We put the same five questions to all of the Rochester City Council candidates on the ballot for the August 9 primary election. Candidates were asked to keep their answers to under 100 words, and were given the opportunity to share a photo. These are the responses we received.

Ward 1

1) What motivates you to seek (or continue serving in) public office? And are there any specific issues in city government you aim to address as a member of the council?

Patrick Keane (I): I first ran for municipal office in 2018. My background (Technical Project Manager @ IBM) and my experience (community volunteer, youth sports coach, local Boards and Community organizations) prepared me to represent Ward 1. My focus on city council has been twofold: 1) I want our municipal government to be fiscally responsible with our shared resources while we are also responsive and empathetic to our residents, and 2) I want to help our residents work with the city when they have issues great or small. I’ve had some success, but there are also issues that can drag on too long.

2) From housing to transportation to Mayo Clinic’s build-out, the council is tasked with making decisions that will impact the city and the region for years to come. What relevant experience and knowledge would (or do) you bring to those discussions?

Keane: First, I come to this election with four years experience working through these complex problems, and our Council lacks experience. In addition, my professional experience working with large complex organizations and budgets helped me develop the collaborative and negotiation skills needed to best represent our municipal interests.

3) DMC is in the second quarter of the 20-year-long initiative. What do you make of the progress to date? And what is your view on where we go from here?

Keane: Early DMC priorities were Heart of the City, Discovery Square, and Hospitality. Coming out of COVID, we are moving to Transportation and more public realm. Our LINK / Bus Rapid Transit goes a long way addressing our medical and city center commuter problems, and our City can enjoy a major transit improvement without local investment. Moving forward, the DMC Board works closely with the EDA, with City/County Staff, and with our Council on future investment projects: I am working toward more DMC funds flowing toward city infrastructure investments, and housing improvements.

4) The debate rages on about aquatics, golf, and other matters related to the parks department and its plans for accelerated referendum spending. What do you see as priorities for maintaining and improving our park system?

Keane: I’ve been surprised by how passionate so many people are about the Park assets they depend on to enhance their day-to-day lives. For some, it’s trails; others love pools or local playgrounds; and others pickleball or golf. And all of these groups provide passionate advocacy for their favorite investments. As I assess priorities, I use community surveys and staff experts. And I search for historic usage statistics as a real objective input. Assessing park assets today and over the next five years, we need more attention to maintaining and improving what we have vs adding new park assets.

5) Please identify one issue in your ward that you believe needs to be addressed and, if elected or re-elected, how you would work toward a solution.

Keane: As our Ward representative, I have worked with many residents who identify traffic or street safety design concerns that they feel the city needs to address. Generally speaking, the traffic engineers do not have a good way to address these problems. While I do not want our city streets to be designed based on resident input alone, I think it’s important that we do get these resident voices heard and responses back. On a positive note, we did have a recent example of residents pointing out issues that our traffic team was not aware of. Improvements are planned for 2023.

Note: Two other candidates, Daniel Sepeda and Andy Hemenway, did respond to the questionnaire.

Ward 3

1) What motivates you to seek (or continue serving in) public office? And are there any specific issues in city government you aim to address as a member of the council?

Vangie Castro: There’s a legacy of public service in my family. My father worked for Alameda County in Northern California till he retired. Both my older sister and brother served in the Army and my other sister worked for USGS. I feel a strong sense of duty to serve in my community at non- profits, as a Human Rights Commissioner, and Golf League President. I know that a thriving community relies on residents to care and be involved in keeping our city safe and welcoming. I want to ensure the City Council uses an equitable data driven decision making process.

Casey McGregor: A significant portion of community diversity is a strong small business foundation without diversity in small businesses your community cannot grow and expand. Large and small businesses need each other like the Ying and Yang of a city. Being a small business owner myself I know some of the challenges industries have faced. One of the things I disliked about the last years is being detached from the conversation about the survival of the business.

