Editor’s note: Eight candidates will be on the ballot for three open City Council seats. Three candidates – Richard Keeney, Chad LeMair and George Victor – are seeking a two-year seat. Five candidates – Jeff Evens, Ken Hedberg, Randy Langhorst, Vaughn Lemke and Steve Millar – will vie for two open terms of three years each.The eight candidates were mailed questionnaires and asked to respond. Below are their answers. 

PRIOR LAKE CITY COUNCIL

 Jeff Evens

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service details.Evens

Age: 45

Address: 5443 Fairlawn Shore Trail

Occupation: Civil engineering technician IV

How long in city: 14 years

Family: Married to Joanie for 22 years; two children, Megan, 19, a sophomore at University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Brandon, 17, a senior at Prior Lake High School

Education: Degree in civil engineering technology with 22 years of experience in civil engineering

Community involvement: Former Prior Lake Athletics for Youth soccer and baseball coach, Cub Scout den leader, volunteered at school functions, served three terms as president of the city’s largest labor union.

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

Our city yearly operating budget has raised 7 to 12 percent annually over the past five years. That is two to four times the rate of inflation. Realizing this budget is what drives our taxes, it is essential that each and every part of it is clearly and 100-percent justified.

If the budget is lowered, the taxes get lowered. It’s time for less fluff and more facts which will result in clear, accountable results. I would use my 11 years working for three different metro cities to challenge staff and the other council members to roll up their sleeves and be relentless to find creative ways to be more efficient, increase productivity and deliver an even higher quality service to the residents and lowering the budget at the same time. I have reviewed the past few years’ budgets, and I am confident there is plenty of room for improvement in numerous areas. The time has come to say enough is enough. We need to see tangible results justifying these large budget increases.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

Preserving all our natural amenities and the environment is a passion of mine. As an avid sportsman and property owner of recreational land up north, one of the first things I perused was the land stewardship program with the Department of Natural Resources.

As our city continues to grow, numerous smaller beautiful lakes and wetlands must be preserved with a large buffer space around them. God is not making any more of these. It is extremely vital each and every piece of land that is developed be scrutinized to the fullest to ensure all the impacts on the environment have been looked at. Protecting our natural resources must supersede any whining by developers saying it will cost them additional dollars and cut into their profits. We only get one chance to get it right. Once the final plat is approved, there is no going back. The key is taking the time to really think and ask ourselves, “What is the right thing to do?” It may not be the cheapest, easiest or most developer-friendly decision, but it’s the right thing to do. These water bodies and animals can’t speak for themselves. We have an obligation to be good land stewards.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

A key priority of mine will be asking the tough question, “How much money is development costing the city?” To the best of my knowledge, it appears we are all paying dearly as a result of residential growth. I think the secret is out – development is not paying for itself. This issue needs to be reviewed and evaluated with a fine-tooth comb to ensure the long-term city costs associated with these developments are justified so the burden is not on all the taxpayers.

Breaking down the walls at City Hall in regards to the “we vs. they” attitude is another issue I would like to address if elected. All the residents need to be treated with respect and dignity and feel they are in “partnership” with the city when they have an issue or concern. I would also strive to re-establish and emphasize who the council represents. Another issue is accountability. This word should be in the minds of each and every employee, committee member and council member involved with the city. Each time they are performing their work or making a decision, they need to know they may be held accountable for their actions.

 

Ken Hedberg

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service details.Hedberg

Age: 56

Address: 6582 Harbor Beach

Occupation: I am president of Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, a human resource consulting firm headquartered in downtown Minneapolis. I also sit on the Board of Organizational Concepts International and am an affiliate of a British coaching firm, the Executive Coaching Centre Ltd.

How long in city: Moved to Prior Lake in 1981 and lived here since, except for a three-year work assignment in Brussels, Belgium during the 1990s.

Family: My wife and I raised our children in Prior Lake, including sending them through the public schools in the 1980s and early 1990s. They now reside in suburban Minneapolis and San Diego, Calif.

Education: I have degrees in business administration and economics, and an MBA in finance, all from the University of Minnesota.

