Gary Hansen
Name: Margaret Jae Cody
Public Office Sought: Eagan City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have worked for District 196 schools for the last 13 years and have been an Eagan resident for the last 5 years. Most relevant to this position, I worked for two years on a federal Department of Labor grant that sought to connect students with local companies (including several Eagan businesses) and rethink pipelines to different careers. Although the grant has ended, I have maintained my interest in and support for helping connect students with jobs and training opportunities, as well as developing better relationships between k-12 schools, post-secondary institutions, employers and families. I think working with the City Council could help facilitate and strengthen these relationships, to the benefit of all parties.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I am running for City Council to help make it easier for families to make good choices. During the pandemic, many families and businesses were forced into survival mode and a situation where no good choices were available. As we emerge, I like to think that we have a better idea of what we need for a functioning community.
My top priority is education. This is an area that is important to me, and also an area where I have experience and knowledge to make an impact. Many people move to this community because of the quality of the schools, and the schools in Eagan have an excellent reputation for teaching and preparing students for college. They are working on and getting better at helping students develop their leadership and other “soft” skills and building community. I think an area for growth is helping to connect students with industry and exposing them to different kinds of jobs. Most teachers don’t know the positives and negatives of working as a machinist or the best educational pathway to becoming a software engineer. By partnering with local businesses, we can improve the pipeline to local businesses and give students and their families greater confidence in the decisions they make about post-secondary investments.
My second priority is future-oriented planning. Climate change, shifts in the way people want to work and live, and demographic changes are already happening, and failing to prepare for these shifts is just asking to face emergencies later. For example, as more people are able to work and even go to school from home, our geographic location and our schools may become less of a draw. What will keep people wanting to live in Eagan? If gas prices continue to be high and people are looking for independence from cars, can they live and work here without one? Eagan has a lot of assets that should help us continue to be successful, and I want to make sure that future-oriented planning makes sure that those assets are properly developed.
Finally, a priority for me would be improving communication between residents and city government. I consider myself a well-connected individual. I live, work and volunteer in the community, follow the city on various social media sites, and read the paper mail that comes to my house. I still often find out about Eagan-hosted events either last minute or from a friend who is somehow involved. This city really does offer a lot, but I’m not sure how effectively all of the opportunities are communicated with residents. Likewise, I would like to see more effort to collect feedback and ideas from city residents. We have a large and diverse community; I am sure that there are great ideas that are currently not making their way up the pipeline.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Eagan is lucky to have local businesses that reinvest in the community by supporting our schools, sports teams, art programs and more. Cities (and the businesses in them) are best served when people are able to live, work, and find entertainment in the same area. In the time that I have been here, even with the pandemic, there seems to be stability for businesses– I have seen some new additions, but the majority of companies that were here when I arrived are still here. As a member of the City Council, it would be my goal to facilitate conversations with citizens, schools, businesses and other stakeholders to ensure that residents’ needs are met, and to help match unmet needs with potential businesses– either existing companies that could modify their services or by showing new investors a demand. This would be a win for everyone.
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, Eagan?
I think most businesses are looking for stability. It is difficult to make an investment in a community if you are uncertain about what the rules and infrastructure are going to look like in the years to come. I think the role of city government is to support long-term planning that enables businesses to know what to plan for. It is not the job of the government to pick winners and losers, but to create stable conditions where business owners and employees have good choices available.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
One thing that I think the city could definitely do is facilitate better communication between schools, families, and employers. District 196 schools offer extensive career development courses (I suspect that 197 does as well, but I am less knowledgeable about their programs), and Eagan students have access to coursework at multiple trade schools and colleges through the PSEO program. I think it would be the best scenario for both employers and students if there were more opportunities for students to job shadow/interact with employers AND employers could publicize courses/skills that would help recent graduates be more employable/valuable immediately after graduation. With the high cost of college, I think students and families are becoming more open to other career pathways, and many students just don’t know what else is out there. The changing needs of different employers means that schools can’t really do this without input from industry. If students (and their families) have better ways to learn about industries and the ins and outs of different jobs, it is much less intimidating to invest in education, and new hires will be better fits, which saves everyone time and money.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Eagan (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 Eagan and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am not sure how successful any Eagan-specific proposals will be, given the large number of neighboring communities with similar populations and businesses. That said, I have witnessed high school students getting phone calls to come into work at noon, and I have little sympathy for businesses who would ask a 16-year-old to leave school mid-day to keep a job. Without sick time and advanced notice, we have made it incredibly difficult for parents (or anyone else with caregiving responsibilities, multiple jobs or taking classes) to stay in the workforce, which impacts all of us. I would support collaborations with neighboring cities, and also creating a sick/family leave fund that would minimize the potential impact on smaller businesses.
