Don Stager
Name: Don Stager
Public Office Sought: Northfield City Council
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 507 321 3789
Website: www.donstager.com (to be released)
Twitter handle: @dwstager
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/donald.stager.3/
Candidate Bio
I have worked in business and corporate planning for 25 years, and will leverage this private sector expertise in to serve our city government. Just as businesses learn from one another, business expertise can help government. Educationally I have an MBA from Wash U St Louis with a focus in finance and strategic planning and an engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame.
I am a husband and father of a high school aged daughter and we have wonderful 17 year old border terrier who keeps on going. I grew up in a small town; delivering newspapers, playing sports, working on a dairy farm in the summer, etc. I appreciate the community and support that small cities can provide. I am the chairman of the membership committee at Northfield’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and a member of the Northfield Rotary Club and Northfield’s Masonic Lodge.
The same dedication that has driven my career and my community involvement leads me to want to serve this awesome city of Northfield on its City Council, and I have the experience for this position.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
How would you characterize the business climate in Northfield and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate is good: There are few non-suburban, small cities that are thriving like Northfield is. This is because it is strong with respect to the “5Ss”: Schools, Safety, Services, Stores and Sidewalks (infrastructure) And Northfield goes beyond these with great parks, community activities, sports, and much more. Northfield consistently gets rated as having a quality of life.
But there are needs and risks, especially during this pandemic. Many small towns have died, the pandemic creates stress and changes that can cause local business to close. Additionally, there are many people that need additional help. The city should to everything it can to help them.
Regarding businesses role: Business is a main driver in quality of life. If you don’t have economic opportunity, there are little other opportunities.
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, Northfield?
Like any city, we should be pragmatic and constantly strive to be work cooperatively with businesses, selling our awesome quality of life. I don’t believe in having opaque or special tax deals to attract companies. We should differentiate out city based upon its superior services and its quality of life.
Obtaining more train and bus service to the twin cities would help better connect communities and thereby support our businesses
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Northfield (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 Northfield and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I think these are issues that are better addressed by individual businesses and the state
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
ii. The reason we have a such a thriving, walkable downtown is that it was built before large parking lots were required. If we want to expand the walkability we need to look at the laws that have been preventing it.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
What will you do to expand Northfield’s tax base?
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains 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?
I expect that during an economic downturn, there are likely to be areas that require trimming due to reduced city revenue. Just as businesses are faced with these tough decisions so are cities. I don’t have specific recommendations; I would look to review the city manager’s proposal, as he is closer to the situation. In this proposal I would encourage him to benchmark our costs for each department vs comparable cities. This can provide context which helps when budgeting
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Northfield?
I support minority and woman owned businesses. I think we should continue to foster a atmosphere of inclusion.
What further policies can Northfield adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Help businesses obtain any state and federal that is available.
Coordinate with the area clinics and Northfield’s Hospital to make testing as available as soon as possible and to make vaccines as available as possible
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I think Northfield is has a lot going for it, but we need to work to maintain and improve it. The schools are great, the vibrant downtown is the envy of many communities, business is growing, the CAC and other charities do incredible work, and we have good parks. Since I love the city so much and believe in community service, I want to use my business experience to support Northfield's continued development. We do have room to improve, I want to support that, while also not taking what we have for granted.
Public Office Sought: Northfield City Council
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 507 321 3789
Website: www.donstager.com (to be released)
Twitter handle: @dwstager
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/donald.stager.3/
Candidate Bio
I have worked in business and corporate planning for 25 years, and will leverage this private sector expertise in to serve our city government. Just as businesses learn from one another, business expertise can help government. Educationally I have an MBA from Wash U St Louis with a focus in finance and strategic planning and an engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame.
I am a husband and father of a high school aged daughter and we have wonderful 17 year old border terrier who keeps on going. I grew up in a small town; delivering newspapers, playing sports, working on a dairy farm in the summer, etc. I appreciate the community and support that small cities can provide. I am the chairman of the membership committee at Northfield’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and a member of the Northfield Rotary Club and Northfield’s Masonic Lodge.
The same dedication that has driven my career and my community involvement leads me to want to serve this awesome city of Northfield on its City Council, and I have the experience for this position.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
- Economy: the pandemic has the potential to wipe out millions of small businesses, which are the bedrock of Northfield’s economy. The city must do everything we can to engage and empower them during this crisis. This includes not only stores, farms and manufacturing, but also the colleges. St Olaf and Carleton are facing some of their largest challenges in their history.