Svaar Vinje: The biggest issue I have had is not being fully and properly heard. Our city has strayed from serving its residents and moved too far without citizen involvement politically. We need a balanced, objective team that will stay within the framework the government is designed to function in. I do not want to tell anyone how to live, when to work, or how they should speak. I want us to save every dollar we can. I want a small, efficient government without overreach. I want safer roads, empowered people, and prosperity for those that seek it.

Normal Wahl: Having completed a 41 year career in public service, I have immense experience in seeking out and listening to different views on issues; then moving past division to goals that will move organizations forward. I thoroughly enjoy helping people navigate their way through issues that confront us. As one who is semi-retired, I have the will, the time, and the capacity to meet with citizens and city professionals, helping to share diverse perspectives. Responsible use of tax money already allotted to us and promoting public safety so all may thrive are chief objectives.

2) From housing to transportation to Mayo Clinic’s build-out, the council is tasked with making decisions that will impact the city and the region for years to come. What relevant experience and knowledge would (or do) you bring to those discussions?

Castro: I dislike this question. People with no relevant experience have held public office, at the highest levels. My degree is in Political Science/Public Administration, I was on Governor Dayton’s Task Force that help create the strongest Anti-bullying law in the nation, and Victory Institute Fellow, spent a year learning about leadership and governance. I do know that my 12 years of community service working with various government bodies and non-profit agencies isn’t enough for some folks; the way I look and who I love is an issue to them. It doesn’t mean I won’t have their best interest in mind.

McGregor: When you manage/own a large or a small business you always have projected growth you always have the 10, 15, and 20-year plan. With the city I see no difference, we have to plan for our greatness and our successes in the future! With my background, it’s very easy for me to listen and learn to residents for advice because that’s what I do in my profession. I can grasp a wide view of situations quickly.

Vinje: I bring experience of having lived and worked in Rochester for roughly 31 years. I started downtown at 17 and have learned a lot on how Rochester has changed. I Have worked, listened and learned from residents through my stores, I know how the public feels about the changes in our community. Business owners, Developers, Mayo Clinic and workers all come together in the heart of our city where I am fortunate and blessed to be. I have begun to build relationships in the city government through work, the RDA Board, DMC, City Council and those interconnected with our citizens.

Wahl: I served on a school board for six years and know the joys and challenges of responding to constituents. I served on the Augsburg University Board of Regents for twelve years. I have a lifetime of experience in dealing with people, issues, and responsible use of money, including oversight of a nearly $2 million budget, and another more than $2 million endowment fund. I have served locally, regionally, and nationally with boards that influence lives and care for others. Working collaboratively with others has been a hallmark of my career, respecting others even when disagreeing on an issue.

3) DMC is in the second quarter of the 20-year-long initiative. What do you make of the progress to date? And what is your view on where we go from here?

Castro: There are lots of luxury hotels and apartments. A not so thriving downtown with constant construction and frustration from residents. The pandemic has really highlighted some of the shortcomings that DMC has come to symbolize – the tone deafness of city and county leadership. I’m running to represent Ward 3. DMC has helped encourage growth and innovation which attracts new residents and skilled workforce. That’s helped grow NW Rochester, however it also creates transportation issues and lack of activities for young professionals. We may be able to attract but we need to focus on retaining our skilled workforce and young professionals.

McGregor: It is exciting to see the plans for the Riverwalk. Wow, stunning definitely reminds me of traveling and different gorgeous locations. I am excited for Rochester to use the property, I have had people tell me they’re really excited for a botanical garden! It is always great when we start to see the payoff of the investment made.

Vinje: DMC has done some good things from its beginning. I do feel they need to work more closely with local developers, businesses and the public to network with those that have been excluded from the table. We lack a broad equitable board that can balance out the needs of our DMC development. I would like to see DMC continue working on the Retail Development program I laid out to them in August of 2021. We need to have a proper plan from a business layout in conjunction with the rest of the designs. We need to have projects that the citizens want and need rather than just DMC leaders' interests.