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?
From what I know, most of the crime in Eagan is crimes of opportunity: catalytic converter theft, packages stolen from porches, items taken from unlocked cars. I know this is a community where I have always felt safe. Personally, I am incredibly frustrated that there hasn’t been a crackdown on the facilities buying the stolen catalytic converters, because this is the kind of crime that is challenging to prevent and creates way more costs for the victim than the perpetrator gains. It is also most challenging for people in our neighborhood who are already struggling, as they are less likely to be able to pay for expensive repairs and less likely to have a secure garage to park in.
I know that there have been some events where people can have their catalytic converters marked, and that there are many ways to have packages held in safe places for pick up. There are places where the city could provide better lighting with motion sensors, but I can also see why citizens wouldn’t want lights coming on on their streets in the middle of the night. I also don’t want police engaging in high speed chases, endangering other drivers and individuals, to catch a thief. I think addressing the resale of stolen property and encouraging people to take advantage of existing services is important. Moving forward, I think communication with people in affected neighborhoods is important; they should be able to make decisions and have some input on things like lighting and police presence on their streets.
Finally, especially for low-level crimes committed by young people, there is research that community engagement is key to crime prevention. There is a lot available to young people here, but there is certainly more we could do to make sure that everyone feels like they have a purpose and a home in our city. Increasing accessibility to activities, spaces and leadership opportunities is a small investment that could have a great impact in terms of community pride and ownership.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
This is not an area of expertise for me, but it is certainly something I am interested in learning about. I do believe that communities prosper when people are able to live and work in the same community; I know that I have found it easier to volunteer and be involved in civic life since I moved closer to my job. To that end, as we consider future development, I think affordability and stability (the longer people stay in their homes, whether they rent or own, the more community connection we can have) are critical. In terms of development, I would also like to see walkable areas. Even if housing is necessarily rising in cost, there is value in living in an area where you can walk to a job, a grocery store, a park.
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 think that the ability for some people to work (at least part of the time) from home is an example of a positive change that came out of the pandemic. The reduced traffic and pollution that we experienced in 2020 is significant, and I think it is worth considering how to continue those benefits to the community. That said, I think it is also important to acknowledge that many jobs have to be done in person (my partner and I both have jobs that required us to be physically present throughout the pandemic), and that cars are going to continue to be part of suburban life. However, more young people are delaying getting their licenses, cars and fuel are increasing in cost, and climate change has to be a part of our long-term planning. If Eagan is going to continue to grow, we need to be planning for a future where not everyone wants to own a car.
One thing that is important to me to address is pedestrian safety in our community. We live about a mile from our local elementary school, and I am well-aware of the mental and physical health benefits my kids would get from riding their bikes. However, there is a 4-way-stop that just isn’t safe for them to cross alone. This has consequences for drivers too–the parent pick-up lines at many of our schools extend into the streets. I appreciate the areas where new pedestrian crossings have been added (in front of Northview, for example), but I also know that these are costly and take a lot of time to be built. Adding crosswalks, coordinating crossing guards, or using lit signs at key times could be lower cost ways to protect pedestrians and drivers. I would also like to look at offering safe cycling classes for kids.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Eagan has a reputation for spending wisely, and I believe I’ve seen that we have been recognized for our accounting and low tax rates. A lot of the changes I’m interested in don’t require a huge financial investment, but are more about improved communication and collaboration. I am not looking to reallocate large portions of the budget, but I do want to make sure that future investments are forward-thinking and that climate change (and possible future state/federal legislation related to climate change) and other trends are considered as we make plans for the future. I want to make sure that any infrastructure investments we make are in the long-term interest of the city and its residents.
