As someone who has made a few trips around the sun and has survived a duel with the Grim Reaper, I have come to deeply appreciate the unvarnished truth. Here it is, in my view, about this election.
North Oaks has a capable, hard-working City Council and I am running to help it keep moving forward. On November 3, you have two votes for City Council. I ask that you give them to Mark Azman and me.
Mark is the consummate public servant: experienced, thoughtful, dedicated to North Oaks, and a leader of complete integrity. He deserves to be re-elected, and he deserves a solid partner on the Council.
Candidates Gaspard and Banerjee are good neighbors who care about our community. But look very closely at their campaign; it rests on three claims about the current Council: that it isn’t transparent, isn’t data-driven, and isn’t fiscally responsible. I respect their enthusiasm, but that narrative doesn’t match the record.
On transparency: Regular Council meetings are held at 7:00 p.m., when working residents can attend (or watch on the cable access channel or the website portal). Every meeting includes time for residents’ comments, in person, online, or by email. Agendas, packets, and detailed minutes are posted on the City website and are available in the City office. Budget and strategy work happens at calendared public sessions, and Council members are an email or a phone call away.
On data: This Council does its homework before making major decisions. It works with Ehlers, Inc., a leading municipal financial advisor, on the levy and other city finances. A joint task force that includes the City has engaged Barr Engineering to diagnose what ails Pleasant Lake and recommend solutions. The Council is working with Shoreview and White Bear Township to study options for our water supply. The agenda of nearly every council meeting is chock full of data for discussion.
On fiscal responsibility: Yes, the levy has risen in recent years and residents have the right to ask why. In the recent budget, more than half of spending went to public safety: our Ramsey County Sheriff’s contract and the Lake Johanna Fire Department, including our share of the new fire station. Those contracts are set largely outside the Council’s control, and they keep rising. Sanitation accounts for about 9% of the budget and preserving community quality and character about 6%. The remaining third of the budget (administration, legal, planning, and engineering) is where the Council has the most control – it is holding the line there.
Over more than three decades of helping people manage their money, I have learned that good stewardship is not about spending the least. It’s about spending wisely on what matters most and planning honestly for what lies ahead. Our community faces real questions that deserve serious, open debate. Should the City plan for infrastructure such as municipal sewer and water, and what would it cost? How can we slow the growth of the levy? What is the appropriate level of the reserve fund? Casting the current Council as secretive or careless with money doesn’t bring us any closer to the answers.
During Krista Wolter’s and and Mark Azman’s tenure the past four years, the City Council has been an effective steward of North Oaks’ financial health, unique character, and natural heritage. I am running as a continuity candidate with fresh eyes. With my legal and financial background, I would like to help build on what works while keeping an open mind to what we could do better.
VOTE MARK AZMAN and GREG PETERSON FOR CITY COUNCIL ON NOVEMBER 3
I Want to Hear From You
