Leif Erickson
Name: Leif Erickson
Public Office Sought: Forest Lake City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-279-3653
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EricksonforCouncil
Candidate Bio
Leif and his wife, Chelsea, make their home in Forest Lake. Together, they have six children, all young adults. Leif is a local business owner, working with a wide variety of families as a Financial Advisor.
In addition to leadership responsibilities in the workplace, Leif serves as a member of the Forest Lake Economic Development Authority (2020 - present) and as a member of the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (2021 - present) Board of Directors, currently serving as the Chair-Elect.
Leif and his wife attend The Community Co (formally Willowbrook Community Church) and enjoy being involved in a number of additional local non-profit organizations in the community.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Pro-Business Development
City Infrastructure & Aesthetics
Responsible Spending
How would you characterize the business climate in Forest Lake and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Forest Lake is a Community with tremendous opportunity - both for businesses and families. We have several major employers in Forest Lake and the surrounding communities, as well as a strong small business environment. We’re blessed with a pro-active CEO at our local Chamber of Commerce who has done an amazing job through the pandemic and beyond to equip our employers, both big and small, with the resources they needed to rise to that unique challenge.
One of our biggest challenges, as a business community, is filling open positions and making sure the pipeline is full of qualified employees.
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, Forest Lake?
Being in Community is about collaboration; fostering a Solutions-Oriented culture where businesses can thrive. In Forest Lake, we are blessed to have great partners, including:
The Forest Lake Area School District that offers resources and real-world experience for all students, whatever their career aspirations and post-high school plans include.
Washington County Community Development Agency who offers a wide array of resources for employers and homeowners, to help them grow and develop.
As a City, we will be an excellent partner with these organizations as well as our current and future businesses. As that partner, we will:
Focus on making sure we are the Community of Choice for their future employees by providing a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere from City Hall to a robust Parks and Trails System.
Make sure we are addressing the need for affordable housing that includes home ownership, a key ingredient to successful communities.
Be financially responsible in all that we do. As wise stewards of our community’s financial resources, we will make sure the taxes paid at the local level are being used to add value to our community.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Forest Lake (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 Forest Lake and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am not aware of any specific employment-related proposals in Forest Lake. As a Council member, I look forward to learning more about any specific programs that are in place and what new policies, if any, would be a benefit to our business community.
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?
Forest Lake is blessed to have a well funded and well trained local police department that has done an outstanding job of building a community policing presence. While major crime is on the rise in many communities, Forest Lake has, thankfully, not had the same experience. While this could change at any time, I believe the culture of trust our police department has built will enable our community to respond quickly.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
We’ve seen a significant increase in housing starts in and around Forest Lake, including apartment complexes, single family homes, and senior living communities. As development continues, we need to make sure that affordable housing is addressed by encouraging housing builds that include starter homes as well as move-up homes which will in-turn provide additional starter home inventory from current supply.
Strategies the city can implement to encourage those diverse housing starts include reasonable lot sizes and setback requirements.
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?
Forest Lake residents are blessed with easy access to Highway 35 just north of the 35W/35E split. With the addition of HOV lanes on both of these interstates, commuting, when necessary to either St. Paul or Minneapolis has become much quicker.
Pre-pandemic, Forest Lake enjoyed direct access to MetroTransit from our Forest Lake Transit Center. With the decline in commuter traffic, that transit center is not operational, but we have access to Park & Ride Hubs within 12 miles on both 35W and 35E.
Our downtown district has State Highway 61 running through it. Locally, we call it Lake Street. It is currently maintained and controlled by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT), which has encumbered our ability as a local municipality to move forward on several projects. There is an ongoing discussion between MNDOT and Washington County to “turnback” this section of road. A turnback of a road like this can have significant financial considerations. I believe it’s an essential step to take if we want to see our downtown district revitalized.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We need to focus on ensuring we are wise stewards of the public’s trust and investment of local tax dollars.
