Delve into the issues with the Prior Lake City Council candidates

Prior Lake American

The general election is swiftly approaching, and Prior Lake residents will have three candidates running for two seats on the Prior Lake City Council on the ballot.

Election Day is Nov. 6, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Prior Lake has eight voting precincts. Residents can go to pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us to find out where to vote.

Go to myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us for a sample ballot and to mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us to register to vote. Residents can register to vote on Election Day at the precinct, but must have lived in Prior Lake for at least 20 days and must bring proof of residence.

Residents may also vote absentee for up to 46 days before the election at the Scott County Government Center in Shakopee from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Absentee votes can also be placed on Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Absentee ballots can be requested in person at the government center or through mail by calling the elections department at 952-496-8560.

Candidates are listed in the order they appear on the Secretary of State candidate filings website. Responses were edited for length, clarity and grammar.

Prior Lake resident Warren Erickson filed on Aug. 14 to run in the Prior Lake City Council election. Erickson has lived in Prior Lake for 30 years. He has one daughter and four grandchildren. Erickson is retired, but has been a volunteer at the last five Olympic games and plans to volunteer at the 2020 games in Tokyo.

Q: If elected, would you promote commercial growth, work to maintain a small-town feel or both?

A:

“I grew up in small towns near the Canadian border. A successful small town is self-sufficient, not a bedroom community. I think that what people really mean when they say they’re looking for a small-town feel is a community where you tend to run into people you know when you go shopping, where you are familiar with the owners of the places you eat, get your hair cut or service your vehicle. I love that about Prior Lake, and I want to work to maintain that kind of sustainable, successful small town.”

Q: How should the city ensure that enough infrastructure is in place for current and future growth?

A:

“We need to plan for intelligent growth and to zone high-traffic areas for commercial growth, not give in to pressure from residential developers. There are many types of growth; I want to ensure Prior Lake grows the right way.”

Q: Besides growth, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the city, and how do you plan to address it?

A:

“Safety. This includes multiple issues, including but not limited to: distracted driving, domestic violence, drug abuse and bullying. These issues aren’t contained to schools or selected areas of our community, they affect everyone. I want to work collaboratively with police, firefighters, county and citizen groups for a better Prior Lake.”

Q: How would you maintain and strengthen community partnerships, such as those with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, nearby cities or the county?

A:

“SCALE, the association of Scott County cities, townships, school districts, SMSC and the county, is the gold standard on how to work together. Working together, Scott County can achieve and has achieved goals we could not and will not achieve alone.”

Q: If a resident came to you with an issue or a concern, how would you go about addressing it?

A:

“The first thing is listen attentively. Then, after fully understanding the concern, assess what I can and cannot do and respond accordingly. If unable to provide direct assistance and if appropriate, I will work to find someone who can.”

Prior Lake resident Annette Thompson filed on Aug. 1 to run in the Prior Lake City Council election. Thompson currently sits on the council. She has lived in Prior Lake for 33 years with her husband, Scott. She has two children and one grandchild. Thompson is a full-time city councilor after retiring from 33 years in information technology.

Q: If elected, would you promote commercial growth, work to maintain a small-town feel or both?

A:

“Prior Lake doesn’t have direct access to a major freeway or rail service, making heavy industrial development unlikely. We have nearby communities that offer good access to big box stores and retailing. I promote small to medium-size business and commercial development in industrial parks and the recently annexed land from Credit River Township, around downtown and the existing shopping centers. Downtown is our jewel, being enhanced by the Highway 21-13 improvements. It will create additional businesses that complement and enhance its ‘small-town feel.’ Our beautiful parks, lakes, and community events ... provide the small-town feel everyone loves.”

Q: How should the city ensure that enough infrastructure is in place for current and future growth?

A:

“Good planning is essential. The city has an excellent planning committee; they are very thoughtful and intentional in their planning efforts. Currently the city of Prior Lake has a maintenance program; they include reconstructing two miles of road and mill and overlay (for) four miles of road annually. However, we have to be wary of maintenance costs. The more infrastructure we build, the more we have to maintain. Let’s not mortgage our future by assuming growth will pay for itself. Impact fees on future development should be very carefully considered. The cost of new infrastructure should be the responsibility of developers.”