What will you do to expand Eagan’s tax base?
Eagan has been a desirable community for many years because of its location, the businesses that attract a skilled workforce, and the quality schools. There are some locations that could host new businesses. One thing I would like to see is more open conversation with the community about their needs and their perceptions of what is missing in our area. With some improved data collection regarding what citizens are looking for and willing to spend money on, it might be easier to attract new businesses that would be successful here.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
Through my work on the Department of Labor grant, I have significant experience working with colleges in our area. In addition, I teach a College in the Schools (CIS) class through the University of Minnesota and have given presentations at my high school about the different ways that students can earn college credit while in high school. I have also worked with local businesses in Eagan and Apple Valley to connect students with employers and to look for innovative ways to develop world-of-work skills in our students. I think that students in Eagan have an incredible wealth of opportunities and access to world-class public education, which is certainly something that draws people to our community.
My experience has shown me things that we do well, but also places where there is room for improvement. One of these areas is better communication between industry and education. I mentioned above some ideas I have for better leveraging PSEO for students interested in something other than a traditional 4-year degree pathway. I spent a year working in two German high schools and have some connections to and knowledge of their apprenticeships programs, as well as a group in the Chicago area that has implemented similar programs, with documented results, in several states.
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?
This was a county decision, but worth mentioning: the new policy of recycling being picked up every week seems to be the wrong solution to the problem. I know my trash bill has gone up significantly (there are additional causes…labor and gas have both increased). From all of the reading I have done about recycling, the main problem is not that people don’t have enough opportunity to recycle, but that people are putting too many items that are not recyclable into bins, which slows the work of the machines and makes it more expensive for recycling companies to operate. In my mind, a better solution that would have not increased costs for families would have been to specifically identify items at the point of sale that are common issues for recyclers.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Eagan?
I think, at a minimum, it would be wise for Eagan to look at eliminating structural barriers to business ownership for these groups. There is a well-known wealth gap between white Americans and people of color that is larger in Minnesota than in other states (lots of sources, but one local source is https://minnesotago.org/trends/racial-inequality ). This means that a potential business owner from a marginalized community is less likely to have generational wealth as an investment tool or as an emergency fall back. If they have an idea that is worth the risk, and that they have successfully found investment for (likely also pitching to people who don’t look like them and might not understand the client base), that is a business that is likely to be successful. I want that person in our community, and I don’t want them to fail because they don’t fill out the right permit form, have the wrong insurance, or miss a deadline.
Something that I think would benefit all new businesses, but have an outsized impact for underrepresented groups would be a mentoring program for new/future business owners. There are multiple empty storefronts near me, and I think everyone would agree that we would all benefit from those spaces being filled with new businesses. We want Eagan to have a reputation for being a place where new businesses thrive and continue to grow. This is especially important for future business owners who don’t have access to generational wealth to back them up. Unique businesses owned by individuals from marginalized groups have the potential to draw newcomers to Eagan and to give young people in our increasingly diverse community role models for success and a greater feeling of belonging.
What further policies can Eagan adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I am not a business owner, but after two years of closures, supply chain issues, and general confusion about what is best/safest, I think most people are looking for stability. I think the best thing we can do is be transparent about long-term planning so that businesses can know what to expect in the coming months and years. We cannot anticipate every emergency, but we can do our best to prepare for changes we know are coming.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
There has been a lot of writing about the mental health of young people and increasing anxiety of students over the past year, dating back to before the COVID-19 outbreak. In my experience working with high schoolers, a lot of them are overwhelmed; they are worried about climate change and don’t feel like adults are taking it seriously. They don’t know if college is a wise investment, and most of them are pretty sure that they will never have enough money to afford a home. Very few of my students want to be parents. I think we need to be more conscientious about giving students a seat at the table, listening to their concerns and ideas, and creating opportunities for them to lead and learn in the community. Something that is impressive about Eagan (to me, who lives 1000 miles from where I grew up) is the number of people who grew up here who are now raising families here. If we want the next generation to do the same, I think it is important to engage young people, listen to their ideas, and help them understand the decision-making process.