Community involvement: In past years, I served as chairman of the Finance Committee for Shepherd of the Lake Church and sang for many years in the choir there. I coached in Prior Lake Athletics for Youth as our children grew up and served as president of the Prior Lake Swim Club. Most recently, I was appointed to a one-year vacancy on the Prior Lake City Council.

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

For many people, taxes can never be low enough. However, my answer is based on the quality of services and infrastructure in Prior Lake. Government costs money, and our choices about the kind of community we want drive our taxes.Currently, Prior Lake’s city taxes are the lowest in Scott County for homes of similar value. I think this is about right, given that we have a relatively small business and commercial tax base and live in a very attractive community with a wealth of natural amenities, including open spaces, preserved wetlands, parks and playfields.As Prior Lake grows, we must face the challenge of maintaining and enhancing our quality of life, while still keeping taxes and spending down as best as possible. If elected, I pledge to focus my attention on governing future investments and current spending within what residents see as affordable. Generally, I use the inflation rate as a threshold over time and expect the city portion of property taxes to increase at or below the rate of inflation for a typical home.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

So long as land owners and developers comply with the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances, we cannot prevent them from selling for development. Most property owners see their real estate as a large portion of their nest egg, and landowners count on selling their land at a convenient time to realize the benefit of that nest egg.That said, the city can manage the pace of growth in various ways. In the recent 2030 comprehensive plan process, the Metropolitan Council “assigned” Prior Lake certain growth targets and development density parameters. Based on the 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan, the city successfully pushed back and argued for slower growth spread out over more years at lower density of development.With those policies in place, we can work with developers to preserve land for parks and conservation areas around lakes and wetlands and also dedicate land for neighborhood and community parks. The effect of such development priorities can be seen in projects underway such as Jeffers Pond, Hickory Shores, Spring Lake Estates, Northwood Meadows and The Enclave at Cleary Lake. In each, substantial land around lakes and wetlands has been preserved for conservation, trails and parkland.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

Prior Lake’s location off major transportation corridors prevents us from pursuing enough business, commercial and industrial development to substantially shift the property-tax burden away from residences. Nevertheless, economic development remains a vital priority to enhance our quality of life.As we grow into a larger suburban city, I will pursue the growth of a professional job base in our city, allowing more residents to enhance their quality of life by working close to home. Further, a thriving network of business owners and operators serves as a great set of civic boosters, raising the energy and pride in our community. In these ways, increasing Prior Lake’s economic development is a quality-of-life issue.

In particular, the continued development of our downtown faces a major threat as County Road 21 increasingly becomes a highway slicing through town. We have enjoyed a rejuvenated downtown over the past five years or so, and I place solving the problem of County Road 21 high on my priority list in order to enable further development of a vibrant downtown district.

 

Richard Keeney

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service Keeneydetails.

Age: 43

Address: 16102 Lakeside Ave.

Occupation: Software engineering management/executive. Employed by Electronics for Imaging Inc., a printing technology company based in California (Silicon Valley) with an office in Eagan. Professional accomplishments include numerous patents and an Academy Award

How long in city: Grew up in Bloomington, lived in Eagan, and then moved to Prior Lake in 2001

Family: Wife Maria; two children, Sarah, 5, and Spencer, 2

Education: Graduated from Bloomington Kennedy High School in 1982 (second in a class of 525 students). Graduated from the University of Minnesota, with a bachelor of sciences, computer science degree “with distinction” in 1986.

Community involvement: Member of the 2030 Vision update committee. Citizens for Accountable Government (2005). Activist to save neighborhoods from rezoning “downtown to the lake.” Contributor to numerous public input meetings on topics such as County Road 21, downtown improvements, City Hall/police station site selection and building project, and the water treatment plant. Significant volunteer work for Special Olympics-Minnesota, the Alzheimer’s Association, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and the Bloomington schools. Bible camp volunteer for many summers at Cedar Grove Baptist Church