- Sustainability: We need economic sustainability that provides opportunity to all people and environmental sustainability. Northfield has a great track record in these critical areas and we need to continue these long term focuses.
- Smart Growth: As people increasingly working from home their will be an opportunity to move to cities like Northfield, we need to engage this growth intelligently, in a way that provides opportunities and brings us closer together. This includes providing more transportation and housing
How would you characterize the business climate in Northfield and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate is good: There are few non-suburban, small cities that are thriving like Northfield is. This is because it is strong with respect to the “5Ss”: Schools, Safety, Services, Stores and Sidewalks (infrastructure) And Northfield goes beyond these with great parks, community activities, sports, and much more. Northfield consistently gets rated as having a quality of life.
But there are needs and risks, especially during this pandemic. Many small towns have died, the pandemic creates stress and changes that can cause local business to close. Additionally, there are many people that need additional help. The city should to everything it can to help them.
Regarding businesses role: Business is a main driver in quality of life. If you don’t have economic opportunity, there are little other opportunities.
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, Northfield?
Like any city, we should be pragmatic and constantly strive to be work cooperatively with businesses, selling our awesome quality of life. I don’t believe in having opaque or special tax deals to attract companies. We should differentiate out city based upon its superior services and its quality of life.
Obtaining more train and bus service to the twin cities would help better connect communities and thereby support our businesses
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Northfield (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 Northfield and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I think these are issues that are better addressed by individual businesses and the state
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
- Public Safety: following on George Floyd tragedy, Northfield’s police are emphasizing and expanding their community engagement. I applaud this approach.
- Housing: We have a shortage of affordable housing and housing in general in Northfield and it could be a limiting factor in our growth. I think we should follow Urban3 data driven design themes that were presented to Northfield’s Economic Development Authority: focusing on walkability and bikeability. A great example of expanding our housing in a sustainable way is the apartments being build downtown This is a good example of in-fill areas to increase housing stock along with affordable housing.
- Transportation:
ii. The reason we have a such a thriving, walkable downtown is that it was built before large parking lots were required. If we want to expand the walkability we need to look at the laws that have been preventing it.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
- Short term: Be financially conservative during this economic downturn, while doing what we can to support the challenges to the community and the businesses.
- Long Term: Expand the tax base by increasing the housing base in a sustainable way and attracting more business by appealing to our quality of life and our college connections. Being a “college town” has advantages, we should emphasize them
What will you do to expand Northfield’s tax base?
- Building more housing in a smart manner will help address the housing shortage and increase the tax base.
- Ensuring we have a strong quality of life, with a thriving downtown, great parks, great schools, and easy transportation options will attract more businesses and people. Businesses are attracted to robust communities.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
- With regard to K-12, Northfield is already very successful with respect to our schools. We get an A rating from Niche for our School District. We also have a good variety of schools to meet different needs: the Northfield public schools, Arcadia Charter School, the Alternative Learning Center, Prairie Creek Community School, St Dominic’s and others. This variety helps as it is especially important is to help ensure people of all socioeconomic backgrounds receive opportunities and nurturing.
- We need to also continue to maximize the relationships between the colleges – Carleton and St Olaf – and the communities. These type of relationships have helped Palo Alto, Boston, South Bend and Ann Arbor grow, they can continue to help propel Northfield’s growth.
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 expect that during an economic downturn, there are likely to be areas that require trimming due to reduced city revenue. Just as businesses are faced with these tough decisions so are cities. I don’t have specific recommendations; I would look to review the city manager’s proposal, as he is closer to the situation. In this proposal I would encourage him to benchmark our costs for each department vs comparable cities. This can provide context which helps when budgeting
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Northfield?
I support minority and woman owned businesses. I think we should continue to foster a atmosphere of inclusion.
What further policies can Northfield adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Help businesses obtain any state and federal that is available.
Coordinate with the area clinics and Northfield’s Hospital to make testing as available as soon as possible and to make vaccines as available as possible
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I think Northfield is has a lot going for it, but we need to work to maintain and improve it. The schools are great, the vibrant downtown is the envy of many communities, business is growing, the CAC and other charities do incredible work, and we have good parks. Since I love the city so much and believe in community service, I want to use my business experience to support Northfield's continued development. We do have room to improve, I want to support that, while also not taking what we have for granted.