Bob Pace
Name: Bob Pace
Public Office Sought: West St. Paul City Council - Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-308-9659
Website: www.bobpaceforwsp.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook page: N/A
Candidate Bio
I am an ASE certified auto mechanic and owner of West St. Paul’s oldest operating business, Pace’s Sinclair. I have been a resident of West St. Paul for 33 years. I have always been involved in the community. In the 1990’s I was an original member of the Economic Development Commission. In the 2000’s I was a member of the Project Advisory Committee that helped create the Robert Street Renaissance Plan. I was elected to the City Council from Ward 1 in 2016. I currently serve as liaison to the Northern Dakota County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Community which supports service members, military families and Veterans. I also serve on the Thompson Park Advisory board and served as liaison to the Environmental Committee. During my time on the Council, I have supported dozens of development projects, business subsidy requests and large housing and retail development that will improve our business climate and expand our tax base. I am also proud to have supported and voted for policies that will stabilize our budget and property taxes, including our financial management plan and sales tax, while also ensuring we continue to fund critical infrastructure projects and public safety.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
First, I want to continue to support redevelopment projects in the city and improving the business climate along Robert Street and throughout the city. We have made a lot of progress throughout the corridor, but there is much left to accomplish.
Second, I want to ensure we support our public safety departments and fully fund their operations to keep our residents and businesses safe.
Third, I want to refocus our attention to addressing the poor condition of our neighborhood streets and looking for ways to fund additional sidewalks and trails throughout the city.
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?
The business climate has improved greatly these past few years as we continue the redevelopment momentum along Robert Street. We have approved a number large housing projects that will bolster the local retail during these difficult times. The use of TIF has provided a huge boost to the city at a critical time and we must continue to be aggressive in our support for redevelopment in the city. I have also supported numerous business subsidy requests to support improvements and expansions of local small businesses. I will continue to look for way to improve Robert Street through the ongoing implementation of the Special Service District.
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?
Now more than ever we need to take an active role in attracting and retaining jobs in our city. All the recently approved housing projects will provide a much needed boost in new residents that can support additional job creation within the city. We need to work towards better branding of West St. Paul in order to better market developers and businesses. We have made so much progress these past four years in improving the business and development climate in the city that now is the time to trumpet that all over the Twin Cities.
We are fortunate to have retained Tapemark, a long standing pharmaceutical manufacturing business and have supported their expansion through the use of MIF grants and other EDA tools. I am fully supportive of using all available tools at the city level to support existing business and manufacturing for those that offer good wages and benefits.
The place to be is 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 own a small business that pays no employee less than $15/hour. I certainly understand and appreciate the need for livable wages. This is an issue I believe should be addressed at the state or County level to avoid patch work rules and uneven playing fields. As a business owner, I need to treat my employees fairly in order to keep the best talent. Every business needs are different.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
As for housing, I have already voted for and supported the 2040 Comprehensive Plan that allows for denser, more affordable housing all along Robert Street. I also voted in favor of rezoning the closed Thompson Oaks golf course to allow for a dense apartment complex to proceed, rezoning Signal Hills to allow for housing, and rezoning the corner of Wentworth and Robert for a mixed use project that includes housing. I also voted in favor of a Dakota County CDA affordable housing project in the North Gate area of West St. Paul. We also recently adopted a Housing Plan, along with a new program for low income housing loan program to assist with housing improvements in areas that need it the most. As for transportation issues, we need to partner with the Met Council and Dakota County to look for ways to leverage our increasing density to bring in the necessary infrastructure to support it. On Marie Avenue, we were able to secure funding for a trail because of a recently approved housing project increased the score of the grant request. Our neighborhood streets are in poor condition. We have spent a lot of time recently focusing on State and County roads within the city. We need to ensure we refocus our efforts on improving the streets in our neighborhoods as well. As for public safety, I was fully supportive of looking within our department to hire our new police chief. Our police department has consistently received high marks from our residents and I will continue to be fully supportive of fully funding their department to keep our residents safe. As a council and a city, we must continue to evaluate our police department, its culture and practices; review and implement change for the better in our use of force policies; consider and question all requests for additional funding; and hold our police department to a very high standard to ensure they serve the people of our city.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We still do not fully know the impacts COVID-19 will have on our budget long term. The recently implemented sales tax was meant to stabilize our budget and put a lid on tax rate increases year over year. Fortunately, we have adopted an excellent financial management plan that will guide our decisions for years to come. When I started on the Council in 2017, our city budget was in tough shape with a lot of debt and low cash reserves. We have made a lot of progress towards shoring up our cash accounts and reducing our debt to ensure the credit rating of the city remains stable and improves in the future. This is key to ensure we can get the best interest rates on future infrastructure project needs. My biggest priority will be to ensure we stick with our plan that we know will benefit the city into the future.