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor reports inflation was 3.7 percent total over the last 24 months. City taxes on the typical home are increasing 7.5 percent total for this year and next year. That’s over double the rate of inflation.Merely saying the tax “rate” is low is misleading. Property taxes are a function of both rate and assessed values. Assessed values in Prior Lake are generally higher than other cities and result in more total dollars paid per household.Prior Lake also added utility fees and hiked water rates. Those fees ultimately “tax” the residents. Sadly, these fees hit the lowest-income residents proportionately harder.For many, their total tax burden is already too high. Family budgets are squeezed by a multitude of taxing authorities and consumer price increases. Retirement income, minimum wages and even high-tech jobs (like mine) are not actually keeping up with inflation.The recent increases are driven (in part) by the recent large city building projects. By holding off on additional city building projects for a while, we can avoid additional increases in city taxes and fees. The size and “upscale” design of future projects must also be scaled back to what we can afford.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

Recent changes to the tree-preservation ordinance have still not accomplished what people really want. People want to see single-family housing developments where clear-cutting does not take place. They want to see trees preserved on the individual lots, not just in clusters around the edges and outlots. We should preserve the flavor of these wooded areas even as houses are built within them.The city can regulate the amount and density of each type of residential housing to be developed, and other details such as tree preservation, open space and buffer zones. The comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance can be changed by act of the council (with appropriate process) to accomplish the right balance.The power to make these changes for the benefit and future of the entire community must of course be balanced against the rights and interests of the individual land owners; thus, I would recommend modest but effective changes.Additional changes to the ordinance are required to achieve the result people are really looking for. The ordinance should be crafted such that for any land with existing significant trees, at least a few of those trees must be preserved on each individual lot.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

Rapid new housing development in the past several years has outpaced critical infrastructure resources in our community such as our schools and major roads. We are behind the curve and continuing to fall further behind. Catching up is going to be difficult and expensive.To truly safeguard the quality of our community, it is imperative that all new growth pays for the requisite school facilities and road infrastructure. It is not clear this is possible solely at the city level – it likely requires state law changes.Meanwhile, the most prudent course of action is to slow housing development to a pace that our schools and roads can keep up with. The city is the primary authority that has any ability to regulate the pace of housing development. The pace has decreased from its peak of 813 units in 2002 to 320 units in 2006 due to some actions already taken and/or recent market trends, but even that pace is still more than we can keep up with.

Before the housing market gets hot again, the council must take actions now to keep new housing development to something down around 150 units per year.

 

Randy Langhorst

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service details.

LanghorstAge: 52

Address: 17400 Sunset Trail

Occupation: Self-employed contractor

How long in city: 51 years

Family: Divorced; four children

Education: Prior Lake High School graduate and served as U.S. Marine; attended junior college at St. Petersburg, Fla. and attended the University of Minnesota

Community involvement:  Have coached Prior Lake Athletics for Youth baseball and basketball. Have taught faith formation at the Church of St. Michael

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

I think the taxes have been going up for too long. Our revenues have increased dramatically in the past few years, but we are spending more. The city has wants and needs. I suggest taking care of our basic needs and letting the wants wait until we are in a better financial position. Let’s not spend today what we think we are getting tomorrow.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

Land costs are higher in our area, and developers want to get as many units as they can on their land. If we stick to our current regulations for single-family on side, rear and front setbacks with the 30-percent impervious surface, I believe we will get better neighborhoods.

The current housing market should slow down development; however, that will also reduce revenues from permits. Bottom line is Prior Lake does not have to give in to every developer’s request for small lots and less setbacks.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

I think traffic in the area is out of control. I never thought I would see rush hour in Prior Lake, but there is. The Main Avenue and County Road 21 intersection has got to be addressed, and I’d like for us to get it right the first time before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

As far as priorities, we’ve got to cut the fat and stick to our needs. Get more output from our city employees that starts at the city manager’s office, police department, all the way to the parks department.

 Chad LeMair

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service LeMairdetails.

Age: 39

Address: 5524 Highpointe Court

Occupation: Co-owner of several businesses in Prior Lake: Above All Hardwood Floors, Above All Wood Distribution and Performance Construction, which, combined, [have] 45 employees. Above All Hardwood Floors was the Prior Lake Chamber business of the year in 2005.

How long in city: 25 years

Family: Married my wife Mona in 1996 and have three awesome children: Jenna, age 10, enjoys singing and dancing (“Cousette” at Chanhassen). Curtis, age 7, loves to wrestle and hunt (won USA Nationals in 2007). Rachel, age 4, loves gymnastics (Daddy’s best buddy).

