catholic schools and all of the private schools had asked for more help uh last year, two years ago and it was denied. Uh so I think that we need to put pressure on him Henipin County to keep violent uh offenders behind bars. Uh catch and release system is clearly not working and I think that we need to uh end violence of all types. Thank you. Thank you, candidate Kent. >> Thank you. So, I think this is a really important one and I I do believe I could be wrong that there's many, if not most, in our community who probably feel very similar similarly on this matter. So, I in that sense, I have a lot of hope. Um, some of you may have seen the press conference that uh the mayor of Minneapolis and and St. Paul and our own mayor was there right in the middle and and I applaud their efforts in getting serious about uh gun control and safety including an assault weapon ban which I think is a starting point. I also think we have far too many incidents uh to learn from and we got to learn sometime and the bottom line is uh really gets to state and federal level but um you know so long as we don't uh there's there's a powerful lobby out there that insists that second amendment rights is more important than basic public safety and so long as that argument carries the way we are going to continue to see uh innocent people killed every day. So, I am committed to do whatever it takes, including learning from other countries. There are other countries, uh, Australia, Japan, who have solved this problem essentially, and that, yeah, that means taking guns away, and I'm all for it. >> Thank you, candidate Shaq. >> Thank you. First of all, our children deserve to be able to go to school and not worry if they are safe. Full stop. I am so proud of Mayor Wearsome and the stand that he took last week in joining the other mayors from the metro area to call for a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. That's immediate action that's required. It's also really important as a city for us to be a good partner with our school districts and that's something we do. We meet with the school districts on a regular basis. Minnotonka, Weisetta, and Hopkins all deal with school safety a little bit differently, and our job is to partner with them based on the decisions that they're making to be a resource. For example, we have a school resource officer in Minnitonka at their request. Hopkins has chosen to take a different approach to public safety and we're partnering with them in a way that works for their district and it we need to be that resource for them. Thank you, candidate Kaiser. >> Yes, I wanted to say that uh the question is uh what school is next since Coline what school is next? That's that's the question. And terrorists from Coline to today, they look for the weak targets, places that are not defended. And what I will do is uh make sure the police are well funded and able to handle any situation where any terrorist is attacking our citizens. Our police department will have everything they need to handle any school or any mall, any residence. Thank you. >> Thank you, Candidate Kaser and Candidate Briles. Well, I moved here from Nevada. So, I chose Minnetonka because of safety. Um, and the west metro. We looked at houses in Plymouth. We looked at houses Minnotonka. We just settled on Minnetonka. Um, knowing that Minnotonka is one of the best school districts out there. Um, I'm glad that my son is going to he goes down the road to middle. He goes to East. Um, I toured it the other day when we dropped him off and walked around and seen, you know, how secure he was. And I think that you know this school resource officer is good but also you know I think that the guidance counselors and others teachers can have a effect on all the students. So >> thank you candidate Briles and candidate Briles we'll start with you for this next question followed by candidate Shaq and the question is uh we'll switch topics and we'll talk a little bit about immigration. What should be the city's role in assisting ICE or immigration and customs enforcement or involvement in other federal initiatives related to immigration? Candidate Briles, >> you know, we all got here because of some grandparents or some somewhere down the line someone come across and you know for me it was my my great great grandparents come from Switzerland. So you know they come over as immigrants. Um, I don't have a problem with immigrants as long as they follow the laws and get the proper documentation that they require. Um, fugitives, anyone that breaks breaks the laws and aren't supposed to be here. I I guess I don't have a problem with them being taken back to where they come from. I'm would like to see this place stay safe and that's the way it is. >> Thank you, candidate Briles. Can candidate Shaq, >> thank you. So, our, as we've been talking about, our police have a big job here in Minnotonka, and it's keep it's to keep the community safe, make sure people feel welcome, and make sure that they um don't feel threatened. And that's the job that they have to do. The federal government and ICE has their job to do, and I'm not here to comment about how they operate and and what their priorities are. But in Minnotonka, our priorities are to enforce the law that we have here in Minnesota and to execute