Gary Hansen
Name: Paul Bakken
Public Office Sought: Eagan City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I am a 38-year Eagan resident and homeowner in my fourteenth year on the City Council, and have served three one-year appointments as acting mayor when needed in the mayor’s absence. I have an extensive background of community and regional volunteerism and leadership. I earned a JD degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and am active in the Minnesota State Bar Association. I am a retired risk management professional and continue to work in commercial arbitration. Before my Council election, I chaired the Eagan and Dakota County Planning Commissions. I am the Council’s liaison to the Advisory Planning Commission and I serve on the Council’s Communications Committee. I represent Eagan on the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Board (past chair) and the Suburban Transit Association Board (past chair). I was 2017-18 president of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities (Metro Cities) and represented Metro Cities on the League of Minnesota Cities Board. I represent Metro Cities on the regional Transportation Advisory Board, which coordinates planning and allocation of funding for transportation and transit initiatives with the Metropolitan Council. I am a charter member of the Eagan Kick-Start Rotary Club. My wife Kathy and I have three adult children and four grandchildren.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Continued fiscal prudence while maintaining essential infrastructure and providing high-quality, cost-effective services. Of primary importance is maintenance of effective and reliable public safety and security through adequately staffed and equipped police and fire departments.
The 2020 Census documented that 30 percent of Eagan’s population is Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Achievement of a welcoming race equity and inclusion foundation across all City services, programs, policies, and budgetary decisions and promotion of race equity and inclusion throughout the community is a priority.
Over the past decade, Eagan has implemented regionally recognized sustainability efforts. I will continue to advocate for additional sustainability initiatives and dedication of necessary resources to achieve these initiatives in a timely and effective manner.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate in Eagan is very favorable. A recent survey of business owners and managers about their perspectives on the community, including the business climate, revealed that more than 95% of respondents recommend operating a business in Eagan, suggest working in Eagan to someone who asked, and will keep their business in Eagan for the next five years. These ratings top national benchmarks and are a compliment to the City’s efforts on behalf of Eagan businesses. I will continue to support a strong business environment and Eagan’s position as the employment center of Dakota County with more than 50,000 jobs.
Businesses comprise the foundation of Eagan’s tax base, enabling the City to maintain high-quality services while keeping overall property taxes low. Homeowners in Eagan have benefited from the City’s robust business community. Businesses help to define our standard of living by creating jobs, providing purpose to peoples’ lives and a sense of identity. Businesses form the backbone of the community by bringing people together and building the character of the area, helping local economies to thrive. They inspire by driving innovation and problem solving. Businesses can be a force for good by having a positive impact on society. They help lead philanthropy in a community by making financial donations, sponsoring programs and activities, supporting non-profit organizations and volunteer work, and participating in community activities. In all of these ways, businesses support a community’s quality of life.
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?
When needed to stimulate economic development due to market or economic conditions, local government can be a source of incentives to preserve and enhance the tax base and attract and retain jobs. This may be accomplished through limited use of options such as tax increment financing or tax abatement to provide assistance for development and redevelopment. Eagan also has shared in infrastructure development with businesses to help assure convenient access. In addition, the City coordinates with the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority to ensure that workers have public transit options available to get them to jobs and that shoppers can patronize retail businesses.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
The task of preparing for present and future workforce needs isn’t solely the responsibility of businesses. The public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as government, can help by supporting trade programs that bolster the talent pipeline.
The County’s Workforce Development Board provides guidance for and exercises oversight over job training programs. I will continue to support this effort.
In addition, preparing youth for the workplace is important. A primary predictor of future success is early exposure to work experience. Another training initiative that is worthy of support is the Minnesota Youth Program, which provides short-term employment and training services to low-income and at-risk youth who lack the academic and applied skills considered critical in the workplace. Government support of technical and community college programs is essential to assure the availability to businesses of technically trained workers. Technical career graduates have focused career interests that can quickly address business needs.
Other critical aspects of worker availability are housing and transportation. The City of Eagan has effectively utilized the County Community Development Agency (CDA) to make available workforce and other affordable housing for those who work in Eagan who want to live there. I appreciate this relationship and support continued efforts with the CDA to meet this need.
