Kari Moore
Name: Kari Moore
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (931) 220-6821
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/KariMoore4Oakdale/
Candidate Bio
I’m passionate about enhancing Oakdale's quality of life and I believe running for City Council is a chance to drive positive change and to contribute ideas to improve our community. My diverse background—including growing up in rural Minnesota and living in two other states before returning to Minnesota in 2022—gives me a broad perspective on governance. I care deeply about our schools, as our youngest child is in the 622 School District, and I’m connected to our military community through my family’s service and my years of leading USO Centers. With a master’s degree in public health and an MBA in Nonprofit Management, plus experience as Executive Director of a local Chamber of Commerce, I bring valuable skills to the role. I’m committed to fostering inclusive and effective governance as I focus on making Oakdale even better.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a humble leader most interested in listening, collaborating, and finding the best solutions for the most people. I don’t know everything about everything, so my leadership style is to actively explore options and to listen to others with different lived experience, education, or intuition.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Oakdale?
I love living in Oakdale, and I don’t carry any particular grievance into the campaign. We have challenges, but I’ve been so impressed watching our city leaders address them. At this time, I sincerely believe that our biggest challenge is that when residents have concerns, they aren’t sure how to address them. Our biggest opportunity is opening more doors and providing more opportunities for leaders to go to the public for listening and problem-solving. If our community isn’t showing up for City Council meetings when they have concerns, then we need to figure out how to move to them so we can collectively work to keep this high quality of life – for all of us.
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?
Government and the business community must collaborate for any success in tackling education, housing, or workforce development challenges. If the two communities aren’t collaborating, we’ll never understand the nuance of their positions. There are resources and expertise that government leaders can contribute, and there are resources and expertise that business leaders can contribute. The ideal collaboration between the two is one where open, honest, and ongoing communication and compromise are valued by all stakeholders. The idea that government and business are at odds is limiting; we all want the same general outcome at the end of the day: high quality of life for all involved.
Some outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively impacted our state’s business climate by exploring solutions to some of the barriers to workforce participation. There are many ways to answer the question, certainly, but when our businesses spin their wheels in attracting and hiring qualified candidates, we have to find ways to boost the labor force participation rate (currently 67.8%) to find more workers capable of filling openings.
How would you characterize the business climate in Oakdale and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Oakdale?
At this time, I would characterize the business climate in Oakdale as “strengthening.” I am encouraged by the successful efforts to attract an Aldi and the Helmo Station BRT plan.
Oakdale has a number of resources in place to attract and retain jobs and businesses. In particular, the city’s Business Retention, Expansion, and Attraction Program is an exciting effort. The BREA program is a terrific example of the role of a city in attracting and retaining business and jobs.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
When we moved to Oakdale two years ago, we were drawn to the community for many reasons, including its reputation for safety. I continue to believe that Oakdale is a relatively safe place. However, acknowledging that I am not a public safety expert, my approach to addressing public safety challenges is to listen to our safety professionals and to the community to find effective ways to safeguard our people and property.
To support this, I will ensure that our police department has the necessary resources to attract and retain skilled officers. Additionally, I'm committed to enhancing our proactive community building efforts, which can reduce the number of incident calls. With the rise in mental health crisis calls, which are now the fastest-growing category for our police and fire departments, it's crucial that we address this challenge. We need to explore all options to safely manage these situations and provide the support individuals require.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
There are at least four projects underway in Oakdale to address housing shortages; Oakdale’s leaders have been addressing this for some time, and Willowbrooke, the Harlan Apartments, the Norhart Apartments at Helmo Station, and the MWF Senior Apartments are all opening housing opportunities. With even more projects in development, it’s exciting to see this growth.
As far as affordability goes, time and the market will tell, but hopefully with more supply, the demand will drop, and prices can come down. Opening the senior apartments, for example, may allow seniors to let go of their homes and let those homes sell to the next generation of homeowners.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Oakdale just released their updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, and I would ensure that we continue to invest in the components of the plan because it was developed with much collaboration with the community.