any warrants we have that are valid and for somebody who has an issue. But our job is not to do immigration immigration enforcement. And so talking about the budget, if we start to put more pressure on our police department and our officers to enact um at whim policies of the federal government, that will only drive police to leave and it will drive our tax levy up further. >> Thank you, Canada. Candidate Kent, followed by candidate Kaser. >> Yet another uh really timely um question, so I appreciate that being raised. I um I think I mo I agree with a lot of the sentiments that or at least some that my colleagues raise. Um I want to take a step back. So uh Minnetonka to the extent you agree that this is a largely privileged community. Uh I think with privilege comes even greater responsibility and uh you know history will look back on this time and note who did what when people who are on the margins were being attacked. Our entire country is under attack. There are cities under attack. I used to live in Chicago. Uh I uh it's really hard to watch what's going on there and not just there in Los Angeles. Uh and in our own backyards, I'm friends with a lot of uh first generation immigrants uh people who uh don't feel safe and they also don't feel safe around uh police a lot of the time for that matter. So I think we need to do whatever it takes to help out our fellow brothers and sisters. Um and yes uh follow the law as well. And then sometimes uh you got to do the right thing regardless of what's on the books. >> Thank you, Candidate Kent. Candidate Kaser, >> this uh this topic uh hits close to to my heart. This is u my uh fiance will scheduled to get married very very soon. um she is an immigrant and I um believe uh human rights are sacred. We should uh be defending our our defending our our most vulnerable and the people that are struggling. We got to defend them. And uh I um I don't want to see see innocent families leave. Thank you. >> Thank you, candidate Cousins. >> On this issue, I think the city needs to stay in their lane. uh immigration, immigration enforcement unless there is crime in the city that they are in uh pursuing is not our job. And as uh Rebecca said, uh they uh if we were to, we would increase our budget uh even more so than it is now. So, um very simple, stay in our lane. uh we we don't uh disrupt what other entities are doing, but we also uh don't need to um enforce anything that they're asking us to do. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Candidate Cousins. And we'll start with you with this next question. We'll lighten up the uh the question a little bit. Now, I know our last topics have been pretty pretty heavy. So uh our topic will be on the environment and parks. Um so we'll start again with candidate cousins followed by candidate um Kaser and the question is what specific new actions would you take to protect our natural resources from excess development and use? Candidate cousins please. So I I believe that we um had a discussion about this about a year ago, maybe a little bit um before that uh maybe even since then about uh building a parking lot in a wetland. And so I think that we need to really look at that kind of uh those kinds of issues. Uh the council did pass that. I'm I'm not I was not a fan. That was even regardless of uh development that uh is happening. I am for development. I am for parks. I am for smart development. I am for smart development of parks as well. So uh what specifically would I do to uh I'm I've kind of forgotten my question. I apologize. But uh we do need to make sure that um development and parks do not uh come close to each other in uh in in hurting our environment. >> Thank you very much. Kenned Cousins candidate Kaser, would you or Kaiser, would you like me to repeat the question? >> Yes, that that'd be wonderful. Um, what specific new actions would you take to protect our natural resources from excess development and use? >> Uh, what I'd like to do is um make sure that unused uh commercial properties that um offices are uh used uh to to make housing. I think uh that's that's important. We have a a growing community we we have to uh take care of and um if if we do not we'll have out of control um housing prices if we do not take control of uh the supply of housing. So, we we need to um increase um the supply and do everything we can to uh protect our parks and uh and nature and wilderness and turtles and birds, everything. Thank you. >> Thank you, candidate Briles, followed by candidate Kent. I think Minnetonka is known for its parks. I know I get out there and walk the parks at least once a week. Um there's so many parks that, you know, in Minnetonka that are great parks, whether it be Geodana or Purgatory, we need to protect those. Um, I do not want to see major corporations. I think we look at filling the office buildings that are not currently being used versus building new. Um, I think we give them incentives to use other buildings or if they have to remodel or whatnot versus go to our parks cuz I think our nature is what we're known for. So, >> thank you, candidate Briles. Candidate Kent, >> thank you. I love this question. Uh and I'd say a few things. One, uh as you may have heard uh before, a budget is a moral document. So what are the priorities of the