What will you do to expand West St. Paul’s tax base?
I voted in favor of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan approved by the Met Council and adopted by the City Council in 2019 that provides for more density and housing along Robert Street. At only 5 square miles, West St. Paul must increase its density in order to strengthen the tax base and add new residents. I will work to uphold our Comprehensive Plan as we continue to look for projects that fit within that strategic framework.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
If there is anything I can do as a Councilmember to support our K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses I will gladly support those efforts. The city has a solid working relationship with all the area schools and I will look for ways to continue to improve programs and coordination with our schools. It will be critical for the city to connect more with our businesses to hear from them as to what our region needs to do to develop and retain an educated workforce.
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?
Given the current economic situation we have to be prepared to make the tough budget decisions that may be coming to West St. Paul. So far we have been able to maintain our services at a high level. Through the budget process we always look for ways to ensure we are running the city as efficiently as possible. There are no services that I believe should be cut back or eliminated at this time.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in West St. Paul?
I look to support business friendly policies in West St. Paul. The City Council can take the lead by providing more dollars and direction to staff to focus marketing and time to supporting minority and women owned businesses and I would certainly support those efforts. I am a member of the South Robert Street Business Association where many of the members are minority and women owners. I would hope that the city and the SRSBA could collaborate more in the coming years on this topic.
What further policies can West St. Paul adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I will continue to support business grants that we established through the CARES Act funding we received from the state. We can aggressively pursue redevelopment opportunities that come to the city through the use of TIF, land deals or other tools to ensure we continue to remove blight and vacant lots. Our tax capacity for TIF districts in approximately 3% which is well below other metro communities. We should also look for ways to support businesses struggling with upkeep and maintenance, by providing additional time and resources to them, rather than just taking a hardline. I will also continue to support efforts to be flexible to allow our businesses to operate outside rigid code requirements, such as allowing dining outside in parking lot areas, which we allowed in June.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
It has been an honor to serve on the Council since 2017. I look forward to serving the residents of Ward 1 for another 4 years. Under the leadership of Mayor Dave Napier, Council has reached consensus on many of the issues coming before us, including unanimous passage of many important proclamations. We have worked together to reach sound budget decisions and move development projects forward.
Public Office Sought: West St. Paul City Council - Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-308-9659
Website: www.bobpaceforwsp.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook page: N/A
Candidate Bio
I am an ASE certified auto mechanic and owner of West St. Paul’s oldest operating business, Pace’s Sinclair. I have been a resident of West St. Paul for 33 years. I have always been involved in the community. In the 1990’s I was an original member of the Economic Development Commission. In the 2000’s I was a member of the Project Advisory Committee that helped create the Robert Street Renaissance Plan. I was elected to the City Council from Ward 1 in 2016. I currently serve as liaison to the Northern Dakota County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Community which supports service members, military families and Veterans. I also serve on the Thompson Park Advisory board and served as liaison to the Environmental Committee. During my time on the Council, I have supported dozens of development projects, business subsidy requests and large housing and retail development that will improve our business climate and expand our tax base. I am also proud to have supported and voted for policies that will stabilize our budget and property taxes, including our financial management plan and sales tax, while also ensuring we continue to fund critical infrastructure projects and public safety.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
First, I want to continue to support redevelopment projects in the city and improving the business climate along Robert Street and throughout the city. We have made a lot of progress throughout the corridor, but there is much left to accomplish.
Second, I want to ensure we support our public safety departments and fully fund their operations to keep our residents and businesses safe.
Third, I want to refocus our attention to addressing the poor condition of our neighborhood streets and looking for ways to fund additional sidewalks and trails throughout the city.
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?
The business climate has improved greatly these past few years as we continue the redevelopment momentum along Robert Street. We have approved a number large housing projects that will bolster the local retail during these difficult times. The use of TIF has provided a huge boost to the city at a critical time and we must continue to be aggressive in our support for redevelopment in the city. I have also supported numerous business subsidy requests to support improvements and expansions of local small businesses. I will continue to look for way to improve Robert Street through the ongoing implementation of the Special Service District.
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?
Now more than ever we need to take an active role in attracting and retaining jobs in our city. All the recently approved housing projects will provide a much needed boost in new residents that can support additional job creation within the city. We need to work towards better branding of West St. Paul in order to better market developers and businesses. We have made so much progress these past four years in improving the business and development climate in the city that now is the time to trumpet that all over the Twin Cities.
