Myron Bailey
Name: Myron Bailey
Public Office Sought: Cottage Grove Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-368-6751
Website: myronbaileyformayor.com
Twitter handle: @myron_bailey
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/myron.bailey
Candidate Bio
I have been the Mayor of Cottage Grove for 12 years and the City Council for the 4 previous years. I am currently the President of Metro Cities, on the Board of Directors for the League of Minnesota Cities, Member of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), President of the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority and President of the Youth Service Bureau. I am currently the District Manager for Dollar Tree. I’ve been married to my wife Cindy Bailey for 36 years and have 3 sons and 3 grandchildren.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I am committed to allowing our citizens the chance to decide if they want to build a Community Center via a referendum option. If the voters say “yes” in November 2021, I would be honored to see the start of this amazing project! This space will be open for all citizens to enjoy and act as a gathering place – one that has been long overdue in our Community! We listened to the citizens who asked us to go back and add water features to this proposed facility. So, we did just that! You will see more of the details in the months ahead!
I also want to see the final planning and construction of a permanent water treatment facility for our drinking water. I want this issue resolved with integrity and for everyone to feel confident that our water is safe to drink today and well into the future.
I want to see the start of construction of the Shoppes at Cottage View – located along Highway 61 and County Road 19. This development will have a variety of commercial, entertainment, and housing options and would encompass room for the potential Community Center as well as much more!
I’ll continue to market our community to new retailers, entertainment, and restaurant options that are sought by our residents. And I’ll continue to support additional growth of investment and jobs in our business park to enhance our economy! I have direct relationships with various retailers and developers as I remind them about the great city of Cottage Grove!
I support seeing the construction of a Technical School in Cottage Grove! We’ll begin to work towards that end as part of our new three-year strategic plan we just implemented as a city. And finally, I’ll continue to advocate for more diverse housing stock in a variety of price points. Everything from single family homes to apartments. We need affordable, mid-tier, and premium housing options so everyone can enjoy our great community and keep those already living here – staying put in Cottage Grove!
How would you characterize the business climate in Cottage Grove and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Our current business climate is strong! Our retail and office vacancy rates are lower than the average of the metro area. We provide our local businesses the opportunity to tell us how we are doing and using this feedback to make doing business in Cottage Grove easier. (Business retention and expansion program) We team up with our local business community to invite them to support local events and quality of life opportunities.
What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Cottage Grove?
I am very passionate about marketing our community! I am constantly reaching out to those who are sourcing future business opportunities and sharing what Cottage Grove has to offer. We market our community at local, state and national conventions covering all types of businesses – from housing to retail to industrial. We purchased a marketing kit in 2019 to have something professionally set up at these events. We created the Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2020 with the support of our local hotel owners.
During this COVID situation – we provided $10,000 grants to our local business owners to help them get through this COVID crisis. We provided over $200,000 in funding to our local businesses that does not need to be paid back.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Cottage Grove (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 Cottage Grove and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I do not support localized minimum wage , sick time, or mandatory scheduling. These items are best suited to be dealt with at a state level.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
We have a very good relationship between our Public Safety Department and our community. Based on the racial tensions happening in the world today – we are reviewing our policies and procedures for our police department. We recently opened the HERO Center that is designed for proper train our police officers to learn how to deescalate situations that could possibly end badly.
We are working to support additional funding to support work force housing in our community. At the same time – we are supporting a more diverse housing stock in our community to cover areas that we are currently lacking in Cottage Grove. (Examples – Apartments for various incomes, Quad Homes, Twin Homes, Senior Living Facilities)
The City of Cottage Grove, along with some of our local business community is providing a bus circulator to bring seniors and underprivileged individuals to local businesses and medical offices at a reduced cost or in some cases free. However, We do need more funding options for additional improvements to our existing network of roads and bridges, and more mass transit options running on a more consistent basis between Cottage Grove and Minneapolis/St Paul.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Keeping our taxes as low as possible, but still providing the essential core services that our community has come to expect from us. Our 2021 budget is proposed at 3.99%. Since our community is growing at such a fast rate, the average homeowner will see a tax decrease on their city portion of their taxes. In the last 10 years, we have averaged about a 2.5% increase in taxes over this time period. Cottage Grove has been recognized nationally as being one of the most fiscally run cities in the United States! I am proud of this accomplishment. We focus on the core functions of government. Police/Fire/EMS, Public Works – covering everything from roads to city water. We are extremely careful with the taxpayer’s dollar.
What will you do to expand Cottage Grove’s tax base?