Education: Graduated from Prior Lake High School in 1986. Attended Mankato State University on a wrestling scholarship and studied marketing and management.

Community involvement: We are members of St. Michael’s Church with two of our children attending school at St. Mike’s. I am a Rotarian and serve on the DARE committee. I have in the past and am currently helping with Junior Achievement in our schools. I also currently am vice president on the wrestling board and coach the youth program two nights a week. As a six-year councilman, I have served as Economic Development Authority president, deputy mayor, liaison to the Lakes Advisory Committee, Parks Advisory Committee, Planning Commission and Transportation Committee.

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

I believe we have done a remarkable amount of great things with the hard-earned tax dollars of the citizens of Prior Lake. We’ve added a significant amount of infrastructure and programs in the past four years (new City Hall, police station, operating expenses for three new buildings including the fire station, new senior center, interpretive center at Jeffers, 30 acres of park land on Pike Lake). Would I like to see lower taxes? Absolutely. I believe an average tax increase of less than the rate of inflation per year is justifiable and even remarkable considering the improvements and slowdown in the market. I will continue to strive for the best investments and to get the most out of every tax dollar collected. Since I’ve been on the council the past six years, I believe we have made great strides in preparing this community to grow into the future. The responsibility of preparing for continued quality growth will not be pushed onto the next group of elected officials and the responsibility of paying for it will not be pushed onto our children. I’d like to see Prior Lake’s tax rate one of the lowest in the state, not just the county.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

If I am re-elected to the City Council, I will continue to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment by reviewing and following the comprehensive plan. All development legally takes place according to our comprehensive plan. In the past four years, we have reviewed our comp plan and lowered the density levels allowed significantly in the high-density area. We lowered the allowed high-density units from 30 to 20 units. We also changed the planned high-density acres from 600 to 60 acres. We reduced the allowable units by at least 16,000. This could have been up to 30,000 people. I championed the effort to set aside $500,000 for the Pike Lake area. This money allowed us to gain $1.3 million in money from sources (non-city tax money) to purchase this land. This land would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more in the future. We must continue to plan for the future and then act when there is a good opportunity.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

I will continue to be a leader on making this community safe from pedophiles, gangs and drug dealers. I’m going to continue to work on changing the laws associated with Level III sex offenders, when and where they can live. Continue to support the meth and gang task forces. We must be proactive, not reactive, in this area.The development of downtown businesses and services must continue to meet the needs of all Prior Lake citizens. A functional parking plan must be implemented.The most exciting new amenity in Prior Lake is the soon-to-be senior center. We have the best senior housing in the county, yet Prior Lake is 20 years behind our neighbors in providing this essential service to our seniors. Developing programs and a service that works for all levels of seniors is one of my top priorities.More boat and trailer parking is needed. This will allow our residents on the lake and reduce trailer parking on our streets. I’d like to see spots reserved solely for Prior Lake residents.

Development of a new industrial/business park on County Road 21 is needed to expand our tax base, add jobs to our community and increase services offered.

 Vaughn Lemke

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service Lemkedetails.

Age: 55

Address: 14472 Shady Beach Trail

Occupation: Air-traffic control front-line manager

How long in city: 21 years

Family: Married with four children.

Education: I have some college.

Community involvement: Service as a board member of the Prior Lake Association, co-chairman of the fireworks committee, Prior Lake Citizens Police Academy, seven years on the Planning Commission, currently as chairman, Tree Preservation Task Force and Habitat for Humanity.

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

The city’s portion of our property taxes is appropriate given the size and beauty of the city of Prior Lake. We need safe neighborhoods for our kids. That takes a top-notch police department and a top-notch fire department. We have both – not because of luck, but because the City Council funds those critical departments adequately. I would do the same. When it snows, I think it is essential that the city plows our roads. That takes fuel, trucks and someone to drive them.

