Andy Morcomb
Name: Andy Morcomb
Public Office Sought: Oakdale City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/andymorcomb4oakdale/
Candidate Bio
My name is Andy Morcomb and I have lived in Oakdale for ten years. Before moving to Oakdale, I lived just a few miles to the west in East St. Paul. I have been a proud east side resident for 20 years. I have been happily married for 18 years and have three children.
In my career, I have served as a sales and business leader for a Minnesota local company for over ten years. I hold a four-year degree in English and a master’s degree in Public and Nonprofit Administration from Metropolitan State University. I recently made a career change to follow my passion for serving others. I now work for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota as a Business Development Manager.
I have proudly led as a Scouts BSA leader in Oakdale in many capacities for the past seven years and am currently the Scoutmaster for Troop 580 that meets at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Oakdale. I have been a dedicated volunteer and champion for the city of Oakdale for many years and with my business and educational experience I feel that I am well prepared to serve our city as a councilmember.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
My priorities would be to prioritize funding for public safety as the city grows, focus on responsible budgeting for city growth, and increase interaction with citizens to promote transparency and steady dialogue for future developments.
How would you characterize the business climate in Oakdale and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Oakdale has a mix of commercial, office and light industrial business spaces. Oakdale has a number of longstanding businesses, which support local residents. Oakdale also has spaces for new businesses, which support local growth and bring visitors and revenue to our city. Continuing to support a mix of established and new businesses is important to help our city grow.
What role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Oakdale?
Oakdale should promote undeveloped and underdeveloped properties with existing commercial or industrial zoning to employers and developers. I do not support offering tax breaks to businesses for choosing to build or develop in Oakdale. However, the city’s public works engineers should work diligently to help connect city infrastructure to new businesses in a way that supports economic growth.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
I would promote the creation of an online city job board where employers can post their open positions for residents to review, apply for and share.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Oakdale (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of an ordinance on the many types of businesses in Oakdale and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Creating local or city specific employment rules can be costly to businesses and a deterrent to having new business owners set up shop in Oakdale. I would support state-wide changes to employment, but not city specific ordinances.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you propose to address public safety issues facing your community?
Oakdale currently has less than 20 police officers for a growing community of nearly 30,000 people. The police department has seen a surge in calls relating to mental health and domestic issues. I would be in favor of hiring more community support officers with a focus on mental health and conflict resolution training in order to open up bandwidth for existing officers.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
I would support the existing practice of requiring developers to design a mix of affordable housing in our community intermixed with mid and higher-priced housing options.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address transportation issues facing your community? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
Due to more residents working from home, I would recommend that the city avoid large scale projects for light rail transportation and focus on a mix of traditional automobile travel, road repair and continued access to Metro Transit city buses along with Metro Mobility.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
I would like to focus on using new revenue generated from the Willowbrooke Development north of 4 Front Business Offices to add additional staff to the police force along with use of remote monitoring equipment in high crime areas along highways 494 and 694. Funds should also be set aside to finance growth that will require a larger public works and police department building in the near future. Finally, continuing to invest in city parks to provide a safe place for residents to play and enjoy nature.
What will you do to expand Oakdale’ tax base?
Oakdale currently has a very low vacancy rate for homes and businesses, which helps promote a steady city revenue stream. Keeping a focus on strong police presence in Oakdale will help us maintain a safe city that is desirable for families and businesses.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
As a city, it is important to stay connected with the local school district, library and nearby universities. Connecting our residents to job search, training, and educational resources is vital to city growth.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
I am not aware of any existing city services that should be cut back or eliminated. I do think that our city should be working with adjacent cities to compare contracts or prices for service delivery pertaining to snow plowing, street sweeping, lawn mowing or other public works/public services to search for cost efficiencies and areas where staff can be shared in times of high need or low staffing.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Oakdale?
As a city, Oakdale’s resident’s are becoming more diverse. According to the 2020 Census, the largest and most diverse segment of Oakdale is in the 18-34 year old range. These residents are our future and our young families. In order to serve this growing segment of our community, we need to acknowledge these residents and encourage them to become active in local government, to open businesses, and to be involved in our schools. Connecting women and minorities to services is important and it will be our duty to ensure these residents have access to the tools and support needed to succeed.
What further policies can Oakdale adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Oakdale should continue to apply for any state and federal grants available to aid cities with recovery from COVID-19. I do not believe that any additional policies in Oakdale regarding COVID-19 are needed at this time. If the COVID-19 pandemic changes, I would recommend that the city follow state and CDC guidelines for best practices.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
My wife and I have been foster care providers in Washington County for the past six years. As an elected official, I hope to share the needs of children and families in our local community so that more people explore the possibilities of opening their home to a foster child.