city? And I personally think and I hear consistently and uh my colleague uh Mike just mentioned, we're known for the parks and having a lot of green space and that's wonderful. And how are we going to ensure that that uh stays that way? And what if for example more of the budget went towards uh the parks and green spaces and if necessary less in other categories? What that might that look like? We should have more conversations around that. I think we also need to remind people and I put myself in this that uh you know it's basic knowledge but uh as treetops disappear your air quality is materially impacted. For example, North Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, 15°ree uh temperature difference, and that's real. That's happening right now. Uh finally, what if we had a environmental audit? Maybe there have been versions of that. But something that asks, do we have enough trees? And if we don't, what are we doing about it? So, that's where I'd start. >> Thank you, candidate Kent. Candidate Shaq. >> Thank you. Um so, we have the highest tree canopy in the metro area here in Minnetonka. And as all my uh fellow candidates have said, we have incredible parks, we have water, we have all kinds of natural resources, and we're really committed to caring for them. We've also got the strictest wetland ordinance and tree protection ordinance, and those are great. We've worked really hard on that. We can do more. One of the things that I've been talking about and I'd like to see happen is to lean on our corporate partners to have them help us with restoration projects. We use a lot of volunteers now, residents who are so generous with their time. I think we can carry that forward on a bigger scale and asking apartment management companies and um some of our great companies that we have here in Minnetonka to help us take that next step. In 2024, we approved the climate action and adaptation plan. And now we've been working on we we've laced up our running shoes and we're working on implementing the recommendations that were in that plan. Thank you, Candidate Sha. And we'll start with you with this next question, followed by Kennedy um Kaser. How will you balance the desires of off leash dog owners with the rights of residents who want to enjoy our parks safely and without intrusion? It will probably surprise no one that I prepared for this question. Um, you know, for as long as anybody can remember, Minnetonka had a leash leash ordinance that our courts found to be uninforceable. So, as an attorney, that's a problem. And, um, we were tasked with finding a solution, which meant two things. One, to develop an ordinance that would be enforceable, that would stand the test in court. And um part of that include designating areas for where dogs could be off leash and start determining where those areas could be. So we've worked really hard as a council and as a community to make that happen. Council staff, the park board worked to find those places. We had a a community work group and it's difficult to find consensus. So we're designating places. We intend to designate more. We have an imperfect solution now and hopefully as we progress over the years we'll be able to hone that in and meet those needs. >> Thank you, Kenned. >> Yes. >> I think uh this is about um owner's responsibility. I believe that uh people of this great city um should be able to they know their dog. they they know that their their dog is uh doesn't get along with rabbits or people or kids, you know, they people who are dog owners in this great city, they they know this. Um I I think that the people in Minnetonka could be responsible to have their dog off leash responsibly. I think I believe in personal responsibility and um if if someone's irresponsible with a dog that can't uh control itself, that that that's just that's a no owner. That's um usually the owner's fault. So um we should hold hold the owners of the dogs accountable and give people the personal freedom. Thank you. >> Thank you, Candidate Cousins. Well, many of you know that I love to walk my dog in the parks. I love to train with her in the parks. And so, um, I am a dog lover. I, uh, but I do, I understand that many people aren't dog lovers. So, it's it's a matter of balance here, uh, and listening to both sides before anything is uh, has been decided. And uh I commend uh the council for doing just that. Uh I think it was last week or two weeks ago, whenever uh with Purgatory Park. I think that uh we need to come up with solutions and not just on a deadline. We need to make sure that our our solutions uh have have merit and um are tested before we actually make any ordinances. Thank you. Thank you, candidate Briles. >> I've heard a I've heard a lot of people ask me this question. Um I am not a dog person. I am allergic to dogs. So I am sorry about that. But I I got no problems with people out walking their dogs. I agree that there should be parks that they can walk and win. Um, Giata, Victoria, Evergreen, Purgatory, where those parks could be dog only parks and a sign could be put up as you enter. This park is a leash free park. Um, and there could be other ones where Groonka has a nice area where there could be a pen big enough, you know, that we could they could run and throw a ball and get their exercise