Oakdale will have two new BRT stops, including the Greenway Station and the Helmo Station. These stations will be huge for our community transit riders.
Additionally, the City of Oakdale, Washington County, and the State of Minnesota have just invested in many road projects. While this summer has been frustrating as we navigate all the road construction, having roads and intersections in better condition will help drivers in our community.
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?
Oakdale’s current leaders have done a terrific job of managing the federal money to cover budgeted items, including smart investments and strategic spending. Instead of using the federal COVID relief money to fund ongoing expenses, our city leaders thoughtfully used a lot of the federal money to cover the cost of one-time equipment, technology and public safety vehicles expenses. They also used the federal money to cover current year public safety salary expenses, which allowed them to reallocate dollars that were levied for other purposes, like buying down debt. This prudent approach helped avoid tax increases and reduced future debt payments. Thanks to this thoughtful planning, we will not face difficult budgetary adjustments as the funds diminish.
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?
When our state legislators can’t find consensus on issues like Uber/Lyft wages and childcare subsidies, I think it’s appropriate for local governments to engage in healthy and robust exploration of what resources they can allocate to such endeavors. Just like a business that opts to attract employees by offering higher wages, childcare subsidies, comprehensive health insurance, and other benefits based on their goals and resources, local governments can work hard to attract residents, businesses, and workers with their own incentives. It’s probably ideal, though, that our state officials work to deliver statewide policies and cities focus on the services the residents expect them to provide.
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (931) 220-6821
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/KariMoore4Oakdale/
Candidate Bio
I’m passionate about enhancing Oakdale's quality of life and I believe running for City Council is a chance to drive positive change and to contribute ideas to improve our community. My diverse background—including growing up in rural Minnesota and living in two other states before returning to Minnesota in 2022—gives me a broad perspective on governance. I care deeply about our schools, as our youngest child is in the 622 School District, and I’m connected to our military community through my family’s service and my years of leading USO Centers. With a master’s degree in public health and an MBA in Nonprofit Management, plus experience as Executive Director of a local Chamber of Commerce, I bring valuable skills to the role. I’m committed to fostering inclusive and effective governance as I focus on making Oakdale even better.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a humble leader most interested in listening, collaborating, and finding the best solutions for the most people. I don’t know everything about everything, so my leadership style is to actively explore options and to listen to others with different lived experience, education, or intuition.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
- As a current Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commissioner, I am eagerly awaiting the completion of the current Park System Plan Update. As a City Council Member, I will be committed to completing the Park System Plan Update and finding the resources to achieve the proposed updates. Oakdale residents have an enormous opportunity to move forward ideas for making their local parks more accessible, more fun, and more accommodating, and I will work to be sure that we turn their visions into reality.
- I love living in Oakdale, and I am honored to have the opportunity to run for City Council. If elected, I would prioritize engaging with our community in ways that develop young people’s interest to participate in city governance and leadership. If we don’t invite the voices of our young people, we might miss the opportunity to create the resources and build the appropriate infrastructure that is ready for them to take over. And as our city’s current infrastructure ages, it is critical for younger voices to be a part of the decision making, so Oakdale remains a desirable home for a new generation. For example, there are rarely citizens present at our Parks and Recreation Commission meetings or in City Council meetings. I want our community to know that they are invited and welcome.
- I am watching all the exciting residential, commercial, and transportation developments happening in Oakdale. I would prioritize listening to and working closely with our Community Development Department to ensure that we have the resources necessary for our residents and businesses. In particular, I am interested in supporting the strategic development around Tanners Lake.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Oakdale?
I love living in Oakdale, and I don’t carry any particular grievance into the campaign. We have challenges, but I’ve been so impressed watching our city leaders address them. At this time, I sincerely believe that our biggest challenge is that when residents have concerns, they aren’t sure how to address them. Our biggest opportunity is opening more doors and providing more opportunities for leaders to go to the public for listening and problem-solving. If our community isn’t showing up for City Council meetings when they have concerns, then we need to figure out how to move to them so we can collectively work to keep this high quality of life – for all of us.
