Matt Bauer
Name: Matt Bauer
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (651) 243-1218
Campaign Website: https://mattbauer.vote
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bauer-for-Roseville-Committee/61561736281243/
Candidate Bio
I currently serve on the Planning Commission and have volunteered as an EMT on various fire departments. My career is starting and growing tech startups from idea to eventual exit. I’ve developed small teams and managed teams of hundreds. I’ve worked with tight budgets of just a few thousand dollars to budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars. I have the experience and leadership to serve Roseville residents.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is focused on understanding, recruitment and execution. Knowing in detail the problem, challenge, or opportunity is critical to determine where to lead to. For this reason I ask a lot of questions. In most cases I won’t know the complete answer but I work to recruit those that do. Once a plan is formed with those that know the problem, I proceed to make sure it gets done. This always varies depending on the challenge and the team but I work to ensure progress is always made till it gets done.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
My priorities are public safety, parks and strong neighborhoods. Ensuring we live in a safe and well cared for community is critical for Roseville's continued success. Maintaining and growing our parks/trails is core to what is Roseville. Diversity of housing balanced with supporting existing neighborhoods is important for those already living here and those that want to.
Changes in the state’s projected economic outlook will have an effect on these priorities. For example, a worsening outlook may see a rise in crime and challenges maintaining home ownership. While an improving outlook may result in more home improvements and increased requests for park programming.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Roseville?
The recent survey completed by the city showed Public Safety was the highest concern of residents. I agree that it’s the largest challenge for the city and there’s much that the city is already doing. First, our Police Department will be at full strength this fall and it’s rated as a desirable place to work. Second, the city is leading on many innovative programs such as the Community Action Team (CAT) which is dedicated to working alongside community partners to find innovative solutions to problems and issues in Roseville. It includes police officers, social workers and a housing coordinator. The city has also implemented a violation by mail program that mails a notice for things like a faulty tail light rather than performing a traffic stop. This reduces the need to pull people over and frees officers up for other patrol work. More innovative programs like these along with proper staffing levels are necessary to meet this challenge.
Roseville has a number of opportunities to use or redevelop older commercial areas. As examples this redevelopment could be for retail, health care, or light manufacturing as Roseville’s location and workforce are desirable. Opportunities also exist for additional housing and parks in these areas too.
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?
In the ideal collaboration, city government supports the business community while also serving its residents. This means a city government that is easy for businesses to work with for permits, inspections, fees, etc. It is important that city government is always talking with businesses to understand their situations and working to make Roseville desirable for businesses small and large. A city government that works to ensure options for education, housing and workforce development will not only attract businesses but also better serve its residents.
How would you characterize the business climate in Roseville and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Roseville?
Roseville has a welcoming business climate that includes small to large businesses from service and retail to manufacturing and industrial. Businesses are a vital part of a city and Roseville understands this. This means reaching out to businesses to understand what’s working and not working for them in regards to the city. This is something that Roseville currently does well. Additionally, the city markets itself to new businesses. Continued investments in city infrastructure (water, roads, parks, public safety, etc.), offering a wide range of housing options and predictable/timely permits, licenses, fees, inspections, etc. are all important to attracting and retaining businesses.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
To address public safety challenges I believe in a strategy of hiring the right people and empowering them to do their job, encouraging and experimenting with innovative ideas and ensuring healthy neighborhoods. Having a well led and fully staffed police and fire department is critical. Both departments are well trained and continually advancing their techniques. Ensuring there is enough funding to staff and train these departments going forward is critical.
I will also encourage new and innovative ideas to be tried at a small scale. If they prove effective, then work to scale them up city wide. This has already resulted in Roseville’s successful violation by mail and Community Action Team (CAT) programs.
Having healthy neighborhoods that are well connected with neighbors/businesses helping each other has been shown to reduce crime. In areas where crime is a problem, working with neighborhood residents and the police to become better organized is something I support.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Roseville has done a good job ensuring that there are a variety of housing options. Roseville currently exceeds the Metropolitan Council guidelines for all housing types including affordable housing. Future efforts to further address affordable housing must be made while preserving our existing neighborhoods which provide so much of Roseville’s character and desirability.