there. So, I'm for it. As long as there are some you're walking down the street, I'd like to see it on a leash, but other parts, no problem. >> Thank you, Candidate Kent. >> Thank you. I like what I'm hearing from uh my colleagues and uh including striking uh better balance and also want to thank council member Shaq for uh her efforts and those who also stood up here. I was at the as was Mike I believe at the lengthy meeting some of you may have as well and that was a heated discussion and I personally love seeing um just uh that amount of engagement. I would also challenge our community myself included to show up in that manner in other regards such as the budgeting process. So uh please do that. Um uh I'll just briefly say that um I think one of the concerns I have and I'm still learning on this issue is if as things move forward uh with respect to Purgatory Park um the dollar amounts uh and there are different um ranges for fencing and what have you. So I encourage you to look at those proposals and as we think about where our money is going uh gets expensive. So yes, >> thank you. And Canada Kent, we'll start with you with this next question. We will switch topics now and talk a little bit about housing. And so we'll start again with Canada Kent, followed by Canada Cousins. The question is, uh, do you support the proposal to restrict homeless encampments in Minnetonka? What more, if anything, should the city be doing to combat homelessness? >> That's a great question. And so I uh uh admittedly something that um as I think about it, I would like to study even more. So I am open to either amending my position or um recanting it even I suppose, but I doubt it. Um I uh this one's a bit personal to me from folks that I know uh even in other cities who struggle with being unhoused. Um no, I don't think that any uh encampments should essentially ever be uh removed unless absolutely necessary. I think there is a delicate balance to strike with public safety. I will also uh um say that I can understand how community members have concerns about um populations that are unhoused and um boxes that they tend to check as far as um uh some have addiction issues, mental experiencing mental health crisis. I think in a way this one is a complicated one and then I also uh challenge us all. If we are truly an excellent city with all the researches that we do, we can find housing for everyone if we really want to >> be be a human. >> Thank you, candidate Cousins. [Applause] >> Homelessness is a tough topic. It's tough for those who are unhoused and it's tough for those who are trying to help them. Um, and u unfortunately many of them don't want to be helped. So we have to work we have to worry about that as well. Encampments in our city. No, I uh agree with uh having an ordinance against it. Um and so uh I think that we need to find solutions that are uh both uh that that take care of the people. That is the the biggest issue is making sure that uh those who are homeless have home know that they have resources within the city, within the county, and within the state that they can lean on if they truly want to become um if they want to not be homeless anymore. So, uh yeah, it's a tough issue and I certainly hope that we don't have to have encampments in our city and have to deal with them. Thank you so much. Thank you, candidate Cousins. Candidate Shaq, followed by candidate Kazer. It's been really important to me to deal with the homelessness issue holistically. So, uh, two or three years ago, we partnered with a nonprofit called His House so that we can get in front of, um, helping unhoused people before they're at a crisis point. And to date, we've helped 102 individuals with either housing issues, mental health issues, or who need addiction resources to try to help before we have an encampment issue. That said, we're realistic and pragmatic in this city and understand that this may come up, that we may face an issue where one of our parks becomes a homeless encampment. And we talked a lot about how we're going to handle that. And our priorities with the policy that we developed is to give people resources. And once they have been given resources and an opportunity to find a bed and a place to stay, a safe place to say stay, then we would have to have them leave our parks. It is a holistic approach and we can do our part in Minnetonka. >> Thank you. Candidate Kaiser. Um my uh number one priority is the uh people of uh this great city of Minnotonka and uh that priority means um doing everything I can to make sure there uh no encampments. Um doing everything possible to make sure we do everything we can to protect the safety and security of the people of Minnitonka. I do a lot of uh work with underprivileged and I got a heart for the people going through a hard time and I try to help them out as much as I can personally. But if mayor, I will make sure that there is absolutely no encampments and do everything to make sure that does not happen and is not allowed. >> Thank you. Candidate Briles, >> I would not see any encampments in Minnotonka as well. Um, I think we need to stop it before it gets to that. And like Shaq said, um, help them find a bed, whether you know it be at a motel or somewhere. Um, but then we're looking at money out of our pocket, the city's