by Dennis Dalman
(Four candidates are vying for two open seats on the Sartell Council in the Nov. 8 general election. They are the following: Tim Elness, incumbent city-council member; Jed Meyer; Bradley Gunderson; and Stacy Lundeen. Gunderson and Lundeen did not return responses to a questionnaire. The two seats open on the council are currently held by Elness and Jeff Kolb, who did not file for re-election.
The following story is based on Elness’ and Meyers’ responses to a Newsleader questionnaire.
Candidate Elness: Diversify tax base
What are the best strengths and the worst weaknesses of Sartell? How can the strengths be made even better and any weaknesses improved?
Elness praised as strengths of the city as a safe, family-friendly community with access to excellent schools, parks and trails.
“Sartell,” he said has “a wealth of amenities and services that make living in our neighborhoods desirable. Ongoing and continued investment in our infrastructure helps foster our city’s economic growth and future development.”
Elness said an improvement would be to diversify the city’s tax base by bringing in more commercial, business and industrial development to relieve residential tax burdens.”
What specific issues or needs of the city would you prioritize on your “Must Get Done” list?
“We need to continue to improve our streets and infrastructure as they age and keep the excellent quality of life we have come to expect in our city,” Elness said. “We must maintain our core values to engage and enable our business and healthcare communities to be successful as they grow and invest in Sartell.”
If you could use only one word or phrase to describe Sartell, what would it be?
“Live, learn and grow, Sartell.”
Please feel free to offer any further comments:
My experience as a council member, blended with my professional career, has allowed me to take a pragmatic approach to common sense government,” he said “I’ve brought innovative and creative ideas to the table with an open-mind and forward-thinking approach. With the support of my wife, Cathy, and our three wonderful children, I’d be honored to continue my leadership, and I will act upon issues that best serve the community members of Sartell.”
Background:
Elness is vice president of business development for W Gohman Construction (based in St. Joseph). He and his wife, Cathy, have three children: Ben, Grace and Lily.
Elness’s extensive experiences include the following; four years as a Sartell City Council member; two years serving on the Sartell Planning Commission, six years as a member of the Sartell Area Chamber of Commerce; three years as a board member of the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization, six years on the Sartell Fire Department; eight years as a Sartell youth sports coach, 21 years of volunteering with Public Safety and Emergency Medical Services and 29 years in the construction and development industry.
Meyer stresses fiscal responsibility
Sartell City Council candidate Jed Meyer believes fiscal responsibility is the bedrock for increasing the city’s current strengths and for spurring future developments.
What are the best strengths and the worst weaknesses of Sartell? How can the strengths be increased and any weaknesses improved?
Sartell, said Meyer, has been one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota for some time.
“During my time here, I have witnessed how unique and special Sartell is,” he said. “The business community, city government, non-profit groups and the school district work together to improve our community. This level of collaboration is rare in my experience and shows a level of pride in our community that is envied by other cities.”
What specific issues or needs of the city would you prioritize on your “Must Get Done” list?
“Our city has done an excellent job investing in growing city resources and infrastructure and in continuing to grow our commercial tax base. That said, I believe it is time to slow spending and de-leverage our balance sheet by paying down debt. Heading into what appears to be a downturn in our economy, we need to put more money back into taxpayers’ pocketbooks through lower taxes.”
Sartell, Meyer said, cannot afford to leverage the balance sheet any further via debt and future debt burdens.
“Our city is still growing and there will be continued needs for investments as we move forward,” he said
“Achieving strategic investment while slowing down spending will take strong fiscal planning. My experience as the current chief executive officer of a 92-year-old local financial institution can help add value to the council to take on the tasks our city faces.”
Another way to improve Sartell’s strengths, Meyer added, is to support the city’s police officers, firefighters and all first responders because “they continue to keep us and our community safe.”
Again, Meyer stressed strong fiscal planning that he said is necessary to lower a future tax burden in the coming years, especially if the nation and city continue to head into an economic downturn.
“Our city must slow down spending,” he said.
“While continuing to support all our current small businesses in Sartell, we must also attract new businesses in order to build our small business and corporate tax base. This is essential to maintaining our community’s financial strength in the coming years.”
Home ownership at the entry level, Meyer said, continues to challenge the nation and cities like Sartell.
“I would like to see the city continue to look at ways our master housing plan can address single-family housing ownership needs that exist in our community.”
If you could use only one word or phrase to describe Sartell, what would it be?
“Full of community spirit and pride,” he said. “Sartell is a wonderful place to live and raise your family!”
Please feel free to offer any further comments.
Meyer said his entire career has been built on his zeal for fiscal responsibility, which would inspire him to bring a pragmatic and common-sense approach to his role, if elected.
“I will listen to those I do not agree with, I will respect those who do not agree with me and I will always strive for compromise,” he said. “It is OK and healthy to have disagreement, and it is important to do so in a respectful and non-combative manner so productive dialog can occur. I am passionate about our community and believe the skill set I have fostered from my 23 years of leadership in financial institutions will serve our city well. Sartell can continue to thrive, grow and maintain its status as a great place to live, work, run a business and raise a family. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the great people of Sartell.”
Background
Meyer and his wife, Sara, moved to Sartell in 2014 when he accepted a job as the president and chief executive officer of St. Cloud Financial Credit Union. The couple has three children – age 20, 17 and 12.
Meyer has had many volunteer roles in Sartell, including president of the Sartell Baseball Board and vice president of the Pinecone Central Park Board. He led the development and expansion of the baseball complexes and Pinecone Central Park.
He also served as treasurer of the St. Cloud Downtown Rotary Club and as a director of the board of the St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation. He was part of a group that built Minnesota’s first Community Outpost (COP House) in St. Cloud.
“I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve our city in a new capacity as a member of the city council,” he said.
Tim Elness
Jed Meyer