The city does have a number of programs to assist with home ownership. This includes programs like the First-Generation Downpayment Assistance Program and the land trust program. The city has also worked to stack these programs with those offered by the County and State to make home ownership even more affordable. Continuing to work on these programs and exploring new programs that don’t burden existing residents is important in making homeownership in Roseville possible.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Increasing the number of pathways for pedestrians and bikers which connect our parks and neighborhoods is something that the city continually works on. I support continuing to invest in it. This is easier in some areas where the city already owns the land and/or streets. In many other areas it’s the county that owns the land and/or streets. Many of the major roads in Roseville are county roads. The county, like the city, has plans to improve these roads for drivers and many times they include pedestrian/bike improvements too. Working with the county to have plans which include what Roseville residents want along with making sure the projects follow these plans is necessary for ideal transportation options for Roseville residents.
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?
While many cities did use temporary COVID relief dollars to address ongoing issues in their budget, Roseville did not. Roseville targeted COVID relief dollars for one time costs in the Capital Improvement Plan, programs to support local businesses that were struggling and mostly to pay for increased costs in public safety associated with COVID. Since these were one time expenses and not ongoing expenses the ending of these COVID funds do not pose a risk to Roseville. This was all the result of Roseville properly managing its budget. Maintaining an accurate and predictable budget that doesn’t burden residents in taxes is something I strongly support.
One way to further Roseville’s fiscal stability is to invest a small portion of Roseville’s investments in equities per a 2023 MN State Legislation change. Currently all of Roseville’s investments are in bonds which have yielded approximately 2.6%. This is rather low compared to equities during that same time period. The legislation changes allow up to 15% to be placed in equities.
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?
Local government is mainly about services while state government is much more about policy. It is the job of city government to ensure roads are plowed, parks maintained, permits issued and safety for its residents. Policy around items like education, childcare, etc are better handled at the state level. This doesn’t mean local government is completely removed from policy though. Local government needs to be engaged with state government to highlight challenges it faces, struggles with existing state policies, and effects of proposed policies on its residents.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (651) 243-1218
Campaign Website: https://mattbauer.vote
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bauer-for-Roseville-Committee/61561736281243/
Candidate Bio
I currently serve on the Planning Commission and have volunteered as an EMT on various fire departments. My career is starting and growing tech startups from idea to eventual exit. I’ve developed small teams and managed teams of hundreds. I’ve worked with tight budgets of just a few thousand dollars to budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars. I have the experience and leadership to serve Roseville residents.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is focused on understanding, recruitment and execution. Knowing in detail the problem, challenge, or opportunity is critical to determine where to lead to. For this reason I ask a lot of questions. In most cases I won’t know the complete answer but I work to recruit those that do. Once a plan is formed with those that know the problem, I proceed to make sure it gets done. This always varies depending on the challenge and the team but I work to ensure progress is always made till it gets done.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
My priorities are public safety, parks and strong neighborhoods. Ensuring we live in a safe and well cared for community is critical for Roseville's continued success. Maintaining and growing our parks/trails is core to what is Roseville. Diversity of housing balanced with supporting existing neighborhoods is important for those already living here and those that want to.
Changes in the state’s projected economic outlook will have an effect on these priorities. For example, a worsening outlook may see a rise in crime and challenges maintaining home ownership. While an improving outlook may result in more home improvements and increased requests for park programming.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Roseville?
The recent survey completed by the city showed Public Safety was the highest concern of residents. I agree that it’s the largest challenge for the city and there’s much that the city is already doing. First, our Police Department will be at full strength this fall and it’s rated as a desirable place to work. Second, the city is leading on many innovative programs such as the Community Action Team (CAT) which is dedicated to working alongside community partners to find innovative solutions to problems and issues in Roseville. It includes police officers, social workers and a housing coordinator. The city has also implemented a violation by mail program that mails a notice for things like a faulty tail light rather than performing a traffic stop. This reduces the need to pull people over and frees officers up for other patrol work. More innovative programs like these along with proper staffing levels are necessary to meet this challenge.