Regardless of where workers reside, expanded transit service is needed to get them to and from places of employment. I support the findings and recommendations of the Dakota County Regional Chamber’s transit study, which identified needs for providing better transit service to people and employers in the County. I will work with the Chamber and the County to define a stable countywide funding source to meet these transit needs and advocate for federal and state funding.
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?
The Eagan City Council does not engage in consideration of issues of this nature, leaving these matters to state and federal policy making.
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?
Public safety is a primary responsibility of local government. In the City’s most recent citizen survey, Eagan residents rated safety higher in our community than national benchmarks and ratings for hundreds of cities nationwide, as 9 in 10 Eagan residents rate our public safety positively. As a City, we have worked as partners with our public safety personnel to build and maintain community trust.
In response to Eagan’s strong retail and population growth, the Council committed to increased investment in additional police officers and upgraded facilities and technology. Eagan and other cities have benefited from state public safety investments this year to help keep neighborhoods safe. We are using these funds to explore ways to further reach out to the community and create and expand police cadet recruitment programs, including funding to recruit and train nontraditional law enforcement candidates.
I support the Eagan Police Department’s proactive training of officers in de-escalation tactics and its response to mental health crises and other situations where a crime may not have been committed to appropriately respond to public safety issues.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
Housing affordability is a major challenge. We will continue to collaborate with the Community Development Agency to offer workforce and other affordable housing. I also support funding to assist homeowners to maintain and upgrade their homes, including preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing to promote marketability.
More-than-expected construction of market-rate and affordable multi-family housing has occurred in Eagan, helping to address the housing shortage.
In addition, the City is implementing a rental licensing program to protect the quality of rental housing and to help ensure safe living conditions.
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?
As a board member and past chair of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) and the Suburban Transit Association and a Transportation Advisory Board member, I understand the importance of a healthy transportation system to a strong community. A transportation-related priority for Eagan is expansion of local bus routes to improve service to retail areas and major employers and ease congestion on local streets and highways. Local service has improved significantly over the past year due to introduction of MVTA’s ride-on-demand option, MVTA Connect.
I support the findings and recommendations in the Dakota County Regional Chamber’s transit study, which identified needs for providing better transit service to people and employers in the County. In my MVTA and STA roles, I have led efforts to work with the legislature to address the need to improve our roads, bridges, and transit system in order to assure the efficient flow of commerce and stimulate economic development, and I look forward to continuing this effort.
The MVTA is monitoring ridership trends to determine if route adjustments will be needed due to changing ridership needs and work-from-home resulting from the pandemic. I will support any adjustments arising from MVTA’s assessment of service levels that will improve the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of public transit.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
I will promote continued fiscal prudence, as evidenced by Eagan’s Moody’s Aaa and S&P AAA bond ratings (the highest available ratings), while maintaining essential infrastructure and providing high-quality, cost-effective services. Among the 11 cities in Dakota County, Eagan’s property tax increase for 2022 was the lowest at 3.91%, while increases in the other ten cities ranged up to 7.95%. The City’s portion of property taxes for a median-value home remains below the mid-point of an 18-city Metro-area average at the seventh-lowest level among the 18 cities. Eagan homeowners continue to pay the lowest total tax rate for a city its size in the state, considered together with the County and school districts. I will work to preserve and enhance these respective positions.
What will you do to expand Eagan’s tax base?
Eagan is nearly fully developed. Remaining opportunities to expand the tax base are development of infill areas and redevelopment. When considering these opportunities, I will support continuance of the innovative and visionary strategies that have made Eagan the highest job growth community in the metro area by attracting and maintaining a diverse business community.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
Eagan is within the boundaries of three different school districts – 191, 196, and 197. In addition, a for-profit post-secondary institution operates in Eagan. All have programs that successfully prepare students for the workforce. I have participated in business-oriented programs as a classroom consultant. This kind of volunteerism and ongoing communication with these institutions can serve to inform them of regional workforce needs.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
In my opinion, the scope of provided services is appropriate based on demonstrated needs. My regional representation of Eagan has reinforced my opinion of the need to coordinate and cooperate with neighboring communities and the county for our common benefit. In Dakota County, we successfully implemented Dakota 911 (public safety dispatch center). The County recently agreed to assume increasing responsibility to fund the center’s capital investment needs over the next five years.