Our beautiful parks and trails need mowing and maintenance. It is not easy to grow grass on clay, but our parks department does it better than anyone else. I will work to improve the services the city of Prior Lake delivers while trying to find efficiencies that hold down future tax increases.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

Some of that pressure to develop has already abated somewhat and will continue to slow as the housing market continues its malaise. When development picks up again, probably later next year, we should proceed with development that fits in with our beautiful city. I believe the approach we should take is to work with developers who can preserve the most trees and green space. We should continue to get 10 percent of the land area as park land. We should continue to keep density low but allow some homes to be clustered closer together in return for saving more trees and green space. This is the approach we took when I served on the Tree Preservation Task Force.

I would bring my seven years experience on the Planning Commission and what I learned on the Tree Preservation Task Force to the City Council to work for all of our residents. We might not be able to save all of the trees. If we work together and we work smart, we can save most of them.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

My priorities would be to work to protect all of our natural resources. We must recognize that growth will continue to occur. If we work with land owners and developers to get park land, trails and green space we can keep the city of Prior Lake beautiful. I would continue to try to find grants and private money to pool with city dollars to buy wooded green space to preserve for all time.I would work to make city government more responsive to the needs of all of our residents. To improve the delivery of essential city services in the most efficient way possible. What we really need to do is to focus on the needs and the wants of our customers, the residents of Prior Lake. I would work to make sure our neighborhoods and our kids are safe. That means more than just a top-notch police department. It also means that our roads and intersections are safe. 

Steve Millar

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service Millardetails.

Age: 57

Address: 4851 Rutledge St.

Occupation: Music producer

How long in city: 20 years

Family: Married to JoAnne; two children, Jennifer and James

Education: Bachelor of arts degree, political science, University of Minnesota

Community involvement: Vietnam veteran, member of VFW, Prior Lake Rotary, St Michael’s Choir. Founding member of local Katrina benefit, raising over $50,000 in a three-week period

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

Like our own home budget, we need to live within our means. We do have variable costs like energy and maintenance that we need to keep pace with. I among other councilors challenged city staff to come up with ways of reducing the current budget. We accomplished that by cutting $200,000. We now have the lowest city tax rate in the county.

I will try and do better by keeping a watchful eye on the budget and challenging staff each year to show ways to reduce the budget while still offering quality services, encouraging economic development for new economic resources and encouraging partnerships with the county, neighboring cities and the tribal community to save money where we can.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

I am on record as being tough on developers in an effort to protect our water, green spaces and heritage trees. It is important to go the extra mile in protecting our environment and natural resources. It is my opinion that concerning green spaces and lakes, Prior Lake is the gem of Scott County. We must remain vigilant in protecting that as we won’t get a second chance.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

It is important that we start recognizing our senior population for their positive impact on our community. One way is the senior center, which I have been an early advocate for.

Also, we have a culture class within our community with extreme elements on both sides that have become counterproductive in moving our community forward. It is time to set aside our differences and come together to address the problems and opportunities Prior Lake has as we face the future. 

George Victor

1. Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service details.

VictorAge: 51

Address: 16513 Timber Crest Drive

Occupation: Substitute teacher for Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools

How long in city: Four years

Family: Wife, Lian; two children

Education: Graduated from Minnesota State University-Mankato with a bachelor of science degree in teaching

Community involvement:  My wife and I volunteer at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in the children’s nursery

 

2. City taxes have increased, but current leaders point out that the city’s tax has kept pace with the rate of inflation. Do you think city taxes are too high, too low, or just right? Please explain your answer and discuss what you would do about taxes if elected.

 

I think the taxes should be kept fair to keep up with the needs of the city and its growth. I think keeping pace with inflation is fair, but I would like to keep increases to a minimum to save money for taxpayers in the community.

 

3. If elected, how would you go about trying to balance the pressures of development with the desire to preserve the natural environment?

 

I would like to see a slower rate of development. Highway 13 into Prior Lake needs to be widened to accommodate the community. Most people would agree with me if they commute into the cities.

 

4. What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate for City Council?

 

First, I am glad our city officials have agreed to build a senior citizens center for our seniors to meet and hang out at.

Second, I would like to see a police department bike patrol. This would save gasoline and miles on city vehicles and provide an excellent service for our parks and businesses in the community. The bike patrol could be seasonal positions.

Last, I would be a prudent steward with Prior Lake’s tax dollars and use them wisely. We will not be making any major purchases that are not necessary when I am elected to City Council.

In closing, I will do the right thing for the good of the community.