pocket again, and where does that money come from? So, um, it's a it's a sad situation. I, you know, I lived in Las Vegas. I've seen many, many of the homeless um year round and I just don't want that to be around, you know, that's >> Thank you, candidate Briles. Um, Ken Kaser, we'll start with you. We'll switch topics. We'll stay kind of on housing, but we'll switch and talk about um the rental properties now or the rental market. Um, and so the question is, "Some cities in the metropolitan area are considering ordinances regarding short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO. Is this something that um, Minnetonka City Council should be evaluating in addition to rental property registration ordinances?" Candidate Kaser, please. I think um I think the free market can uh handle this better than any uh government in the world. I think that uh the if we um prioritize the uh citizens of Minnetonka, we can um have uh the best uh rentals and the the best air and B&Bs. And um I I think that uh the more uh rent controls that the more u uh rent goes up. Uh they got plenty of rent controls in New York City and I I can't find an affordable apartment in New York City. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, candidate Briles, followed by candidate Shaq. I think in regards to an Airbnb in a VBO or whatever those letters are, um, I just use an old school hotel room. I'm old school, I guess, like that. But, um, in regards to those, if those people are subleasasing their house or renting it out, I think then they should be charged a little bit more. um because they're now profiting off their house and becoming a business. So, I think we should look at that and say, "Hey, you know, we would like some of that profit or, you know, that's just my personal, you know, I think we should, you know, look at it and say, hey, you know, it's a business and you're making money in our city. We should get some of that. So that's all I got. >> Thank you, Candidate Shaq. You know, there's no doubt we have a housing shortage. We have a housing shortage in Minnesota. We have a housing shortage across the country. That is also true in Minnitonka. You know, it is concerning. I I don't know that we necessarily have a short-term rental problem yet. We have established a um rental registry where we it allows us to take inventory as to what we have in the city. There are short-term rentals here and we do need to consider how to manage those. It is alarming that big corporations are buying up properties, renting them on a short-term basis, which is driving the rent up uh for other units, long-term rental units. So, it's something I think we have to keep paying attention to. It's not necessarily something that we need a knee-jerk response to, but I think the rental registry and taking the inventory has been a very good first start. >> Thank you, candidate Cousins, followed by candidate Kent. >> Right now, we don't have a problem and I'm very happy to hear that. Um, I I I saw that we had a rental registry. I know that uh there are friends of mine that do have a VRBO and they're very respectful of all of the neighborhood uh all all of their neighbors. Um so I as long as we don't have a problem, I would not want to make any ordinances. uh if if we find that uh there are or uh are issues coming up uh I think that then we need to deal with it. I am concerned though about uh corporations uh corporations bu uh that are buying up homes and not only are they buying up homes for rentals short-term long-term they're also buying up homes uh just to flip and uh pay and then our home our resident our people in in the city that want to actually buy a house have no uh good options, affordable options. >> Thank you, Canada. Kent, >> thank you. I want to echo the concerns just shared and that uh particularly around corporations or any large entity buying up properties. um we we should consider or be open to the idea of regulating that uh discouraging that uh as proactively as possible if we're at all serious about uh things addressing things like affordable housing. I will say uh I um I'm quite familiar with Airbnb and VBO from both sides of that equation. Uh and one thing I would offer up is I echo a lot of what council member um Jack described. think keeping an open mind and a a watchful eye, if you will, because things will evolve. And one suggestion would be uh if things do take a turn for the worse, and they may, um leave it up to our residents to have a referendum vote. And for example, uh city of Austin at one point booted Uber and Lyft from their city because they didn't like what was going on there. Not saying you have to go to that extreme, but they did that. And I think that's actually pretty remarkable that they even uh accomplished that. >> Thank you. I believe this will be our last question before we go to closing remarks. So we'll switch topics and we'll talk about the business climate here in Minnetonka. Um and we will start with candidate Briles followed by candidate Cousins. The question is lost you here. Here we go. um what steps do you think we need to take to improve um Minnetonka's business climate and what is your opinion of non-disclosure agreements such as those such as what some communities are making big tech industries like Google who are proposing