In addition, Eagan collaborates with Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville in Dakota Valley Recycling, a partnership that connects residents and businesses to recycling, composting, and waste disposal information and services. Additional opportunities having potential to enhance service delivery or reduce costs, or both, may include joint delivery of high-quality and cost-effective employee training; sharing of technical expertise in areas such as energy management/HVAC/facility management, OSHA/safety compliance, and joint/shared purchasing; and public safety initiatives such as joint fire training facilities, expanding on the ABLE facility that Eagan shares with Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Eagan?
To encourage small business growth, the City of Eagan partners in Open to Business, which offers free small business consulting to current and future small businesses and entrepreneurial residents. Minority- and women-owned businesses are encouraged to utilize this service.
Earlier this year, the City Council entered into an agreement with the Center for Economic Inclusion to facilitate development of a racial equity and inclusion plan. The objective is to achieve a welcoming race equity and inclusion foundation across all City services, programs, policies, and budgetary decisions and to promote race equity and inclusion throughout our community, including economic opportunities. I will work to expand this effort to gender and other equity issues. A desired result will be attracting more women-owned businesses in Eagan in addition to more minority-owned businesses.
What further policies can Eagan adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Eagan allocated a significant amount of CARES Act funds to businesses to assist their recovery from losses due to the pandemic. The City also streamlined regulatory processes to help businesses operate during this time. I would support additional business grants, if needed, based on availability of funding, as well as continued flexibility in enforcement of business regulations.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I believe in transparency and open communication. Each month, I send to a growing list of Eagan residents an email update of City and Council activities and upcoming events. I welcome comments and questions on the topics addressed or on other issues. I frequently receive inquiries and suggestions in response to these updates that result in follow-ups and resolution of issues. This is an effective way to communicate with residents and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts or to seek assistance with issues they may have. Residents may request to be added to my distribution list by email or telephone.
During my 13+ years on the City Council, Eagan has been continually recognized for local government innovation, prudent fiscal management, budget transparency, and citizen engagement. I have successfully represented Eagan in the regional transit and transportation decision-making process, ensuring that Eagan taxpayers get their fair share of state and federal funding for operations, infrastructure, and capital improvements. In addition, I have demonstrated regional leadership as Metro Cities president and a League of Minnesota Cities Board member. These results warrant my continued Council service and the opportunity to achieve similar future performance.
Public Office Sought: Eagan City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone:
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I am a 38-year Eagan resident and homeowner in my fourteenth year on the City Council, and have served three one-year appointments as acting mayor when needed in the mayor’s absence. I have an extensive background of community and regional volunteerism and leadership. I earned a JD degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and am active in the Minnesota State Bar Association. I am a retired risk management professional and continue to work in commercial arbitration. Before my Council election, I chaired the Eagan and Dakota County Planning Commissions. I am the Council’s liaison to the Advisory Planning Commission and I serve on the Council’s Communications Committee. I represent Eagan on the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Board (past chair) and the Suburban Transit Association Board (past chair). I was 2017-18 president of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities (Metro Cities) and represented Metro Cities on the League of Minnesota Cities Board. I represent Metro Cities on the regional Transportation Advisory Board, which coordinates planning and allocation of funding for transportation and transit initiatives with the Metropolitan Council. I am a charter member of the Eagan Kick-Start Rotary Club. My wife Kathy and I have three adult children and four grandchildren.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Continued fiscal prudence while maintaining essential infrastructure and providing high-quality, cost-effective services. Of primary importance is maintenance of effective and reliable public safety and security through adequately staffed and equipped police and fire departments.
The 2020 Census documented that 30 percent of Eagan’s population is Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Achievement of a welcoming race equity and inclusion foundation across all City services, programs, policies, and budgetary decisions and promotion of race equity and inclusion throughout the community is a priority.
Over the past decade, Eagan has implemented regionally recognized sustainability efforts. I will continue to advocate for additional sustainability initiatives and dedication of necessary resources to achieve these initiatives in a timely and effective manner.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate in Eagan is very favorable. A recent survey of business owners and managers about their perspectives on the community, including the business climate, revealed that more than 95% of respondents recommend operating a business in Eagan, suggest working in Eagan to someone who asked, and will keep their business in Eagan for the next five years. These ratings top national benchmarks and are a compliment to the City’s efforts on behalf of Eagan businesses. I will continue to support a strong business environment and Eagan’s position as the employment center of Dakota County with more than 50,000 jobs.