By making it easier to open a new business in Cottage Grove and providing certain incentives and opportunities for new businesses to locate or expand. We recently finished a project on expanding Renewal by Andersen. At the ribbon-cutting – it was mentioned by the CEO of Renewal and OPUS how easy it was to work with City Staff. They never heard “we cannot do that”. Our staff’s philosophy was how do we overcome the obstacles. I have heard this time and time again. We have a very positive image in the business community as a city who will work with you.
Other than the recent expansion of Renewal by Andersen, we are also seeing a major expansion of Up North Plastics, Leaf Line Labs, and the recent addition of North Star Sheets and coming soon…Air Gas! All providing good paying jobs and expanding our tax base!
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
We meet with our local school district monthly to make sure we are aligned with the future growth in our community and to share what we are hearing from our business community of what they are lacking in skilled workers. One of our strategic plans for the next 3-5 years is to bring some type of trade school to Cottage Grove to support the needs of our business community.
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?
Cottage Grove has been at the forefront of providing shared services to the communities that surround us! We currently do Code Enforcement, Building Inspections, Street striping and sealcoating. We provide ambulance service, a police and fire training facility and some engineering and planning services. Since we are very lean and already share our services – I don’t see anything that should be cut back at this time.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Cottage Grove?
We are beginning to dig into this area to provide opportunities for minority and women owned businesses in our community. Our community is becoming more diverse and I support anyone who wants to open a business in our community. Our local Chamber of Commerce has a sub-committee called “Women in Business” that the City of Cottage Grove supports with funding and staff time. That being said…We still have work to do to focus on minority owned businesses in our community.
What further policies can Cottage Grove adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Another possible grant opportunity like what we did earlier in the Spring. Reducing the fees to do business – Liquor licenses, vendor licenses, etc. (We did refund some of those fees earlier this year when businesses were closed) reduced restrictions of sign ordinances for off premises signage and providing businesses to be highlighted in our city’s monthly newsletter and on our local cable access channel.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I love being connected to the Citizens and Business Owners of Cottage Grove and am available and open to hearing your ideas and opinions! I believe in listening to all viewpoints, and your thoughts will assist me in making sound decisions that benefit the “greater good” of our community.
I would appreciate any help and support in my bid for re-election to Mayor of Cottage Grove in 2020!
Public Office Sought: Cottage Grove Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-368-6751
Website: myronbaileyformayor.com
Twitter handle: @myron_bailey
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/myron.bailey
Candidate Bio
I have been the Mayor of Cottage Grove for 12 years and the City Council for the 4 previous years. I am currently the President of Metro Cities, on the Board of Directors for the League of Minnesota Cities, Member of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), President of the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority and President of the Youth Service Bureau. I am currently the District Manager for Dollar Tree. I’ve been married to my wife Cindy Bailey for 36 years and have 3 sons and 3 grandchildren.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
I am committed to allowing our citizens the chance to decide if they want to build a Community Center via a referendum option. If the voters say “yes” in November 2021, I would be honored to see the start of this amazing project! This space will be open for all citizens to enjoy and act as a gathering place – one that has been long overdue in our Community! We listened to the citizens who asked us to go back and add water features to this proposed facility. So, we did just that! You will see more of the details in the months ahead!
I also want to see the final planning and construction of a permanent water treatment facility for our drinking water. I want this issue resolved with integrity and for everyone to feel confident that our water is safe to drink today and well into the future.
I want to see the start of construction of the Shoppes at Cottage View – located along Highway 61 and County Road 19. This development will have a variety of commercial, entertainment, and housing options and would encompass room for the potential Community Center as well as much more!
I’ll continue to market our community to new retailers, entertainment, and restaurant options that are sought by our residents. And I’ll continue to support additional growth of investment and jobs in our business park to enhance our economy! I have direct relationships with various retailers and developers as I remind them about the great city of Cottage Grove!
I support seeing the construction of a Technical School in Cottage Grove! We’ll begin to work towards that end as part of our new three-year strategic plan we just implemented as a city. And finally, I’ll continue to advocate for more diverse housing stock in a variety of price points. Everything from single family homes to apartments. We need affordable, mid-tier, and premium housing options so everyone can enjoy our great community and keep those already living here – staying put in Cottage Grove!
How would you characterize the business climate in Cottage Grove and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Our current business climate is strong! Our retail and office vacancy rates are lower than the average of the metro area. We provide our local businesses the opportunity to tell us how we are doing and using this feedback to make doing business in Cottage Grove easier. (Business retention and expansion program) We team up with our local business community to invite them to support local events and quality of life opportunities.