data centers so non-disclosures and then just the general business climate Um, candidate Briles, >> I don't know if I have anything on this one. Um, yeah, got nothing. Um, I guess, you know, I'd like to bring more companies in. you know, I do find, you know, that, you know, Cargill is a nice, you know, to say, hey, the home, you know, Cargill's home is Minnetonka. I I wish we did have, you know, a few more big companies like that. Um, but we got the space, you know, what space are you going to give up? I mean, I know that we have some empty buildings, but I mean, there's nothing like that. um non-disclosures. I don't see an issue there. I don't think we've got the room for Google or Apple to move into town. They're buying up hundreds of acres and there's just not that in this city for that. >> Thank you, candidate Briles. Candidate Cousins, >> I agree with you. there is no room for a data center in Minnetonka. So, uh we can be happy about that, right? Um uh so how can we um improve Minnetonka's business climate? Uh I think that we can streamline uh some of the uh project uh some some of the uh um the way the way they projects uh excuse me. Uh, I think I I remember listening a few years back for two hours uh the city council arguing about how tall and how big a sign could be in front of the Cheesecake Factory. And that is the kind of stuff that we should not do. uh we should uh promote uh we've started doing uh more chamber work with the Weisetta uh chamber. I think that the that partnership should be expanded. I really like seeing that and uh thank you. That's all I have. >> Thank you, candidate Cousins. Candidate um Kaser, please. >> Yes. um business to have a good business, good malls, good shopping, good uh data centers. Um we we need a good first responders. We have to um have good uh police department who can respond to um uh shoplifting and uh crime. We need a low crime. If we want a good business climate, we need uh low crime and we need to fund our police department. And also, if we want a good business climate, uh we should uh be making it easier for uh for businesses, for the citizens of um Minnetonka to start their own business to uh lower taxes. Thank you very much, Candidate Kent. >> Okay, so a few things uh regarding data centers and I'll if I have enough time I'll try to expound. Um, something I definitely want to study up on. Maybe that's a little bit of the sentiment on on the DAS here. But also, um, so I have a a sweatshirt, I wish I was wearing it. Actually, I thought about wearing it that says, uh, our cell phones are powered by slave labor, which is not a pleasant thought to think about, but if you know anything about what's happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how those uh, sources get routed to power phones, I don't know a ton about it, but that that's real. So, I'm not saying you should uh throw away your iPhone or what have you, but the reason I say that, and it might not sound very related, is if you Google Elon Musk data center uh Tennessee, there's real talk about the disperate impact to people of color where they're building mega data centers. So, this might be what I worry about is NIMI on steroids. If we don't have it here, and I'm not saying it belongs here, I don't think it should be here, but where does it go? and maybe we take a proactive measure as a community to say it shouldn't go anywhere or let's have a pause on it. >> Thank you, candidate Kent. Candidate Shaq, >> thank you. I'll touch on that's a complicated question for one minute, but regarding the data centers, I it's probably not a Minnetonka issue, but if it were to be, I think full transparency is critical. If our resources are going to be used, our water is going to be used, it's there's going to be compromise there, then we need to know about it as a council and as residents. Regarding the businesses, we are so lucky in Minnetonka. We have Richell Mall, which has 1.5 average million visitors per month. The mall is according to our community development director over 90% occupied with res with with businesses or pending businesses. We also have Cargill, Carlson, Medica, UHG. We have some wonderful companies that give to our community and are a great resource. So, we have to keep them and it's important to have conversations to check in. We do a business survey. We participate in the chamber and that is that will continue to keep our community vibrant. Thank you. Did I miss anyone? All right, good answer. All right, we will now progress to our closing remarks. Our closing remarks will be in random order and this will be an opportunity for you to summarize your qualifications and and your positions. So, we will start closing remarks with candidate Kent. I want to thank everyone again for being here and uh to challenge us all to just uh continue to think critically about um the issues discussed tonight and those that may not have gotten as much mention or any mention. So uh I'm I'm running on a concept of mutual aid. As we talk about the budget, the reality is um there's less federal dollars and even state money available. So people in general are having to do more with less. And Google mutual aid, it's a really cool concept. And a lot of you do it. If you ever give a winter coat to someone in need or cook a meal for