Bill Knutson
Name: Bill Knutson
Public Office Sought: Maplewood City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612 290 9778
Campaign Website: knutsonformaplewood.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have lived in Maplewood for 38 years. My wife and I raised three boys who attended Roseville schools. I have a masters in business administration and was the Administrator of St Johns Hospital. With my business background I was elected President of the Maplewood Economic Development Authority and lead a redevelopment plan for restoring abandon homes and affordable housing. I have served on a Fire and EMS task force that created a full time fire and ems staff with newer safer fire stations.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I believe Maplewood needs to be a desirable place to live and work. Therefore I wish to create an opportunity to restructure abandon homes for affordable or first time buyers; work toward reducing juvenile crime and support business development through my participation on Design Review Board and the Planning Commission.
How would you characterize the business climate in Maplewood and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
I see steady growth in business development because Maplewod has high standards for participation but is easy to work with. I have worked on major regional planning like the Maplewood Mall area , Gladstone and reuse of a fire station. In my role as lead for the Economic Development Authority, I work closely with staff to assure and encourage appropriate development. Business wants to be in a neighborhood of strong businesses. Through our high standards and efficient staff we are doing well.
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, Maplewood?
It starts with workforce housing opportunities which I am focused on with the EDA. We facilitate redevelopment and on occasion buy land to facilitate and coordinate land use. We have good public transit and encourage development along those routes.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Maplewood employs many people in specialized roles that make Maplewood a good place to live. We model good labor relations and employee engagement that sets the stage for Maplewood business. We support employee safety with our community policing program and have a predictable enforcement of the sale of smoking and liquor to minors.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Maplewood (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 Maplewood and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
We don’t have anything by way of ordinance and believe in markets to establish labor rates. I think the supply and demand for labor is currently strong for labor and that force will drive the employers.
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?
Maplewood successfully uses a Public Safety approach whereby police and fire have combined leadership. I have supported that model and helped develop approaches like a social worker working alongside police to assist when issues are more mental health than criminal. We have had a growth in juvenile crime and are working with the entire chain of possible interventions including the county attorney to create an effective approach. I also support our plan for community policing whereby officers spend time engaging citizens , especially troubled areas. We also have a diversity expectation in order to better reflect the diversity of Maplewood citizens.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
As mentioned above, my role as President of the Maplewood Economic Development Authority (EDA) we have a gole for affordable and workforce housing and are determined to assure the balance of affordable and market rate We have developed a plan with the help of UofM graduate students to transform abandon homes and work with entities that do land trusts,
financing and trade schools for construction.
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?
I think that more public transit will be in our future but we need to see how long the pandemic impact will last. There are many discussions in businesses regarding hybrid models of work. Many businesses want some way to accommodate work from home but it is evolving. Commuting is a strong driver and transit decisions need to reflect that demand.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
People who live in Maplewood want city services to be predictable and efficient. The budget must be dominated with service first. To afford those services we need growth of our tax base including businesses and residential. In order to fund projects all cities need to borrow using bonds. Maplewood has a AA+ bond rating allowing more projects and lower financing rates.
What will you do to expand Maplewood’s tax base?
Through the planning and zoning of key areas in Maplewood, like the Mall area ( North End Plan) development and redevelopment is encouraged with a predictable way business and residential can thrive . Our EDA is funded to provide and seed opportunities for development.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
We have two school districts in Maplewood and we engage in constant communication and liaison on their community committees. I am particularly interested in their trade programs to work with us on our EDA project with restoring abandon homes.
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 don;t see any services to cut back or eliminated. With our bond rating and general efficient operations we are well positioned.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Maplewood?
Our general approach to helping any business develop in Maplewood would assure any minority or women owned business feel welcome. We are active in Chamber of Commerce’s and sponsor community events like our Fourth of July celebration whereby many minority owned businesses are featured.
What further policies can Maplewood adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
We need to assure businesses that Maplewood is easy to do business with. That means development policies that are stable and don’t favor new versus existing.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I have served effectively for four years and wish to serve four more. My work as a healthcare executive is very relatable to the needs of our citizens.