Q: Besides growth, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the city, and how do you plan to address it?

A:

“Road project costs are rising annually — engineering costs, the cost of bituminous and labor cost. It takes a lot of manpower and equipment to run a city the size of Prior Lake. Equipment is expensive; it needs repair and replacement. The largest share of the city’s budget goes to personnel costs — salary and benefits. Residents are usually focused on the tax levy, but what about fees, water and sewer, and debt? As an elected official, this is my biggest challenge, but I am passionate about it.”

Q: How would you maintain and strengthen community partnerships, such as those with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, nearby cities or the county?

A:

“I love meeting people and getting to know them. Relationship building starts with honest, open communication, being authentic and respectful at all times. Being a good listener is essential. I enjoy it. City staff works on projects with our neighboring partners and communicates with them on issues on a regular basis. They have done an excellent job developing great relationships with our neighboring partners. I support and join their efforts.”

Q: If a resident came to you with an issue or a concern, how would you go about addressing it?

A:

“When I am contacted by a resident with an issue, I set up a meeting with them at the site where the issue occurs. I listen to them and take notes during the meeting. Then I go to city staff to determine what has been done or what could be done to resolve the issue. I follow up with the resident for a resolution or an explanation. If necessary, next steps would be to bring the resident into a meeting with city staff for further discussion until it is resolved.”

Prior Lake resident David Tieman filed on Aug. 13 to run in the Prior Lake City Council election. Tieman has lived in Prior Lake for 14 years with his wife, Kerry. The couple has three children — Amber, Cassie and Allyson. Amber and Cassie are college graduates, and Allyson is a junior at Prior Lake High School. Tieman is a senior executive in food manufacturing.

Q: If elected, would you promote commercial growth, work to maintain a small-town feel or both?

A:

“I feel Prior Lake needs to continue to promote commercial growth, which is a benefit to our community. Prior Lake is a terrific place for small business and light commercial activity. We need to encourage those businesses, which offer services for our community, whether it be healthcare, retail, manufacturing, entertainment activities or services which we have to seek outside our community. These businesses will enhance our city and provide employment opportunities within our community.”

Q: How should the city ensure that enough infrastructure is in place for current and future growth?

A:

“The first priority in ensuring enough infrastructure for the future is to maintain current city infrastructure. When infrastructure such as water, sewer, building, parks and city streets are cared for with proper maintenance schedules and training, the need to make major upgrades is reduced. I believe the city should wait for development activities to drive major upgrades. We have terrific visionary plans for our city in our 2030 and 2040 Comprehensive Plans, but predicting future growth is challenging. I want to ensure we invest in the proper infrastructure to meet our future needs.”

Q: Besides growth, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the city, and how do you plan to address it?

A:

“After growth, my main concern for our city is the lack of community involvement and pride. I will make every effort to encourage open and honest communication through multiple outlets. In our very busy lives, it is easy to miss information affecting our town. It is important we develop communication tools to ensure residents have information which affects their lives in our city. I will encourage communication from the City Council to residents utilizing all methods available. I will also empower those involved in city activities to make the changes necessary to improve our city and encourage civic pride.”

Q: How would you maintain and strengthen community partnerships, such as those with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, nearby cities or the county?

A:

“I believe we have strong relationships with our neighboring communities. I want to encourage these relationships by maintaining open communication with other groups and sharing our experiences. As a member of the Prior Lake Planning Commission, we have visited with the city planners and toured Chaska, Excelsior and Stillwater in order to learn how they are handling and encouraging development in their communities. We learn how to improve our city by visiting and sharing with other communities.”

Q: If a resident came to you with an issue or a concern, how would you go about addressing it?

A:

“The most important thing to do when someone approaches with an issue is to listen and ask questions. I will develop an understanding of the concern by letting the resident share their concern and develop a plan to remedy the issue with the resident. In my roles in business over my career, I have led large teams, and ensuring open and honest communication within the group is key to having a strong team. Learning what the concern is and then providing feedback as the issue is addressed is what I promise to all community members.”