Businesses comprise the foundation of Eagan’s tax base, enabling the City to maintain high-quality services while keeping overall property taxes low. Homeowners in Eagan have benefited from the City’s robust business community. Businesses help to define our standard of living by creating jobs, providing purpose to peoples’ lives and a sense of identity. Businesses form the backbone of the community by bringing people together and building the character of the area, helping local economies to thrive. They inspire by driving innovation and problem solving. Businesses can be a force for good by having a positive impact on society. They help lead philanthropy in a community by making financial donations, sponsoring programs and activities, supporting non-profit organizations and volunteer work, and participating in community activities. In all of these ways, businesses support a community’s quality of life.
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?
When needed to stimulate economic development due to market or economic conditions, local government can be a source of incentives to preserve and enhance the tax base and attract and retain jobs. This may be accomplished through limited use of options such as tax increment financing or tax abatement to provide assistance for development and redevelopment. Eagan also has shared in infrastructure development with businesses to help assure convenient access. In addition, the City coordinates with the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority to ensure that workers have public transit options available to get them to jobs and that shoppers can patronize retail businesses.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
The task of preparing for present and future workforce needs isn’t solely the responsibility of businesses. The public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as government, can help by supporting trade programs that bolster the talent pipeline.
The County’s Workforce Development Board provides guidance for and exercises oversight over job training programs. I will continue to support this effort.
In addition, preparing youth for the workplace is important. A primary predictor of future success is early exposure to work experience. Another training initiative that is worthy of support is the Minnesota Youth Program, which provides short-term employment and training services to low-income and at-risk youth who lack the academic and applied skills considered critical in the workplace. Government support of technical and community college programs is essential to assure the availability to businesses of technically trained workers. Technical career graduates have focused career interests that can quickly address business needs.
Other critical aspects of worker availability are housing and transportation. The City of Eagan has effectively utilized the County Community Development Agency (CDA) to make available workforce and other affordable housing for those who work in Eagan who want to live there. I appreciate this relationship and support continued efforts with the CDA to meet this need.
Regardless of where workers reside, expanded transit service is needed to get them to and from places of employment. I support the findings and recommendations of the Dakota County Regional Chamber’s transit study, which identified needs for providing better transit service to people and employers in the County. I will work with the Chamber and the County to define a stable countywide funding source to meet these transit needs and advocate for federal and state funding.
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?
The Eagan City Council does not engage in consideration of issues of this nature, leaving these matters to state and federal policy making.
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?
Public safety is a primary responsibility of local government. In the City’s most recent citizen survey, Eagan residents rated safety higher in our community than national benchmarks and ratings for hundreds of cities nationwide, as 9 in 10 Eagan residents rate our public safety positively. As a City, we have worked as partners with our public safety personnel to build and maintain community trust.
In response to Eagan’s strong retail and population growth, the Council committed to increased investment in additional police officers and upgraded facilities and technology. Eagan and other cities have benefited from state public safety investments this year to help keep neighborhoods safe. We are using these funds to explore ways to further reach out to the community and create and expand police cadet recruitment programs, including funding to recruit and train nontraditional law enforcement candidates.
I support the Eagan Police Department’s proactive training of officers in de-escalation tactics and its response to mental health crises and other situations where a crime may not have been committed to appropriately respond to public safety issues.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
Housing affordability is a major challenge. We will continue to collaborate with the Community Development Agency to offer workforce and other affordable housing. I also support funding to assist homeowners to maintain and upgrade their homes, including preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing to promote marketability.
More-than-expected construction of market-rate and affordable multi-family housing has occurred in Eagan, helping to address the housing shortage.
In addition, the City is implementing a rental licensing program to protect the quality of rental housing and to help ensure safe living conditions.
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?
As a board member and past chair of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) and the Suburban Transit Association and a Transportation Advisory Board member, I understand the importance of a healthy transportation system to a strong community. A transportation-related priority for Eagan is expansion of local bus routes to improve service to retail areas and major employers and ease congestion on local streets and highways. Local service has improved significantly over the past year due to introduction of MVTA’s ride-on-demand option, MVTA Connect.
I support the findings and recommendations in the Dakota County Regional Chamber’s transit study, which identified needs for providing better transit service to people and employers in the County. In my MVTA and STA roles, I have led efforts to work with the legislature to address the need to improve our roads, bridges, and transit system in order to assure the efficient flow of commerce and stimulate economic development, and I look forward to continuing this effort.
