Bob Heidenreich
Name: Bob Heidenreich
Public Office Sought: Dakota County Commissioner-District 4
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-280-5630
Campaign Website: VoteBobH.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/VoteBobH
Candidate Bio
I am committed to the community, environment, and citizens of our great county. I am truly excited to serve my community and would like to earn your vote. I was a founding member of the Flint Hills CAC, past appointed commissioner of the IGH Environmental Commission, and current appointed commissioner of the IGH Planning Commission. As your commissioner my primary focus would be on preserving the environment, property rights that maintain our beautiful landscape, mentoring and supporting our thriving local businesses, and carefully planning housing development to support growth.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Environmental preservation and property rights- At the forefront of this campaign is my passion for protecting and preserving the environment. Protecting our water, Maintaining clean air, Mitigating climate change, Landfill concerns, Protecting native forests and wetlands are vitally important to the community and issues we plan to address. Dakota County also contains many diverse properties. Growth is inevitable, but beauty can be maintained with the help of the community surrounding it.
Local Business- As a small business owner it is imperative to support local business. I would strive to help mentor, support, and maintain local businesses to thrive in our community.
Housing- As the population grows in our community, so does the need for housing. Careful planned development is essential to continue the growth and success for ourselves and the next generation.
How would you characterize the business climate in Dakota County and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
As a small business owner since 1988, I know that the business climate of the county is great. The role of business supporting the quality of life issues start at paying employees living wages, being flexible with work hours, giving those in need extra opportunities to succeed and making your business as beneficial for the employees as possible.
What role do you think the county should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in Dakota County?
They are already doing a great job with workforce housing and rental assistance. I do believe that training or classes on diversity and generational best practices for business owners would be highly beneficial. Getting to work is one of the biggest challenges for those who are unemployed. In order to help with the labor shortages, and job retention I feel that we need to help those that are in need of the basic necessities before they can work. Affordable housing, and county-wide accessible transportation are two things that play a large role in the labor shortage. Things that I feel could be beneficial would be considerations to provide free transportation for jobs, or low cost transportation.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Dakota County (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a policy on the many types of businesses in Dakota County and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Dakota County does not have any at this time. I would gladly accept any committee appointments pertaining to these issues.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Getting to work is one of the biggest challenges for those who are unemployed. In order to help with the labor shortages, I feel that we need to help those that are in need of the basic necessities before they can work. Affordable housing, and county wide accessible transportation are two things that play a large role in the labor shortage. Things that I feel could be beneficial would be considerations to provide free transportation for jobs, or low cost transportation.
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?
We currently live in one of the safest counties in the country. We have wonderful public works employees. Our first responders and citizens work together to maintain a safe, and healthy place to live. I would continue to build upon the relationships between the community and our first responders in order to maintain where we are now. I would also like to continue to develop and improve Dakota Counties mental health care.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
I believe there needs to be a mix of low to high density homes in our community. Dakota County has been and will continue to work on addressing affordable housing. There are key elements that go into affordable housing. As a business owner, local jobs with fair and livable wages is one of the top priorities to increase affordable housing. Public transportation, and accessibility to housing are also key elements. I advocate for balanced HDR, LDR, and MDR housing and affordable living for the growing population of Dakota County.
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 would continue to support the county in the way they maintain roads, as they do a great job. Public transportation is something that everyone needs accessibility to, so continuing to expand that would be a priority. Since the pandemic, I feel that it is easier to keep cars off the road and expand public transportation as people are given more opportunities to work and study from home. In order for others to act on those opportunities we also need to make sure there is county wide access to affordable high speed internet.
What are your priorities for the county’s budget?
I would like to continue on the path that has been set by the current county commissioners, along with identifying wasteful and inefficient spending to reallocate that money into better use for the community.
What will you do to expand Dakota County’s tax base?
See question 8 above.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I would like to continue programs in schools and extracurricular activities that are able to expand knowledge of students outside the general academic classroom. In Dakota County, our students are lucky to have experiences such as SES, PSEO and other college credit options from local and statewide college campuses, and more. Our schools have already and will continue to team up with places such as DCTC and Inver Hills to expand opportunities.
Are there any services currently provided by the county 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 at this time.
What is the role of the County Board in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Dakota County?
Dakota County does a wonderful job at housing minority and women-owned businesses. I would like to continue the work that the current board has done in including and expanding all businesses.