Roseville has a number of opportunities to use or redevelop older commercial areas. As examples this redevelopment could be for retail, health care, or light manufacturing as Roseville’s location and workforce are desirable. Opportunities also exist for additional housing and parks in these areas too.
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?
In the ideal collaboration, city government supports the business community while also serving its residents. This means a city government that is easy for businesses to work with for permits, inspections, fees, etc. It is important that city government is always talking with businesses to understand their situations and working to make Roseville desirable for businesses small and large. A city government that works to ensure options for education, housing and workforce development will not only attract businesses but also better serve its residents.
How would you characterize the business climate in Roseville and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Roseville?
Roseville has a welcoming business climate that includes small to large businesses from service and retail to manufacturing and industrial. Businesses are a vital part of a city and Roseville understands this. This means reaching out to businesses to understand what’s working and not working for them in regards to the city. This is something that Roseville currently does well. Additionally, the city markets itself to new businesses. Continued investments in city infrastructure (water, roads, parks, public safety, etc.), offering a wide range of housing options and predictable/timely permits, licenses, fees, inspections, etc. are all important to attracting and retaining businesses.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
To address public safety challenges I believe in a strategy of hiring the right people and empowering them to do their job, encouraging and experimenting with innovative ideas and ensuring healthy neighborhoods. Having a well led and fully staffed police and fire department is critical. Both departments are well trained and continually advancing their techniques. Ensuring there is enough funding to staff and train these departments going forward is critical.
I will also encourage new and innovative ideas to be tried at a small scale. If they prove effective, then work to scale them up city wide. This has already resulted in Roseville’s successful violation by mail and Community Action Team (CAT) programs.
Having healthy neighborhoods that are well connected with neighbors/businesses helping each other has been shown to reduce crime. In areas where crime is a problem, working with neighborhood residents and the police to become better organized is something I support.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Roseville has done a good job ensuring that there are a variety of housing options. Roseville currently exceeds the Metropolitan Council guidelines for all housing types including affordable housing. Future efforts to further address affordable housing must be made while preserving our existing neighborhoods which provide so much of Roseville’s character and desirability.
The city does have a number of programs to assist with home ownership. This includes programs like the First-Generation Downpayment Assistance Program and the land trust program. The city has also worked to stack these programs with those offered by the County and State to make home ownership even more affordable. Continuing to work on these programs and exploring new programs that don’t burden existing residents is important in making homeownership in Roseville possible.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Increasing the number of pathways for pedestrians and bikers which connect our parks and neighborhoods is something that the city continually works on. I support continuing to invest in it. This is easier in some areas where the city already owns the land and/or streets. In many other areas it’s the county that owns the land and/or streets. Many of the major roads in Roseville are county roads. The county, like the city, has plans to improve these roads for drivers and many times they include pedestrian/bike improvements too. Working with the county to have plans which include what Roseville residents want along with making sure the projects follow these plans is necessary for ideal transportation options for Roseville residents.
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?
While many cities did use temporary COVID relief dollars to address ongoing issues in their budget, Roseville did not. Roseville targeted COVID relief dollars for one time costs in the Capital Improvement Plan, programs to support local businesses that were struggling and mostly to pay for increased costs in public safety associated with COVID. Since these were one time expenses and not ongoing expenses the ending of these COVID funds do not pose a risk to Roseville. This was all the result of Roseville properly managing its budget. Maintaining an accurate and predictable budget that doesn’t burden residents in taxes is something I strongly support.
One way to further Roseville’s fiscal stability is to invest a small portion of Roseville’s investments in equities per a 2023 MN State Legislation change. Currently all of Roseville’s investments are in bonds which have yielded approximately 2.6%. This is rather low compared to equities during that same time period. The legislation changes allow up to 15% to be placed in equities.
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?
Local government is mainly about services while state government is much more about policy. It is the job of city government to ensure roads are plowed, parks maintained, permits issued and safety for its residents. Policy around items like education, childcare, etc are better handled at the state level. This doesn’t mean local government is completely removed from policy though. Local government needs to be engaged with state government to highlight challenges it faces, struggles with existing state policies, and effects of proposed policies on its residents.