We have infrastructure challenges that need to be addressed. We have areas of the city, including our downtown district, that need redevelopment. We have incredible public assets and activities that are either under-utilized or not marketed well to the community at-large.
Investments of this size and scope come at a cost, but also provide tremendous value and civic pride.
What will you do to expand Forest Lake’s tax base?
An expanded tax base will come in one of two ways, more residential development and/or more business development. Forest Lake has some significant parcels of land, both publicly owned as well as privately owned, that are ready for development. By fostering additional business development, we can increase our tax base without significantly increasing the need for city services. Residential development has the opposite effect. At the end of the day, we need a balanced approach of both.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
As a city, we need to continue supporting the collaborative environment that exists today between our partners in education and business. In Forest Lake, we are blessed with an array of great educational opportunities including our primary school district, private schools, charter schools, on-line and home school options.
Our local business community, through the efforts led by our Chamber of Commerce, does an excellent job of welcoming our new educators each year to the district. By continuing to support our local Chamber, we affirm our commitment to our local educators.
In addition, we need to do all we can to help position Forest Lake as the Community of Choice. We will do this, in part, through affordable housing and community amenities like parks and trails that encourages those educators and future workforce members to call Forest Lake home.
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?
The city contracts with the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to provide some valuable services to our business community. I would like to see this relationship grow, both in terms of our financial commitment to the Chamber, as well as the scope of the work taken on by the Chamber to encourage and empower business development.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Forest Lake?
Forest Lake needs to encourage business growth in all areas through simplified communication, as well as responsive and proactive marketing efforts. We need to develop a more pro-business culture that welcomes entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
We will continue to invest in our collaborative partnerships with the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and Washington County Community Development Agency. Both of these valuable partners have resources to help connect and equip new and growing businesses.
What further policies can Forest Lake adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I believe the Forest Lake business community will benefit greatly from the development of a Forest Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. My vision for this new entity will be to promote Forest Lake and the surrounding lakes area as a destination for conferences, events, group tours and leisure travelers; thereby enhancing the economic growth of the area.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Public Office Sought: Forest Lake City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-279-3653
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EricksonforCouncil
Candidate Bio
Leif and his wife, Chelsea, make their home in Forest Lake. Together, they have six children, all young adults. Leif is a local business owner, working with a wide variety of families as a Financial Advisor.
In addition to leadership responsibilities in the workplace, Leif serves as a member of the Forest Lake Economic Development Authority (2020 - present) and as a member of the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (2021 - present) Board of Directors, currently serving as the Chair-Elect.
Leif and his wife attend The Community Co (formally Willowbrook Community Church) and enjoy being involved in a number of additional local non-profit organizations in the community.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Pro-Business Development
City Infrastructure & Aesthetics
Responsible Spending
How would you characterize the business climate in Forest Lake and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Forest Lake is a Community with tremendous opportunity - both for businesses and families. We have several major employers in Forest Lake and the surrounding communities, as well as a strong small business environment. We’re blessed with a pro-active CEO at our local Chamber of Commerce who has done an amazing job through the pandemic and beyond to equip our employers, both big and small, with the resources they needed to rise to that unique challenge.
One of our biggest challenges, as a business community, is filling open positions and making sure the pipeline is full of qualified employees.
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, Forest Lake?
Being in Community is about collaboration; fostering a Solutions-Oriented culture where businesses can thrive. In Forest Lake, we are blessed to have great partners, including:
The Forest Lake Area School District that offers resources and real-world experience for all students, whatever their career aspirations and post-high school plans include.
Washington County Community Development Agency who offers a wide array of resources for employers and homeowners, to help them grow and develop.
As a City, we will be an excellent partner with these organizations as well as our current and future businesses. As that partner, we will:
Focus on making sure we are the Community of Choice for their future employees by providing a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere from City Hall to a robust Parks and Trails System.
Make sure we are addressing the need for affordable housing that includes home ownership, a key ingredient to successful communities.