The MVTA is monitoring ridership trends to determine if route adjustments will be needed due to changing ridership needs and work-from-home resulting from the pandemic. I will support any adjustments arising from MVTA’s assessment of service levels that will improve the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of public transit.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
I will promote continued fiscal prudence, as evidenced by Eagan’s Moody’s Aaa and S&P AAA bond ratings (the highest available ratings), while maintaining essential infrastructure and providing high-quality, cost-effective services. Among the 11 cities in Dakota County, Eagan’s property tax increase for 2022 was the lowest at 3.91%, while increases in the other ten cities ranged up to 7.95%. The City’s portion of property taxes for a median-value home remains below the mid-point of an 18-city Metro-area average at the seventh-lowest level among the 18 cities. Eagan homeowners continue to pay the lowest total tax rate for a city its size in the state, considered together with the County and school districts. I will work to preserve and enhance these respective positions.
What will you do to expand Eagan’s tax base?
Eagan is nearly fully developed. Remaining opportunities to expand the tax base are development of infill areas and redevelopment. When considering these opportunities, I will support continuance of the innovative and visionary strategies that have made Eagan the highest job growth community in the metro area by attracting and maintaining a diverse business community.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
Eagan is within the boundaries of three different school districts – 191, 196, and 197. In addition, a for-profit post-secondary institution operates in Eagan. All have programs that successfully prepare students for the workforce. I have participated in business-oriented programs as a classroom consultant. This kind of volunteerism and ongoing communication with these institutions can serve to inform them of regional workforce needs.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
In my opinion, the scope of provided services is appropriate based on demonstrated needs. My regional representation of Eagan has reinforced my opinion of the need to coordinate and cooperate with neighboring communities and the county for our common benefit. In Dakota County, we successfully implemented Dakota 911 (public safety dispatch center). The County recently agreed to assume increasing responsibility to fund the center’s capital investment needs over the next five years.
In addition, Eagan collaborates with Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville in Dakota Valley Recycling, a partnership that connects residents and businesses to recycling, composting, and waste disposal information and services. Additional opportunities having potential to enhance service delivery or reduce costs, or both, may include joint delivery of high-quality and cost-effective employee training; sharing of technical expertise in areas such as energy management/HVAC/facility management, OSHA/safety compliance, and joint/shared purchasing; and public safety initiatives such as joint fire training facilities, expanding on the ABLE facility that Eagan shares with Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Eagan?
To encourage small business growth, the City of Eagan partners in Open to Business, which offers free small business consulting to current and future small businesses and entrepreneurial residents. Minority- and women-owned businesses are encouraged to utilize this service.
Earlier this year, the City Council entered into an agreement with the Center for Economic Inclusion to facilitate development of a racial equity and inclusion plan. The objective is to achieve a welcoming race equity and inclusion foundation across all City services, programs, policies, and budgetary decisions and to promote race equity and inclusion throughout our community, including economic opportunities. I will work to expand this effort to gender and other equity issues. A desired result will be attracting more women-owned businesses in Eagan in addition to more minority-owned businesses.
What further policies can Eagan adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Eagan allocated a significant amount of CARES Act funds to businesses to assist their recovery from losses due to the pandemic. The City also streamlined regulatory processes to help businesses operate during this time. I would support additional business grants, if needed, based on availability of funding, as well as continued flexibility in enforcement of business regulations.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I believe in transparency and open communication. Each month, I send to a growing list of Eagan residents an email update of City and Council activities and upcoming events. I welcome comments and questions on the topics addressed or on other issues. I frequently receive inquiries and suggestions in response to these updates that result in follow-ups and resolution of issues. This is an effective way to communicate with residents and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts or to seek assistance with issues they may have. Residents may request to be added to my distribution list by email or telephone.
During my 13+ years on the City Council, Eagan has been continually recognized for local government innovation, prudent fiscal management, budget transparency, and citizen engagement. I have successfully represented Eagan in the regional transit and transportation decision-making process, ensuring that Eagan taxpayers get their fair share of state and federal funding for operations, infrastructure, and capital improvements. In addition, I have demonstrated regional leadership as Metro Cities president and a League of Minnesota Cities Board member. These results warrant my continued Council service and the opportunity to achieve similar future performance.