Anthony J. Fernandez
Name: Anthony J. Fernandez
Public Office Sought: West St. Paul City Council - Ward 2
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-978-4461
Website: www.VoteFernandez.com
Twitter handle: @AJFernandezMN
Facebook page:
Candidate Bio
I am the current Ward 2 city council member. I was elected in 2016 and have been the Vice President of Economic Development Authority since 2016. Before I was on council, I was on the West St. Paul Planning Commission, St Paul Planning Commission and Board Chair of the District 7 Planning Council in St. Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Economic Development, Public Safety, Diversity and Outreach.
How would you characterize the business climate in West St. Paul and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Business development and business retention will be the biggest issues over the next four years. The current state of retail due to the way society is changing and the impact of Covid-19 has changed how we will do business. Due to these factors it is important to have a space where the business community can meet monthly to get updates, network, and share opinions. Business outreach is a big priority in Economic development.
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, West St. Paul?
One of the keys to retaining businesses is to make sure that you keep an open dialogue with them. Implementing a community forum which supports the business community will help with that. It is also, very important to make sure city staff if developing resources like grants for existing and new businesses that want to come to West St. Paul.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in West St. Paul (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 West St. Paul and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am open to any specific employment-related proposals, but would need to have all the full information before I throw out a blanket statement for the city of West St. Paul.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
I am currently the Chair of the Public Safety Committee Through my work on this committee, we have made progress with improving coordination between the Council, residents, and our Police Department. We have addressed problem properties with creative solutions, such as outright buying 210 Logan, rehabilitating it, and selling it to a new owner to fix a problem property in Ward 2. I have also attended numerous community outreach events put on by our police department such as minority youth outreach programs at Henry Sibley High School. But we have more work to do. I seek to implement a citizen advisory committee that can provide citizen driven direction to the Police Chief to ensure residents have a seat at the table.
As to city streets, sidewalks and trails, I have fully supported numerous projects that have improved our city streets, added new sidewalks and trails. I want to ensure that as we grow and add residents that our new development projects are supported by pedestrian infrastructure. Our current Bike-Ped Plan from 2011 needs to be updated. I support bringing in a Bike-Ped consultant and updating our Bike-Ped Plan to align with current standards, community values and input, which will then become the policy guide for the next decade.
In terms of housing being that I am a residential Real Estate Broker this issue is always top of mind. I have spearheaded the cities recent revitalization low interest loan program. Also, it is important to start re-imagining land use to accommodate the growing need for housing. Both market rate and affordable.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We have made a lot of progress towards stabilizing our budget and cash to debt ratio that is so critical in our ability to bond for future infrastructure improvement projects. The debt from Robert Street means we have limited ability to bond for amenities that we want such as a new community center or major upgrades to our city pool. However, with the implementation of the current budget and financial management plan, our city’s finances are on a strong path to recovery.
What will you do to expand West St. Paul’s tax base?
I have supported a wide variety of redevelopment projects that have improved our city’s tax base and overall business climate. I was a strong advocate and supporter of the HyVee project that will begin construction this Fall. In addition, the EDA has supported many business improvement grant requests. I have supported the many redevelopment projects in town such as Dunkin’ Donuts, FoodSmith, 252 Marie apartments, Thompson Oaks redevelopment, Sola Salons, and Southview Square improvements. I look forward to continuing the redevelopment momentum we have made along Robert Street, including proposed plans for Town Center 1 and Signal Hills. I also voted in favor of our 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the Robert Street Renaissance Plan Update, and the Smith-Dodd Small Area Plan and subsequent overlay district. All these plans were created by planning professionals, through an extensive community input process, and supported by staff, and unanimously by our City Council. These plans provide a strong backbone and guide to improving West St. Paul into the future and I will continue to ensure they will be followed. In my next term as your representative on the City Council and EDA, I will continue to support and seek ways to expand our small local businesses, connect with members of the South Robert Street Business Association, and work to implement monthly coordination meetings between the city, local government representatives and the business community.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
It is important to get the youth involved with the decision-making process at city hall. Therefore I am proposing the city’s first Human Rights Commission where we will have a spot for youth in the community and will work to do outreach to the schools that serve the city.
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?
Since I have been on the council I have been involved with sharing of other services with both Mendota Heights and South St. Paul. Currently we share a fire department with South St. Paul and in the future, it might make sense to share other municipal buildings or services.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in West St. Paul?
I am proud to be the first person of color elected in West St. Paul history. As the only Latino on the Council, I have sought to engage the Latino community in a variety of ways including participation of the city in the Cinco de Mayo parade on the West Side in 2018 for the first time ever. I was also a member of the Diversity Committee that brought forth many ideas on how to better improve outreach and diversity at City Hall. Bringing together our existing business community with organizations such as leaders form minority and women owned organizations will help foster new and existing resources.
What further policies can West St. Paul adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Offer relief on license fee’s (which we have done) and advocate for resources from the State and Federal government.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I look forward to working hard for the city of West St. Paul for the next four years.