Public Office Sought: Eagan City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have worked for District 196 schools for the last 13 years and have been an Eagan resident for the last 5 years. Most relevant to this position, I worked for two years on a federal Department of Labor grant that sought to connect students with local companies (including several Eagan businesses) and rethink pipelines to different careers. Although the grant has ended, I have maintained my interest in and support for helping connect students with jobs and training opportunities, as well as developing better relationships between k-12 schools, post-secondary institutions, employers and families. I think working with the City Council could help facilitate and strengthen these relationships, to the benefit of all parties.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I am running for City Council to help make it easier for families to make good choices. During the pandemic, many families and businesses were forced into survival mode and a situation where no good choices were available. As we emerge, I like to think that we have a better idea of what we need for a functioning community.
My top priority is education. This is an area that is important to me, and also an area where I have experience and knowledge to make an impact. Many people move to this community because of the quality of the schools, and the schools in Eagan have an excellent reputation for teaching and preparing students for college. They are working on and getting better at helping students develop their leadership and other “soft” skills and building community. I think an area for growth is helping to connect students with industry and exposing them to different kinds of jobs. Most teachers don’t know the positives and negatives of working as a machinist or the best educational pathway to becoming a software engineer. By partnering with local businesses, we can improve the pipeline to local businesses and give students and their families greater confidence in the decisions they make about post-secondary investments.
My second priority is future-oriented planning. Climate change, shifts in the way people want to work and live, and demographic changes are already happening, and failing to prepare for these shifts is just asking to face emergencies later. For example, as more people are able to work and even go to school from home, our geographic location and our schools may become less of a draw. What will keep people wanting to live in Eagan? If gas prices continue to be high and people are looking for independence from cars, can they live and work here without one? Eagan has a lot of assets that should help us continue to be successful, and I want to make sure that future-oriented planning makes sure that those assets are properly developed.
Finally, a priority for me would be improving communication between residents and city government. I consider myself a well-connected individual. I live, work and volunteer in the community, follow the city on various social media sites, and read the paper mail that comes to my house. I still often find out about Eagan-hosted events either last minute or from a friend who is somehow involved. This city really does offer a lot, but I’m not sure how effectively all of the opportunities are communicated with residents. Likewise, I would like to see more effort to collect feedback and ideas from city residents. We have a large and diverse community; I am sure that there are great ideas that are currently not making their way up the pipeline.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Eagan is lucky to have local businesses that reinvest in the community by supporting our schools, sports teams, art programs and more. Cities (and the businesses in them) are best served when people are able to live, work, and find entertainment in the same area. In the time that I have been here, even with the pandemic, there seems to be stability for businesses– I have seen some new additions, but the majority of companies that were here when I arrived are still here. As a member of the City Council, it would be my goal to facilitate conversations with citizens, schools, businesses and other stakeholders to ensure that residents’ needs are met, and to help match unmet needs with potential businesses– either existing companies that could modify their services or by showing new investors a demand. This would be a win for everyone.
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, Eagan?
I think most businesses are looking for stability. It is difficult to make an investment in a community if you are uncertain about what the rules and infrastructure are going to look like in the years to come. I think the role of city government is to support long-term planning that enables businesses to know what to plan for. It is not the job of the government to pick winners and losers, but to create stable conditions where business owners and employees have good choices available.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
One thing that I think the city could definitely do is facilitate better communication between schools, families, and employers. District 196 schools offer extensive career development courses (I suspect that 197 does as well, but I am less knowledgeable about their programs), and Eagan students have access to coursework at multiple trade schools and colleges through the PSEO program. I think it would be the best scenario for both employers and students if there were more opportunities for students to job shadow/interact with employers AND employers could publicize courses/skills that would help recent graduates be more employable/valuable immediately after graduation. With the high cost of college, I think students and families are becoming more open to other career pathways, and many students just don’t know what else is out there. The changing needs of different employers means that schools can’t really do this without input from industry. If students (and their families) have better ways to learn about industries and the ins and outs of different jobs, it is much less intimidating to invest in education, and new hires will be better fits, which saves everyone time and money.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Eagan (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 Eagan and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I am not sure how successful any Eagan-specific proposals will be, given the large number of neighboring communities with similar populations and businesses. That said, I have witnessed high school students getting phone calls to come into work at noon, and I have little sympathy for businesses who would ask a 16-year-old to leave school mid-day to keep a job. Without sick time and advanced notice, we have made it incredibly difficult for parents (or anyone else with caregiving responsibilities, multiple jobs or taking classes) to stay in the workforce, which impacts all of us. I would support collaborations with neighboring cities, and also creating a sick/family leave fund that would minimize the potential impact on smaller businesses.