We are fortunate to have retained Tapemark, a long standing pharmaceutical manufacturing business and have supported their expansion through the use of MIF grants and other EDA tools. I am fully supportive of using all available tools at the city level to support existing business and manufacturing for those that offer good wages and benefits.
The place to be is 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 own a small business that pays no employee less than $15/hour. I certainly understand and appreciate the need for livable wages. This is an issue I believe should be addressed at the state or County level to avoid patch work rules and uneven playing fields. As a business owner, I need to treat my employees fairly in order to keep the best talent. Every business needs are different.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
As for housing, I have already voted for and supported the 2040 Comprehensive Plan that allows for denser, more affordable housing all along Robert Street. I also voted in favor of rezoning the closed Thompson Oaks golf course to allow for a dense apartment complex to proceed, rezoning Signal Hills to allow for housing, and rezoning the corner of Wentworth and Robert for a mixed use project that includes housing. I also voted in favor of a Dakota County CDA affordable housing project in the North Gate area of West St. Paul. We also recently adopted a Housing Plan, along with a new program for low income housing loan program to assist with housing improvements in areas that need it the most. As for transportation issues, we need to partner with the Met Council and Dakota County to look for ways to leverage our increasing density to bring in the necessary infrastructure to support it. On Marie Avenue, we were able to secure funding for a trail because of a recently approved housing project increased the score of the grant request. Our neighborhood streets are in poor condition. We have spent a lot of time recently focusing on State and County roads within the city. We need to ensure we refocus our efforts on improving the streets in our neighborhoods as well. As for public safety, I was fully supportive of looking within our department to hire our new police chief. Our police department has consistently received high marks from our residents and I will continue to be fully supportive of fully funding their department to keep our residents safe. As a council and a city, we must continue to evaluate our police department, its culture and practices; review and implement change for the better in our use of force policies; consider and question all requests for additional funding; and hold our police department to a very high standard to ensure they serve the people of our city.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We still do not fully know the impacts COVID-19 will have on our budget long term. The recently implemented sales tax was meant to stabilize our budget and put a lid on tax rate increases year over year. Fortunately, we have adopted an excellent financial management plan that will guide our decisions for years to come. When I started on the Council in 2017, our city budget was in tough shape with a lot of debt and low cash reserves. We have made a lot of progress towards shoring up our cash accounts and reducing our debt to ensure the credit rating of the city remains stable and improves in the future. This is key to ensure we can get the best interest rates on future infrastructure project needs. My biggest priority will be to ensure we stick with our plan that we know will benefit the city into the future.
What will you do to expand West St. Paul’s tax base?
I voted in favor of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan approved by the Met Council and adopted by the City Council in 2019 that provides for more density and housing along Robert Street. At only 5 square miles, West St. Paul must increase its density in order to strengthen the tax base and add new residents. I will work to uphold our Comprehensive Plan as we continue to look for projects that fit within that strategic framework.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
If there is anything I can do as a Councilmember to support our K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses I will gladly support those efforts. The city has a solid working relationship with all the area schools and I will look for ways to continue to improve programs and coordination with our schools. It will be critical for the city to connect more with our businesses to hear from them as to what our region needs to do to develop and retain an educated workforce.
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?
Given the current economic situation we have to be prepared to make the tough budget decisions that may be coming to West St. Paul. So far we have been able to maintain our services at a high level. Through the budget process we always look for ways to ensure we are running the city as efficiently as possible. There are no services that I believe should be cut back or eliminated at this time.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in West St. Paul?
I look to support business friendly policies in West St. Paul. The City Council can take the lead by providing more dollars and direction to staff to focus marketing and time to supporting minority and women owned businesses and I would certainly support those efforts. I am a member of the South Robert Street Business Association where many of the members are minority and women owners. I would hope that the city and the SRSBA could collaborate more in the coming years on this topic.
What further policies can West St. Paul adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I will continue to support business grants that we established through the CARES Act funding we received from the state. We can aggressively pursue redevelopment opportunities that come to the city through the use of TIF, land deals or other tools to ensure we continue to remove blight and vacant lots. Our tax capacity for TIF districts in approximately 3% which is well below other metro communities. We should also look for ways to support businesses struggling with upkeep and maintenance, by providing additional time and resources to them, rather than just taking a hardline. I will also continue to support efforts to be flexible to allow our businesses to operate outside rigid code requirements, such as allowing dining outside in parking lot areas, which we allowed in June.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
It has been an honor to serve on the Council since 2017. I look forward to serving the residents of Ward 1 for another 4 years. Under the leadership of Mayor Dave Napier, Council has reached consensus on many of the issues coming before us, including unanimous passage of many important proclamations. We have worked together to reach sound budget decisions and move development projects forward.