someone, that's mutual aid. And there's more to it than that. But, uh, I recommend a small little book by Dean Spade. That's sp a d is the last name. Uh, to learn more about that. Uh, so anyway, I hope to talk to more of you, um, face to face. Uh, it's a privilege to be a candidate, and I don't take that lightly. Um, and I think honestly, uh, you'd be in good hands with, um, most of us up here, I guess I would say. Uh, with all due respect, um, and yeah, sorry, I did really didn't mean to end on a barb. Um, this just my opinion. Vote, vote your conscience. Please vote. Oh, early voting. Uh, do take advantage of that, uh, starting September 19th and then election day, November 4th. I hope during your vote. Thank you. >> Thank you, candidate Kent. Candidate Cousins, >> thanks for some such an interesting evening. Um, this level of engagement can only make all of us better candidates. Um, I hope you've seen in my responses that we have much that is good to build on. That building can only be done by many of us working together, working for you, and working for our community. Um, I'm running to be your next mayor to work alongside our council and city staff and get things done in a fiscally responsible, effective way. Uh we need sensible, valuedriven, transparent Minnetonka budgets and let's work together. Uh let's take a common sense look at uh our budget and other issues and build a better place for us, our children, and the generations to come. My name is Ellen Cousins. I can be found at ellenccousins.com. And I'm asking for your vote as your next mayor by November 4th. And uh yes, early voting does start in 10 days. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you, Candidate Cousins. Candidate Briles, >> I'm here running to make Minnetonka what it was and what it will be in the future. Um, I look to work alongside council, the police department, the fire department, have what, hear what they have to say. Um, why they need the money and, you know, and be open to all you people. I appreciate you all for coming. I've not seen this room packed like this in a long time. Um, I'm looking to make Minnetonka great for my son. My son's 11 years old. So, you know, I want to show that for the future. And, you know, I know Minnetonka has a wide diversity of age people. Um, so, you know, I want to keep it good for the older older people and as well. >> Thank you, candidate Briles. Candidate Shaq. >> Thank you. And thanks again to the League of Women Voters for hosting tonight's forum. I'm so grateful to Mayor Wearsome and those who have come before him, who some of whom are in the audience tonight, for their excellent leadership and the lasting impact they've had in the community. I am looking to carry that legacy forward. my education, my 20 years of experience working with with contentious family issues and my seven years on the Minnotonka City Council and prior to that as a planning commissioner and on the 2040 comp plan committee have given me the experience it takes to lead others in processes like ordinance development and complicated um development projects and de our annual ual budget process and I can help our residents and our community through that. I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve Minnetonka and I would be honored to be elected as the mayor. Thank you for your vote on November 4th. >> Thank you. Candidate Kaser, please. >> Yes. I want to say that I want to be there for the uh most vulnerable. I've uh done a lot of volunteering serving this community and serving at the women's shelter and uh serving um to raise money for uh most disadvantaged and uh plan on elected I want want lower taxes. I want to be there for the citizens that they can better afford to live, have safety and not live in fear. And I want to be there to put the Minnitanka citizens as my number one priority. And that means uh making Minnetonka, you know, less taxes is possible. and um better first responders as possible and being able to handle any um violent situation that arises that uh unfortunately happens too much in our schools and malls. We got to um be there for our uh first responders and the most vulnerable. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. All right, this concludes our question and answer section. I would like to remind everyone again that the views expressed in this forum are those of the candidates and not those of the League of Women Voters. Sponsorship of this forum is not an endorsement of any candidate by the League of Women Voters. And now we'll go to Sharon for our closing. Thank you everyone. We want to thank you all for coming tonight and the Lake Mit or the LWV, not Lake Minnotonka. You can see where my brain's been today. The LWV Minnotonka Eden Prairie Hopkins League would especially like to thank you for this participation. And for our online audience who is viewing as we speak, we'd like to thank our candidates for being part of the democratic process by running for office and for being willing to serve our communities. The league researches issues important to our members and to the health of our communities. If you're interested, there's a brochure on the way out on what we do. Uh membership is older is open to anyone 16 and older. Thank you again for coming and remember to vote on November 4th. [Applause]