Public Office Sought: West St. Paul City Council - Ward 2
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-978-4461
Website: www.VoteFernandez.com
Twitter handle: @AJFernandezMN
Facebook page:
Candidate Bio
I am the current Ward 2 city council member. I was elected in 2016 and have been the Vice President of Economic Development Authority since 2016. Before I was on council, I was on the West St. Paul Planning Commission, St Paul Planning Commission and Board Chair of the District 7 Planning Council in St. Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Economic Development, Public Safety, Diversity and Outreach.
How would you characterize the business climate in West St. Paul and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Business development and business retention will be the biggest issues over the next four years. The current state of retail due to the way society is changing and the impact of Covid-19 has changed how we will do business. Due to these factors it is important to have a space where the business community can meet monthly to get updates, network, and share opinions. Business outreach is a big priority in Economic development.
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, West St. Paul?
One of the keys to retaining businesses is to make sure that you keep an open dialogue with them. Implementing a community forum which supports the business community will help with that. It is also, very important to make sure city staff if developing resources like grants for existing and new businesses that want to come to West St. Paul.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in West St. Paul (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 West St. Paul and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am open to any specific employment-related proposals, but would need to have all the full information before I throw out a blanket statement for the city of West St. Paul.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
I am currently the Chair of the Public Safety Committee Through my work on this committee, we have made progress with improving coordination between the Council, residents, and our Police Department. We have addressed problem properties with creative solutions, such as outright buying 210 Logan, rehabilitating it, and selling it to a new owner to fix a problem property in Ward 2. I have also attended numerous community outreach events put on by our police department such as minority youth outreach programs at Henry Sibley High School. But we have more work to do. I seek to implement a citizen advisory committee that can provide citizen driven direction to the Police Chief to ensure residents have a seat at the table.
As to city streets, sidewalks and trails, I have fully supported numerous projects that have improved our city streets, added new sidewalks and trails. I want to ensure that as we grow and add residents that our new development projects are supported by pedestrian infrastructure. Our current Bike-Ped Plan from 2011 needs to be updated. I support bringing in a Bike-Ped consultant and updating our Bike-Ped Plan to align with current standards, community values and input, which will then become the policy guide for the next decade.
In terms of housing being that I am a residential Real Estate Broker this issue is always top of mind. I have spearheaded the cities recent revitalization low interest loan program. Also, it is important to start re-imagining land use to accommodate the growing need for housing. Both market rate and affordable.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We have made a lot of progress towards stabilizing our budget and cash to debt ratio that is so critical in our ability to bond for future infrastructure improvement projects. The debt from Robert Street means we have limited ability to bond for amenities that we want such as a new community center or major upgrades to our city pool. However, with the implementation of the current budget and financial management plan, our city’s finances are on a strong path to recovery.
What will you do to expand West St. Paul’s tax base?
I have supported a wide variety of redevelopment projects that have improved our city’s tax base and overall business climate. I was a strong advocate and supporter of the HyVee project that will begin construction this Fall. In addition, the EDA has supported many business improvement grant requests. I have supported the many redevelopment projects in town such as Dunkin’ Donuts, FoodSmith, 252 Marie apartments, Thompson Oaks redevelopment, Sola Salons, and Southview Square improvements. I look forward to continuing the redevelopment momentum we have made along Robert Street, including proposed plans for Town Center 1 and Signal Hills. I also voted in favor of our 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the Robert Street Renaissance Plan Update, and the Smith-Dodd Small Area Plan and subsequent overlay district. All these plans were created by planning professionals, through an extensive community input process, and supported by staff, and unanimously by our City Council. These plans provide a strong backbone and guide to improving West St. Paul into the future and I will continue to ensure they will be followed. In my next term as your representative on the City Council and EDA, I will continue to support and seek ways to expand our small local businesses, connect with members of the South Robert Street Business Association, and work to implement monthly coordination meetings between the city, local government representatives and the business community.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
It is important to get the youth involved with the decision-making process at city hall. Therefore I am proposing the city’s first Human Rights Commission where we will have a spot for youth in the community and will work to do outreach to the schools that serve the city.
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?
Since I have been on the council I have been involved with sharing of other services with both Mendota Heights and South St. Paul. Currently we share a fire department with South St. Paul and in the future, it might make sense to share other municipal buildings or services.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in West St. Paul?
I am proud to be the first person of color elected in West St. Paul history. As the only Latino on the Council, I have sought to engage the Latino community in a variety of ways including participation of the city in the Cinco de Mayo parade on the West Side in 2018 for the first time ever. I was also a member of the Diversity Committee that brought forth many ideas on how to better improve outreach and diversity at City Hall. Bringing together our existing business community with organizations such as leaders form minority and women owned organizations will help foster new and existing resources.
What further policies can West St. Paul adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Offer relief on license fee’s (which we have done) and advocate for resources from the State and Federal government.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I look forward to working hard for the city of West St. Paul for the next four years.