Public Office Sought: Oakdale City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/andymorcomb4oakdale/
Candidate Bio
My name is Andy Morcomb and I have lived in Oakdale for ten years. Before moving to Oakdale, I lived just a few miles to the west in East St. Paul. I have been a proud east side resident for 20 years. I have been happily married for 18 years and have three children.
In my career, I have served as a sales and business leader for a Minnesota local company for over ten years. I hold a four-year degree in English and a master’s degree in Public and Nonprofit Administration from Metropolitan State University. I recently made a career change to follow my passion for serving others. I now work for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota as a Business Development Manager.
I have proudly led as a Scouts BSA leader in Oakdale in many capacities for the past seven years and am currently the Scoutmaster for Troop 580 that meets at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Oakdale. I have been a dedicated volunteer and champion for the city of Oakdale for many years and with my business and educational experience I feel that I am well prepared to serve our city as a councilmember.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
My priorities would be to prioritize funding for public safety as the city grows, focus on responsible budgeting for city growth, and increase interaction with citizens to promote transparency and steady dialogue for future developments.
How would you characterize the business climate in Oakdale and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Oakdale has a mix of commercial, office and light industrial business spaces. Oakdale has a number of longstanding businesses, which support local residents. Oakdale also has spaces for new businesses, which support local growth and bring visitors and revenue to our city. Continuing to support a mix of established and new businesses is important to help our city grow.
What role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Oakdale?
Oakdale should promote undeveloped and underdeveloped properties with existing commercial or industrial zoning to employers and developers. I do not support offering tax breaks to businesses for choosing to build or develop in Oakdale. However, the city’s public works engineers should work diligently to help connect city infrastructure to new businesses in a way that supports economic growth.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
I would promote the creation of an online city job board where employers can post their open positions for residents to review, apply for and share.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Oakdale (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of an ordinance on the many types of businesses in Oakdale and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Creating local or city specific employment rules can be costly to businesses and a deterrent to having new business owners set up shop in Oakdale. I would support state-wide changes to employment, but not city specific ordinances.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you propose to address public safety issues facing your community?
Oakdale currently has less than 20 police officers for a growing community of nearly 30,000 people. The police department has seen a surge in calls relating to mental health and domestic issues. I would be in favor of hiring more community support officers with a focus on mental health and conflict resolution training in order to open up bandwidth for existing officers.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
I would support the existing practice of requiring developers to design a mix of affordable housing in our community intermixed with mid and higher-priced housing options.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address transportation issues facing your community? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
Due to more residents working from home, I would recommend that the city avoid large scale projects for light rail transportation and focus on a mix of traditional automobile travel, road repair and continued access to Metro Transit city buses along with Metro Mobility.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
I would like to focus on using new revenue generated from the Willowbrooke Development north of 4 Front Business Offices to add additional staff to the police force along with use of remote monitoring equipment in high crime areas along highways 494 and 694. Funds should also be set aside to finance growth that will require a larger public works and police department building in the near future. Finally, continuing to invest in city parks to provide a safe place for residents to play and enjoy nature.
What will you do to expand Oakdale’ tax base?
Oakdale currently has a very low vacancy rate for homes and businesses, which helps promote a steady city revenue stream. Keeping a focus on strong police presence in Oakdale will help us maintain a safe city that is desirable for families and businesses.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
As a city, it is important to stay connected with the local school district, library and nearby universities. Connecting our residents to job search, training, and educational resources is vital to city growth.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
I am not aware of any existing city services that should be cut back or eliminated. I do think that our city should be working with adjacent cities to compare contracts or prices for service delivery pertaining to snow plowing, street sweeping, lawn mowing or other public works/public services to search for cost efficiencies and areas where staff can be shared in times of high need or low staffing.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Oakdale?
As a city, Oakdale’s resident’s are becoming more diverse. According to the 2020 Census, the largest and most diverse segment of Oakdale is in the 18-34 year old range. These residents are our future and our young families. In order to serve this growing segment of our community, we need to acknowledge these residents and encourage them to become active in local government, to open businesses, and to be involved in our schools. Connecting women and minorities to services is important and it will be our duty to ensure these residents have access to the tools and support needed to succeed.
What further policies can Oakdale adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Oakdale should continue to apply for any state and federal grants available to aid cities with recovery from COVID-19. I do not believe that any additional policies in Oakdale regarding COVID-19 are needed at this time. If the COVID-19 pandemic changes, I would recommend that the city follow state and CDC guidelines for best practices.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
My wife and I have been foster care providers in Washington County for the past six years. As an elected official, I hope to share the needs of children and families in our local community so that more people explore the possibilities of opening their home to a foster child.