What further policies can Dakota County adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I believe that Dakota County is doing a great job in assisting local businesses as needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dakota County Community Development Agency has allocated over $23 million in four separate rounds of grant funding. We need to encourage people to buy local and support their local economy to continue to see progression.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Comments, questions and suggestions from residents and businesses about Dakota County priorities and services are always welcome. I can be reached by email at [email protected]
Public Office Sought: Dakota County Commissioner-District 4
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-280-5630
Campaign Website: VoteBobH.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/VoteBobH
Candidate Bio
I am committed to the community, environment, and citizens of our great county. I am truly excited to serve my community and would like to earn your vote. I was a founding member of the Flint Hills CAC, past appointed commissioner of the IGH Environmental Commission, and current appointed commissioner of the IGH Planning Commission. As your commissioner my primary focus would be on preserving the environment, property rights that maintain our beautiful landscape, mentoring and supporting our thriving local businesses, and carefully planning housing development to support growth.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Environmental preservation and property rights- At the forefront of this campaign is my passion for protecting and preserving the environment. Protecting our water, Maintaining clean air, Mitigating climate change, Landfill concerns, Protecting native forests and wetlands are vitally important to the community and issues we plan to address. Dakota County also contains many diverse properties. Growth is inevitable, but beauty can be maintained with the help of the community surrounding it.
Local Business- As a small business owner it is imperative to support local business. I would strive to help mentor, support, and maintain local businesses to thrive in our community.
Housing- As the population grows in our community, so does the need for housing. Careful planned development is essential to continue the growth and success for ourselves and the next generation.
How would you characterize the business climate in Dakota County and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
As a small business owner since 1988, I know that the business climate of the county is great. The role of business supporting the quality of life issues start at paying employees living wages, being flexible with work hours, giving those in need extra opportunities to succeed and making your business as beneficial for the employees as possible.
What role do you think the county should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in Dakota County?
They are already doing a great job with workforce housing and rental assistance. I do believe that training or classes on diversity and generational best practices for business owners would be highly beneficial. Getting to work is one of the biggest challenges for those who are unemployed. In order to help with the labor shortages, and job retention I feel that we need to help those that are in need of the basic necessities before they can work. Affordable housing, and county-wide accessible transportation are two things that play a large role in the labor shortage. Things that I feel could be beneficial would be considerations to provide free transportation for jobs, or low cost transportation.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Dakota County (such as minimum wage, sick time, or mandatory scheduling notice)? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a policy on the many types of businesses in Dakota County and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Dakota County does not have any at this time. I would gladly accept any committee appointments pertaining to these issues.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Getting to work is one of the biggest challenges for those who are unemployed. In order to help with the labor shortages, I feel that we need to help those that are in need of the basic necessities before they can work. Affordable housing, and county wide accessible transportation are two things that play a large role in the labor shortage. Things that I feel could be beneficial would be considerations to provide free transportation for jobs, or low cost transportation.
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?
We currently live in one of the safest counties in the country. We have wonderful public works employees. Our first responders and citizens work together to maintain a safe, and healthy place to live. I would continue to build upon the relationships between the community and our first responders in order to maintain where we are now. I would also like to continue to develop and improve Dakota Counties mental health care.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
I believe there needs to be a mix of low to high density homes in our community. Dakota County has been and will continue to work on addressing affordable housing. There are key elements that go into affordable housing. As a business owner, local jobs with fair and livable wages is one of the top priorities to increase affordable housing. Public transportation, and accessibility to housing are also key elements. I advocate for balanced HDR, LDR, and MDR housing and affordable living for the growing population of Dakota County.
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 would continue to support the county in the way they maintain roads, as they do a great job. Public transportation is something that everyone needs accessibility to, so continuing to expand that would be a priority. Since the pandemic, I feel that it is easier to keep cars off the road and expand public transportation as people are given more opportunities to work and study from home. In order for others to act on those opportunities we also need to make sure there is county wide access to affordable high speed internet.
What are your priorities for the county’s budget?
I would like to continue on the path that has been set by the current county commissioners, along with identifying wasteful and inefficient spending to reallocate that money into better use for the community.
What will you do to expand Dakota County’s tax base?
See question 8 above.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I would like to continue programs in schools and extracurricular activities that are able to expand knowledge of students outside the general academic classroom. In Dakota County, our students are lucky to have experiences such as SES, PSEO and other college credit options from local and statewide college campuses, and more. Our schools have already and will continue to team up with places such as DCTC and Inver Hills to expand opportunities.
Are there any services currently provided by the county 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 at this time.
What is the role of the County Board in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Dakota County?
Dakota County does a wonderful job at housing minority and women-owned businesses. I would like to continue the work that the current board has done in including and expanding all businesses.
What further policies can Dakota County adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I believe that Dakota County is doing a great job in assisting local businesses as needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dakota County Community Development Agency has allocated over $23 million in four separate rounds of grant funding. We need to encourage people to buy local and support their local economy to continue to see progression.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Comments, questions and suggestions from residents and businesses about Dakota County priorities and services are always welcome. I can be reached by email at [email protected]