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?
From what I know, most of the crime in Eagan is crimes of opportunity: catalytic converter theft, packages stolen from porches, items taken from unlocked cars. I know this is a community where I have always felt safe. Personally, I am incredibly frustrated that there hasn’t been a crackdown on the facilities buying the stolen catalytic converters, because this is the kind of crime that is challenging to prevent and creates way more costs for the victim than the perpetrator gains. It is also most challenging for people in our neighborhood who are already struggling, as they are less likely to be able to pay for expensive repairs and less likely to have a secure garage to park in.
I know that there have been some events where people can have their catalytic converters marked, and that there are many ways to have packages held in safe places for pick up. There are places where the city could provide better lighting with motion sensors, but I can also see why citizens wouldn’t want lights coming on on their streets in the middle of the night. I also don’t want police engaging in high speed chases, endangering other drivers and individuals, to catch a thief. I think addressing the resale of stolen property and encouraging people to take advantage of existing services is important. Moving forward, I think communication with people in affected neighborhoods is important; they should be able to make decisions and have some input on things like lighting and police presence on their streets.
Finally, especially for low-level crimes committed by young people, there is research that community engagement is key to crime prevention. There is a lot available to young people here, but there is certainly more we could do to make sure that everyone feels like they have a purpose and a home in our city. Increasing accessibility to activities, spaces and leadership opportunities is a small investment that could have a great impact in terms of community pride and ownership.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
This is not an area of expertise for me, but it is certainly something I am interested in learning about. I do believe that communities prosper when people are able to live and work in the same community; I know that I have found it easier to volunteer and be involved in civic life since I moved closer to my job. To that end, as we consider future development, I think affordability and stability (the longer people stay in their homes, whether they rent or own, the more community connection we can have) are critical. In terms of development, I would also like to see walkable areas. Even if housing is necessarily rising in cost, there is value in living in an area where you can walk to a job, a grocery store, a park.
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 think that the ability for some people to work (at least part of the time) from home is an example of a positive change that came out of the pandemic. The reduced traffic and pollution that we experienced in 2020 is significant, and I think it is worth considering how to continue those benefits to the community. That said, I think it is also important to acknowledge that many jobs have to be done in person (my partner and I both have jobs that required us to be physically present throughout the pandemic), and that cars are going to continue to be part of suburban life. However, more young people are delaying getting their licenses, cars and fuel are increasing in cost, and climate change has to be a part of our long-term planning. If Eagan is going to continue to grow, we need to be planning for a future where not everyone wants to own a car.
One thing that is important to me to address is pedestrian safety in our community. We live about a mile from our local elementary school, and I am well-aware of the mental and physical health benefits my kids would get from riding their bikes. However, there is a 4-way-stop that just isn’t safe for them to cross alone. This has consequences for drivers too–the parent pick-up lines at many of our schools extend into the streets. I appreciate the areas where new pedestrian crossings have been added (in front of Northview, for example), but I also know that these are costly and take a lot of time to be built. Adding crosswalks, coordinating crossing guards, or using lit signs at key times could be lower cost ways to protect pedestrians and drivers. I would also like to look at offering safe cycling classes for kids.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Eagan has a reputation for spending wisely, and I believe I’ve seen that we have been recognized for our accounting and low tax rates. A lot of the changes I’m interested in don’t require a huge financial investment, but are more about improved communication and collaboration. I am not looking to reallocate large portions of the budget, but I do want to make sure that future investments are forward-thinking and that climate change (and possible future state/federal legislation related to climate change) and other trends are considered as we make plans for the future. I want to make sure that any infrastructure investments we make are in the long-term interest of the city and its residents.