Public Office Sought: Maplewood City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612 290 9778
Campaign Website: knutsonformaplewood.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have lived in Maplewood for 38 years. My wife and I raised three boys who attended Roseville schools. I have a masters in business administration and was the Administrator of St Johns Hospital. With my business background I was elected President of the Maplewood Economic Development Authority and lead a redevelopment plan for restoring abandon homes and affordable housing. I have served on a Fire and EMS task force that created a full time fire and ems staff with newer safer fire stations.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I believe Maplewood needs to be a desirable place to live and work. Therefore I wish to create an opportunity to restructure abandon homes for affordable or first time buyers; work toward reducing juvenile crime and support business development through my participation on Design Review Board and the Planning Commission.
How would you characterize the business climate in Maplewood and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
I see steady growth in business development because Maplewod has high standards for participation but is easy to work with. I have worked on major regional planning like the Maplewood Mall area , Gladstone and reuse of a fire station. In my role as lead for the Economic Development Authority, I work closely with staff to assure and encourage appropriate development. Business wants to be in a neighborhood of strong businesses. Through our high standards and efficient staff we are doing well.
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, Maplewood?
It starts with workforce housing opportunities which I am focused on with the EDA. We facilitate redevelopment and on occasion buy land to facilitate and coordinate land use. We have good public transit and encourage development along those routes.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Maplewood employs many people in specialized roles that make Maplewood a good place to live. We model good labor relations and employee engagement that sets the stage for Maplewood business. We support employee safety with our community policing program and have a predictable enforcement of the sale of smoking and liquor to minors.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Maplewood (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 Maplewood and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
We don’t have anything by way of ordinance and believe in markets to establish labor rates. I think the supply and demand for labor is currently strong for labor and that force will drive the employers.
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?
Maplewood successfully uses a Public Safety approach whereby police and fire have combined leadership. I have supported that model and helped develop approaches like a social worker working alongside police to assist when issues are more mental health than criminal. We have had a growth in juvenile crime and are working with the entire chain of possible interventions including the county attorney to create an effective approach. I also support our plan for community policing whereby officers spend time engaging citizens , especially troubled areas. We also have a diversity expectation in order to better reflect the diversity of Maplewood citizens.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
As mentioned above, my role as President of the Maplewood Economic Development Authority (EDA) we have a gole for affordable and workforce housing and are determined to assure the balance of affordable and market rate We have developed a plan with the help of UofM graduate students to transform abandon homes and work with entities that do land trusts,
financing and trade schools for construction.
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?
I think that more public transit will be in our future but we need to see how long the pandemic impact will last. There are many discussions in businesses regarding hybrid models of work. Many businesses want some way to accommodate work from home but it is evolving. Commuting is a strong driver and transit decisions need to reflect that demand.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
People who live in Maplewood want city services to be predictable and efficient. The budget must be dominated with service first. To afford those services we need growth of our tax base including businesses and residential. In order to fund projects all cities need to borrow using bonds. Maplewood has a AA+ bond rating allowing more projects and lower financing rates.
What will you do to expand Maplewood’s tax base?
Through the planning and zoning of key areas in Maplewood, like the Mall area ( North End Plan) development and redevelopment is encouraged with a predictable way business and residential can thrive . Our EDA is funded to provide and seed opportunities for development.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
We have two school districts in Maplewood and we engage in constant communication and liaison on their community committees. I am particularly interested in their trade programs to work with us on our EDA project with restoring abandon homes.
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 don;t see any services to cut back or eliminated. With our bond rating and general efficient operations we are well positioned.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Maplewood?
Our general approach to helping any business develop in Maplewood would assure any minority or women owned business feel welcome. We are active in Chamber of Commerce’s and sponsor community events like our Fourth of July celebration whereby many minority owned businesses are featured.
What further policies can Maplewood adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
We need to assure businesses that Maplewood is easy to do business with. That means development policies that are stable and don’t favor new versus existing.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I have served effectively for four years and wish to serve four more. My work as a healthcare executive is very relatable to the needs of our citizens.