Wahl: There is a perception that much of city government is focused on the downtown area. That is, in part, perpetuated by Destination Medical Center spending which is limited to a specific downtown footprint. The city needs to do a better job in communicating what is being done and who is paying for the various projects. Mayo, private businesses, and the city have done well in their contributions towards progress. Unlocking more of the state committed funding, and clearly identifying those state funded projects, will help to quell unrest about a council overly focused on the downtown.

4) The debate rages on about aquatics, golf, and other matters related to the parks department and its plans for accelerated referendum spending. What do you see as priorities for maintaining and improving our park system?

Castro: Rochester has 120 parks and 85 miles of trails. Parks & Recs should focus on maintaining our current facilities. Facilities either need to be improved or rebuilt. We should not lose any more greenspace from downtown. I disagree with closing a golf course. They say not enough use versus cost to maintain. It costs more to take away an amenity and then rebuild it than to make it more accessible and affordable for folks to use, now. As a thriving city projected to grow it’s important for us to focus on sustainable land use and fiscal responsibility.

McGregor: We need to maintain our assets. I support accelerated pay to avoid the inflation cost of construction and get immediate use of the space. I think moving forward we just need to maintain good collaboration between park and recreation and the city. Having an open conversation with communication and transparency needs to be a priority. I would really like the conversation about a third aquatics center to start for Ward 3. It has been 63 years, it’s the time!

Vinje: We 100% need to address existing parks before we move to redesign them from the ground up. We have poor accountability in the middle management that directly supervises these parks. We should have an aquatic center that represents our city, as others do our size. Soldiers Field is a great golf course, although I don't use it, many visitors, patients, and residents do.

Wahl: Spending in Parks and Recreation cannot exceed Rochester’s rate of growth. Improvements should come as a natural result of an expanded tax base with growth, not with referendums that increase taxes. We need to care for and maintain what we already have (trails, shelters, playground equipment, mowing/snow removal) before we seek to add amenities. We have neglected improvements in swimming facilities for decades. Young families are rightly advocating for a modern aquatics center. Rather than destroy or alter a cherished city asset (Soldiers Field Golf Course), additional amenities can be placed on park land already owned by the city.

5) Please identify one issue in your ward that you believe needs to be addressed and, if elected or re-elected, how you would work toward a solution.

Castro: My first instinct would be to say public transportation however affordable and accessible housing is the most pressing issue in Ward 3. More workforce housing is being built, however it’s not as affordable as people would think. If you make less than $40,000 a year which is what most skilled labor or entry-level positions pay, you can afford housing but not very much more than that. It’s not the Avocado toast that’s keeping young professionals from spending more money downtown. Housing is a policy issue, and it takes political will and visionary leadership to reimagine housing for everyone.

McGregor: I think ward 3 is an amazing ward. There’s a lot of potential growth for future projects. Looking at ward 3 the framework is developed and now that the ward is populated and lived in, it’s time to come back in and do the finishing touches for safety. We can now see the areas of concern because we can see how the community is using the environment. I have been told by Public Works that they will be re-conforming the lights on W. Circle Dr. sometime this fall and that should help the flow of traffic in this ward.

Vinje: We need to address the increase in cost for affordable housing. We have to minimize cost in developing new areas with planning and zoning, building contracts, and limiting restrictions while still having safety. I have the ability to work with both the government, businesses, and all citizens to help do this.

Wahl: Housing is a formidable challenge for Rochester (and for any city of size). Ward 3 of Rochester has seen an explosion of multi-family housing. Some of the developments have as many residents as small towns in Minnesota! Planning and Zoning has been careful in approving the building of various projects. Working with neighborhoods is a critical step in promoting acceptance of large changes in a neighborhood. I will be a conduit of information from the neighborhoods to the city, and from the city to the neighborhoods.