What will you do to expand Eagan’s tax base?
Eagan has been a desirable community for many years because of its location, the businesses that attract a skilled workforce, and the quality schools. There are some locations that could host new businesses. One thing I would like to see is more open conversation with the community about their needs and their perceptions of what is missing in our area. With some improved data collection regarding what citizens are looking for and willing to spend money on, it might be easier to attract new businesses that would be successful here.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
Through my work on the Department of Labor grant, I have significant experience working with colleges in our area. In addition, I teach a College in the Schools (CIS) class through the University of Minnesota and have given presentations at my high school about the different ways that students can earn college credit while in high school. I have also worked with local businesses in Eagan and Apple Valley to connect students with employers and to look for innovative ways to develop world-of-work skills in our students. I think that students in Eagan have an incredible wealth of opportunities and access to world-class public education, which is certainly something that draws people to our community.
My experience has shown me things that we do well, but also places where there is room for improvement. One of these areas is better communication between industry and education. I mentioned above some ideas I have for better leveraging PSEO for students interested in something other than a traditional 4-year degree pathway. I spent a year working in two German high schools and have some connections to and knowledge of their apprenticeships programs, as well as a group in the Chicago area that has implemented similar programs, with documented results, in several states.
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?
This was a county decision, but worth mentioning: the new policy of recycling being picked up every week seems to be the wrong solution to the problem. I know my trash bill has gone up significantly (there are additional causes…labor and gas have both increased). From all of the reading I have done about recycling, the main problem is not that people don’t have enough opportunity to recycle, but that people are putting too many items that are not recyclable into bins, which slows the work of the machines and makes it more expensive for recycling companies to operate. In my mind, a better solution that would have not increased costs for families would have been to specifically identify items at the point of sale that are common issues for recyclers.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Eagan?
I think, at a minimum, it would be wise for Eagan to look at eliminating structural barriers to business ownership for these groups. There is a well-known wealth gap between white Americans and people of color that is larger in Minnesota than in other states (lots of sources, but one local source is https://minnesotago.org/trends/racial-inequality ). This means that a potential business owner from a marginalized community is less likely to have generational wealth as an investment tool or as an emergency fall back. If they have an idea that is worth the risk, and that they have successfully found investment for (likely also pitching to people who don’t look like them and might not understand the client base), that is a business that is likely to be successful. I want that person in our community, and I don’t want them to fail because they don’t fill out the right permit form, have the wrong insurance, or miss a deadline.
Something that I think would benefit all new businesses, but have an outsized impact for underrepresented groups would be a mentoring program for new/future business owners. There are multiple empty storefronts near me, and I think everyone would agree that we would all benefit from those spaces being filled with new businesses. We want Eagan to have a reputation for being a place where new businesses thrive and continue to grow. This is especially important for future business owners who don’t have access to generational wealth to back them up. Unique businesses owned by individuals from marginalized groups have the potential to draw newcomers to Eagan and to give young people in our increasingly diverse community role models for success and a greater feeling of belonging.
What further policies can Eagan adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I am not a business owner, but after two years of closures, supply chain issues, and general confusion about what is best/safest, I think most people are looking for stability. I think the best thing we can do is be transparent about long-term planning so that businesses can know what to expect in the coming months and years. We cannot anticipate every emergency, but we can do our best to prepare for changes we know are coming.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
There has been a lot of writing about the mental health of young people and increasing anxiety of students over the past year, dating back to before the COVID-19 outbreak. In my experience working with high schoolers, a lot of them are overwhelmed; they are worried about climate change and don’t feel like adults are taking it seriously. They don’t know if college is a wise investment, and most of them are pretty sure that they will never have enough money to afford a home. Very few of my students want to be parents. I think we need to be more conscientious about giving students a seat at the table, listening to their concerns and ideas, and creating opportunities for them to lead and learn in the community. Something that is impressive about Eagan (to me, who lives 1000 miles from where I grew up) is the number of people who grew up here who are now raising families here. If we want the next generation to do the same, I think it is important to engage young people, listen to their ideas, and help them understand the decision-making process.