Mankato City Council

Candidate Biography:

Currently serving as your Council Member At-Large and President of the Council. I represent the city on the following local, state and national boards and committees: Twin Rivers Council for the Arts, University/City Student Advisory, City/County intergovernmental, Mankato/North Mankato Planning Organization, Region Nine Development Commission, One Watershed One Plan, Highway 169 Coalition, Highway 14 Partnership, Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, League of Minnesota Cities and the National League of Cities.

Lifelong resident of the Mankato area, Graduating from West High, 1985 and Minnesota State University -Mankato, 1991
I am the Technology Department Manager for McDonald’s Restaurants, working out of the Madison Ave location and support the 10 other locations within our organization.

I am married to Michelle Laven with one now, adult child. . . How did that happen!?!?

I attend Centenary United Methodist Church and are actively involved in variety of leadership roles including part of the group that supported the launching of the Connections Shelter.

Candidate Questionnaire:

1. Why should voters elect you to serve the position you seek?
I have proven year after year, I want the job! I have continue to seek out people in the community that don’t look or live like me. Listening to those different views on how Mankato should be as a place to live, work and play has made me a better leader for Mankato. I used that feedback to guide me, along with the information I have been given to move our community in a positive direction. I continue to learn more and more each year on the council. I have found enjoyment reading some very dry data like the budget and the independent certified annual financial report.

2. What would you say are the key issues facing the city/district/county/state you seek to represent and how would you impact them from this elected position?
Affordable and affordable housing is the number one issue, followed by transportation.

The Big “A” is housing, the city is directly involved in programs like low income, vouchers, supportive housing and rental assistance programs to residents along with assisting developers navigating the housing tax credit process. These are important to creating a foundation of options across all incomes.

The lower “a” is market rate housing that the private sector is supplying our community. The city plays a supporting role as a partner in the approval process as the developments come inline. The city continues to streamline the planning and zoning process to ensure that all types of housing are available at as many price points as possible. The private sector leads the way in our city’s growth rate and I urge them to increase the supply to a very tight market.

Infrastructure is the second biggest issue facing Mankato.

The continued maintenance of the existing roads, trails and the three waters, drinking, waste and storm is a large part of the work of the city staff. Adding the new developments that extend those services is included in the planning as well. Financing these major long term assets is done with significant research into the cost and payments over a period of 10 years.

3. In your view, what is the role of the body/office you seek in supporting business vitality and economic development?
The city council is a partner in every sense of the word. From the fun stuff like ribbon cuttings and tossing dirt with golden shovels to financial assistance on some development projects when appropriate to funding Visit Mankato, City Center Partnership, Regional Economic Development Alliance (REDA) the council is an ally. The council works with the City Manager to foster the relationships to keep communication open as businesses grow and expand and how can we help. The council and the city staff is always seeking state and federal programs that we can leverage with our own economic development funds to assist.

4. The effective and efficient use of public tax dollars is a key component to serving in public office. What experience do you have dealing with complex budgets? When presented with a budget that will often be several hundred pages in length, what will be your process to determine if it is a good budget? What improvements would you recommend to improve the fiscal responsibility for the body/office you would represent if elected?
Several hundred pages are a breeze! One section at a time, little by little the information can be digested and comprehended. Year one for me was probably 100 hours of reading and asking several questions. So far, Year 20 has been about 10 hours as we are only one month into the four month process. Yes, details matter and the questions that are top of mind are: Is this service something the community has asked for? Who will or how many people will be impacted? Are we going to be able to sustain this funding level long term? Can we partner with someone in the private sector, non profit or government to leverage more? And finally, can I explain this to anyone who asks and will they understand.

For example, safe drinking water. All of us are impacted and expect safe drinking water. The rates we charge cover the ongoing operations and future replacement. We can leverage state and federal programs to lighten the burden on customers. I can explain the importance of safe drinking water. I am happy to apply this method to any city service present and future like splash pads, chickens, tiny homes. Again, happy to hear what people have to say on what they want the city to do for them.

5. Compromise and consensus are a crucial part of bringing conflicting views/positions together to get decisions made in a democracy. How will you go about working with other elected officials of varied political backgrounds to build the consensus necessary to govern for the benefit of citizens?
Over 20 years as your Council Member At-Large, I have never been able to get one let alone all six council members to just agree without having a discussion. We have seven different views of our city , we represent thousands of people who we may not have heard from on the issue at hand. But I trust my colleagues when they say, “I have been hearing from residents . . .” or “I talked several business owners who. .. “

Finding common ground while having a robust conversation is the best part of this city council. Some of our 4-3 votes have proven to the best outcomes for our residents, business owners and the greater Mankato area.

Candidate Biography:
Dennis, his wife Sharon, and their daughter have lived in Mankato for 32 years. Dennis is a Test Engineer at ZF Off-Highway Solutions (formerly MICO Inc.) where he has worked for the past 36 years.

Dennis has served his church and community in various ways. Dennis currently represents Ward 2 on the Mankato City Council, and serves as the Chair of the Joint Powers Board at All Seasons Arena. Dennis also serves on the Public Safety Advisory Committee, and the Mankato Planning Commission. Dennis has served on the Support Board at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in North Mankato, as well as volunteer at Regional Science Fair, air shows at Mankato, MAGFA, and Deep Valley Book Festival with Sharon.

Candidate Questionnaire:

1. Why should voters elect you to serve the position you seek?
Before I ran for this office, I attended many City Council meetings to gain an understanding of how the city government works and the role of the council members in carrying out the work of the city. Since I was elected, I have served two terms on the Mankato City Council and have learned a great deal about how the city operates and why Mankato is successful in maintaining a service level that makes Mankato a great place to live. I believe I have demonstrated dedication to the Office Of City Council member by doing my best to understand the material provided for the decisions that the Council is asked to make, by attending events outside of Council meetings, and by representing Ward 2 on the Mankato City Council.

2. What would you say are the key issues facing the city/district/county/state you seek to represent and how would you impact them from this elected position?
Some key issues are housing and childcare. Both are essential in growing commerce in Mankato. I would continue to support housing programs and childcare businesses.

3. In your view, what is the role of the body/office you seek in supporting business vitality and economic development?
In order for Mankato to remain a successful regional commerce hub, stability and predictability in expenses is important. I believe the Council is responsible for approving a property tax levy that keeps the city in a postition to provide services and maintain stable year to year fund balance. Also the Council is charged with approving projects where TIF is used to assist in project development.

4.  The effective and efficient use of public tax dollars is a key component to serving in public office. What experience do you have dealing with complex budgets? When presented with a budget that will often be several hundred pages in length, what will be your process to determine if it is a good budget? What improvements would you recommend to improve the fiscal responsibility for the body/office you would represent if elected?
I have served on the Mankato City Council for nearly 8 years, and have participated in budget decisions during that time. The city budget is indeed several hundred pages in length and provides history in addition to the anticipated revenues and expenses. I compare at the history of the fund to the anticipated change and seek explanation if there is significant change. I believe a good budget is one that is stable, explained, and maintains proper fund balances.

5. Compromise and consensus are a crucial part of bringing conflicting views/positions together to get decisions made in a democracy. How will you go about working with other elected officials of varied political backgrounds to build the consensus necessary to govern for the benefit of citizens?
The first consideration is always benefit to the citizens. I have learned that there are reasons for different views that I may not have considered. I try to see perspectives that are different from mine to understand their view.