Be financially responsible in all that we do. As wise stewards of our community’s financial resources, we will make sure the taxes paid at the local level are being used to add value to our community.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Forest Lake (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 Forest Lake and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am not aware of any specific employment-related proposals in Forest Lake. As a Council member, I look forward to learning more about any specific programs that are in place and what new policies, if any, would be a benefit to our business community.
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?
Forest Lake is blessed to have a well funded and well trained local police department that has done an outstanding job of building a community policing presence. While major crime is on the rise in many communities, Forest Lake has, thankfully, not had the same experience. While this could change at any time, I believe the culture of trust our police department has built will enable our community to respond quickly.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
We’ve seen a significant increase in housing starts in and around Forest Lake, including apartment complexes, single family homes, and senior living communities. As development continues, we need to make sure that affordable housing is addressed by encouraging housing builds that include starter homes as well as move-up homes which will in-turn provide additional starter home inventory from current supply.
Strategies the city can implement to encourage those diverse housing starts include reasonable lot sizes and setback requirements.
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?
Forest Lake residents are blessed with easy access to Highway 35 just north of the 35W/35E split. With the addition of HOV lanes on both of these interstates, commuting, when necessary to either St. Paul or Minneapolis has become much quicker.
Pre-pandemic, Forest Lake enjoyed direct access to MetroTransit from our Forest Lake Transit Center. With the decline in commuter traffic, that transit center is not operational, but we have access to Park & Ride Hubs within 12 miles on both 35W and 35E.
Our downtown district has State Highway 61 running through it. Locally, we call it Lake Street. It is currently maintained and controlled by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT), which has encumbered our ability as a local municipality to move forward on several projects. There is an ongoing discussion between MNDOT and Washington County to “turnback” this section of road. A turnback of a road like this can have significant financial considerations. I believe it’s an essential step to take if we want to see our downtown district revitalized.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
We need to focus on ensuring we are wise stewards of the public’s trust and investment of local tax dollars.
We have infrastructure challenges that need to be addressed. We have areas of the city, including our downtown district, that need redevelopment. We have incredible public assets and activities that are either under-utilized or not marketed well to the community at-large.
Investments of this size and scope come at a cost, but also provide tremendous value and civic pride.
What will you do to expand Forest Lake’s tax base?
An expanded tax base will come in one of two ways, more residential development and/or more business development. Forest Lake has some significant parcels of land, both publicly owned as well as privately owned, that are ready for development. By fostering additional business development, we can increase our tax base without significantly increasing the need for city services. Residential development has the opposite effect. At the end of the day, we need a balanced approach of both.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
As a city, we need to continue supporting the collaborative environment that exists today between our partners in education and business. In Forest Lake, we are blessed with an array of great educational opportunities including our primary school district, private schools, charter schools, on-line and home school options.
Our local business community, through the efforts led by our Chamber of Commerce, does an excellent job of welcoming our new educators each year to the district. By continuing to support our local Chamber, we affirm our commitment to our local educators.
In addition, we need to do all we can to help position Forest Lake as the Community of Choice. We will do this, in part, through affordable housing and community amenities like parks and trails that encourages those educators and future workforce members to call Forest Lake home.
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?
The city contracts with the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to provide some valuable services to our business community. I would like to see this relationship grow, both in terms of our financial commitment to the Chamber, as well as the scope of the work taken on by the Chamber to encourage and empower business development.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Forest Lake?
Forest Lake needs to encourage business growth in all areas through simplified communication, as well as responsive and proactive marketing efforts. We need to develop a more pro-business culture that welcomes entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
We will continue to invest in our collaborative partnerships with the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and Washington County Community Development Agency. Both of these valuable partners have resources to help connect and equip new and growing businesses.
What further policies can Forest Lake adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I believe the Forest Lake business community will benefit greatly from the development of a Forest Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. My vision for this new entity will be to promote Forest Lake and the surrounding lakes area as a destination for conferences, events, group tours and leisure travelers; thereby enhancing the economic growth of the area.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?