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?
Government and the business community must collaborate for any success in tackling education, housing, or workforce development challenges. If the two communities aren’t collaborating, we’ll never understand the nuance of their positions. There are resources and expertise that government leaders can contribute, and there are resources and expertise that business leaders can contribute. The ideal collaboration between the two is one where open, honest, and ongoing communication and compromise are valued by all stakeholders. The idea that government and business are at odds is limiting; we all want the same general outcome at the end of the day: high quality of life for all involved.
Some outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively impacted our state’s business climate by exploring solutions to some of the barriers to workforce participation. There are many ways to answer the question, certainly, but when our businesses spin their wheels in attracting and hiring qualified candidates, we have to find ways to boost the labor force participation rate (currently 67.8%) to find more workers capable of filling openings.
How would you characterize the business climate in Oakdale and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Oakdale?
At this time, I would characterize the business climate in Oakdale as “strengthening.” I am encouraged by the successful efforts to attract an Aldi and the Helmo Station BRT plan.
Oakdale has a number of resources in place to attract and retain jobs and businesses. In particular, the city’s Business Retention, Expansion, and Attraction Program is an exciting effort. The BREA program is a terrific example of the role of a city in attracting and retaining business and jobs.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
When we moved to Oakdale two years ago, we were drawn to the community for many reasons, including its reputation for safety. I continue to believe that Oakdale is a relatively safe place. However, acknowledging that I am not a public safety expert, my approach to addressing public safety challenges is to listen to our safety professionals and to the community to find effective ways to safeguard our people and property.
To support this, I will ensure that our police department has the necessary resources to attract and retain skilled officers. Additionally, I'm committed to enhancing our proactive community building efforts, which can reduce the number of incident calls. With the rise in mental health crisis calls, which are now the fastest-growing category for our police and fire departments, it's crucial that we address this challenge. We need to explore all options to safely manage these situations and provide the support individuals require.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
There are at least four projects underway in Oakdale to address housing shortages; Oakdale’s leaders have been addressing this for some time, and Willowbrooke, the Harlan Apartments, the Norhart Apartments at Helmo Station, and the MWF Senior Apartments are all opening housing opportunities. With even more projects in development, it’s exciting to see this growth.
As far as affordability goes, time and the market will tell, but hopefully with more supply, the demand will drop, and prices can come down. Opening the senior apartments, for example, may allow seniors to let go of their homes and let those homes sell to the next generation of homeowners.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Oakdale just released their updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, and I would ensure that we continue to invest in the components of the plan because it was developed with much collaboration with the community.
Oakdale will have two new BRT stops, including the Greenway Station and the Helmo Station. These stations will be huge for our community transit riders.
Additionally, the City of Oakdale, Washington County, and the State of Minnesota have just invested in many road projects. While this summer has been frustrating as we navigate all the road construction, having roads and intersections in better condition will help drivers in our community.
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?
Oakdale’s current leaders have done a terrific job of managing the federal money to cover budgeted items, including smart investments and strategic spending. Instead of using the federal COVID relief money to fund ongoing expenses, our city leaders thoughtfully used a lot of the federal money to cover the cost of one-time equipment, technology and public safety vehicles expenses. They also used the federal money to cover current year public safety salary expenses, which allowed them to reallocate dollars that were levied for other purposes, like buying down debt. This prudent approach helped avoid tax increases and reduced future debt payments. Thanks to this thoughtful planning, we will not face difficult budgetary adjustments as the funds diminish.
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?
When our state legislators can’t find consensus on issues like Uber/Lyft wages and childcare subsidies, I think it’s appropriate for local governments to engage in healthy and robust exploration of what resources they can allocate to such endeavors. Just like a business that opts to attract employees by offering higher wages, childcare subsidies, comprehensive health insurance, and other benefits based on their goals and resources, local governments can work hard to attract residents, businesses, and workers with their own incentives. It’s probably ideal, though, that our state officials work to deliver statewide policies and cities focus on the services the residents expect them to provide.