Benjamin Sherrard
Name: Benjamin Sherrard
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website: benforwoodbury.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
Ben is a proud, lifelong Minnesotan who was born and raised in the east metro. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in MIS (Management Information Systems) and is a small business owner providing IT services to organizations across the country.
Excited to give back to the community, Ben is focused on helping Woodbury plan for the future to ensure its continued growth. Priorities include:
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Nothing beats hands-on experience, and I pride myself on bringing that kind of leadership to the position. I strive to gather as much feedback and as many perspectives as possible in order to be well informed and able to solve issues.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
My top three priorities would be:
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Woodbury?
Woodbury’s biggest challenge is building and maintaining the public infrastructure to meet both our current and future needs.
The greatest opportunity is the projected growth that infrastructure will support, looking at the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and planning for after that.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
To me, Ideal collaboration looks like the government supporting innovation and development within the business community, which in turn improves our quality of life. Education and workforce development programs support that vision by providing the talent required to innovate, and housing support ensures everyone has access to safe, affordable accommodations.
How would you characterize the business climate in Woodbury and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Woodbury?
The numbers speak for themselves – when you see that Woodbury is one of the largest cities in the state (and growing), it’s apparent that the business climate is working. The city should continue to develop programs to attract new businesses, new jobs, and provide incentives to keep them here.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Analyze the data to identify trends and help develop and prioritize resources to best serve the community. I also strongly support building relationships between public servants and residents in order to foster trust.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Continue to fund and look for opportunities to expand home ownership assistance programs.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Invest in our roads, trails, and sidewalks so they’re safe and accessible to all. I’d work to add additional EV charging infrastructure, as well as look for opportunities to add cleaner, more environmentally friendly public transportation options.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
I plan to review programs to ensure plans are in place to address shortcomings due to funds running out. I also support exploring new revenue streams to help supplement these expiring COVID relief dollars so the programs can be maintained without temporary funds.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
State government sets the framework and local governments adapt and implement that based on specific community requirements. I believe the city should focus on local matters (public services, local infrastructure, etc.) and leave bigger picture policy decisions at the state level.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website: benforwoodbury.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
Ben is a proud, lifelong Minnesotan who was born and raised in the east metro. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in MIS (Management Information Systems) and is a small business owner providing IT services to organizations across the country.
Excited to give back to the community, Ben is focused on helping Woodbury plan for the future to ensure its continued growth. Priorities include:
- Securing funding for the new water treatment plant to provide clean, safe drinking water
- Improving infrastructure and services so our parks, roads, and trails continue to serve all our residents
- Developing business friendly policies to bring more opportunities to the city
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Nothing beats hands-on experience, and I pride myself on bringing that kind of leadership to the position. I strive to gather as much feedback and as many perspectives as possible in order to be well informed and able to solve issues.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
My top three priorities would be:
- Completing the water treatment plant on-time so it’s fully operational by 2028
- Supporting the expansion of the public safety campus
- Removing barriers to job growth within the city
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Woodbury?
Woodbury’s biggest challenge is building and maintaining the public infrastructure to meet both our current and future needs.
The greatest opportunity is the projected growth that infrastructure will support, looking at the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and planning for after that.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
To me, Ideal collaboration looks like the government supporting innovation and development within the business community, which in turn improves our quality of life. Education and workforce development programs support that vision by providing the talent required to innovate, and housing support ensures everyone has access to safe, affordable accommodations.
How would you characterize the business climate in Woodbury and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Woodbury?
The numbers speak for themselves – when you see that Woodbury is one of the largest cities in the state (and growing), it’s apparent that the business climate is working. The city should continue to develop programs to attract new businesses, new jobs, and provide incentives to keep them here.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Analyze the data to identify trends and help develop and prioritize resources to best serve the community. I also strongly support building relationships between public servants and residents in order to foster trust.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Continue to fund and look for opportunities to expand home ownership assistance programs.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Invest in our roads, trails, and sidewalks so they’re safe and accessible to all. I’d work to add additional EV charging infrastructure, as well as look for opportunities to add cleaner, more environmentally friendly public transportation options.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
I plan to review programs to ensure plans are in place to address shortcomings due to funds running out. I also support exploring new revenue streams to help supplement these expiring COVID relief dollars so the programs can be maintained without temporary funds.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
State government sets the framework and local governments adapt and implement that based on specific community requirements. I believe the city should focus on local matters (public services, local infrastructure, etc.) and leave bigger picture policy decisions at the state level.