What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Cottage Grove?
I am very passionate about marketing our community! I am constantly reaching out to those who are sourcing future business opportunities and sharing what Cottage Grove has to offer. We market our community at local, state and national conventions covering all types of businesses – from housing to retail to industrial. We purchased a marketing kit in 2019 to have something professionally set up at these events. We created the Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2020 with the support of our local hotel owners.
During this COVID situation – we provided $10,000 grants to our local business owners to help them get through this COVID crisis. We provided over $200,000 in funding to our local businesses that does not need to be paid back.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Cottage Grove (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 Cottage Grove and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I do not support localized minimum wage , sick time, or mandatory scheduling. These items are best suited to be dealt with at a state level.
What are your strategies to address public safety, housing, and transportation issues facing your community?
We have a very good relationship between our Public Safety Department and our community. Based on the racial tensions happening in the world today – we are reviewing our policies and procedures for our police department. We recently opened the HERO Center that is designed for proper train our police officers to learn how to deescalate situations that could possibly end badly.
We are working to support additional funding to support work force housing in our community. At the same time – we are supporting a more diverse housing stock in our community to cover areas that we are currently lacking in Cottage Grove. (Examples – Apartments for various incomes, Quad Homes, Twin Homes, Senior Living Facilities)
The City of Cottage Grove, along with some of our local business community is providing a bus circulator to bring seniors and underprivileged individuals to local businesses and medical offices at a reduced cost or in some cases free. However, We do need more funding options for additional improvements to our existing network of roads and bridges, and more mass transit options running on a more consistent basis between Cottage Grove and Minneapolis/St Paul.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Keeping our taxes as low as possible, but still providing the essential core services that our community has come to expect from us. Our 2021 budget is proposed at 3.99%. Since our community is growing at such a fast rate, the average homeowner will see a tax decrease on their city portion of their taxes. In the last 10 years, we have averaged about a 2.5% increase in taxes over this time period. Cottage Grove has been recognized nationally as being one of the most fiscally run cities in the United States! I am proud of this accomplishment. We focus on the core functions of government. Police/Fire/EMS, Public Works – covering everything from roads to city water. We are extremely careful with the taxpayer’s dollar.
What will you do to expand Cottage Grove’s tax base?
By making it easier to open a new business in Cottage Grove and providing certain incentives and opportunities for new businesses to locate or expand. We recently finished a project on expanding Renewal by Andersen. At the ribbon-cutting – it was mentioned by the CEO of Renewal and OPUS how easy it was to work with City Staff. They never heard “we cannot do that”. Our staff’s philosophy was how do we overcome the obstacles. I have heard this time and time again. We have a very positive image in the business community as a city who will work with you.
Other than the recent expansion of Renewal by Andersen, we are also seeing a major expansion of Up North Plastics, Leaf Line Labs, and the recent addition of North Star Sheets and coming soon…Air Gas! All providing good paying jobs and expanding our tax base!
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
We meet with our local school district monthly to make sure we are aligned with the future growth in our community and to share what we are hearing from our business community of what they are lacking in skilled workers. One of our strategic plans for the next 3-5 years is to bring some type of trade school to Cottage Grove to support the needs of our business community.
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?
Cottage Grove has been at the forefront of providing shared services to the communities that surround us! We currently do Code Enforcement, Building Inspections, Street striping and sealcoating. We provide ambulance service, a police and fire training facility and some engineering and planning services. Since we are very lean and already share our services – I don’t see anything that should be cut back at this time.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Cottage Grove?
We are beginning to dig into this area to provide opportunities for minority and women owned businesses in our community. Our community is becoming more diverse and I support anyone who wants to open a business in our community. Our local Chamber of Commerce has a sub-committee called “Women in Business” that the City of Cottage Grove supports with funding and staff time. That being said…We still have work to do to focus on minority owned businesses in our community.
What further policies can Cottage Grove adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Another possible grant opportunity like what we did earlier in the Spring. Reducing the fees to do business – Liquor licenses, vendor licenses, etc. (We did refund some of those fees earlier this year when businesses were closed) reduced restrictions of sign ordinances for off premises signage and providing businesses to be highlighted in our city’s monthly newsletter and on our local cable access channel.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I love being connected to the Citizens and Business Owners of Cottage Grove and am available and open to hearing your ideas and opinions! I believe in listening to all viewpoints, and your thoughts will assist me in making sound decisions that benefit the “greater good” of our community.
I would appreciate any help and support in my bid for re-election to Mayor of Cottage Grove in 2020!