Sally Lorberbaum
Name: Sally Lorberbaum
Public Office Sought: Mendota Heights City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-503-5564
Campaign Website: www.SallyforCouncil.com
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/SallyforCouncil/
Facebook Page: https://tinyurl.com/SallyforCouncil
Candidate Bio
I am a 42-year resident of Mendota Heights. I love our city and chose to raise my family here. I am a trusted, experienced community leader with a proven service history of success. We need a person with Planning Commission and Airports Commission knowledge serving on our city council. In 1994, I was appointed to the Mendota Heights Planning Commission, and served twelve years, five as chair. I then served thirteen years on the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission, six as vice-chair. I returned last year to the Planning Commission, becoming vice-chair, and also currently serve as chair of Dakota County’s Special Board of Tax Appeal. I also serve as National Vice President of the FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association.
I received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and master’s in Math Education from the University of Minnesota, and taught mathematics in the Minneapolis Public Schools. I earned my MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business Executive Program, while working as a Fortune 500 national training manager. Currently I am an assistant vice president and project manager for a national financial services provider. Skilled at building relationships, I have a reputation of demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and integrity.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Safety and Security:
I am committed to a budget designed to support improved technology, facility, and staffing needs of police, fire and public works. Technology changes every day. Our city services require these improvements to ensure residents and businesses thrive in a safe and secure environment.
Fiscal Responsibility: A fiscal conservative, I support a budget that balances our expenses with our revenue, while building reserves to address long-term planning and the preservation of our historically low taxes.
Planning, Development and Community Building: A proactive approach to evolving traffic patterns, life-cycle housing options, maintenance of parks and trails, and expanded age-appropriate social connections across our city will enhance quality of life for all residents. Just as we seek to continuously improve relations with our neighbor cities and our schools, the city should also work to attract new businesses.
How would you characterize the business climate in Mendota Heights and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Our business climate is stable. The pandemic has changed the dynamic of all businesses, industrial and customer-facing. The future is uncertain. An aggressive approach to including businesses of all types in quality-of-life discussions is increasingly important. The city needs to have a strong handle on what businesses need right now to thrive as well as engage in ongoing conversations regarding how businesses can support our community.
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, Mendota Heights?
A strong and diverse business community is critical for the health of our city. This includes customer facing shops, services, and restaurants, and our industrial park. The industrial area suffered during the pandemic and several employers went to a home office model. Helping market vacant space in partnership with building owners is one way to mitigate that problem. The questions, “What can we do to attract companies to Mendota Heights?” and “What can we provide that other cities cannot?” must be asked. Our answer will include the geographic advantages of being close to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, access to major freeways, low taxes, and a safe and vibrant community.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
The city does not provide policies as such; this is out of the scope of normal city business. However, city sponsored job fairs would be a great place to start and we could include high school students who are looking for part-time work. We should encourage local businesses to offer internships and engage local employers to confirm if these ideas would support some of their needs.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Mendota Heights (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 Mendota Heights and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
The reality is the labor shortage is a national problem right now. Each business must determine the employment-related guidelines it chooses to offer its workers, with the understanding that the business meets or exceeds state and federal laws. The Mendota Heights City Council does not engage in these decisions.
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 and security are and will remain my number one priority. Our aging infrastructure requires that we look at the physical structure of our buildings and make the necessary investments to ensure our police and fire departments have the ongoing technology, facilities, and staffing that they need for success. Our work environment and salaries must be competitive if we are going to attract and retain the high-quality staff our residents deserve and expect. Mendota Heights has made it a priority to have our police and fire department staff get to know residents so strong connections are built before emergencies and times of stress. Night to Unite (previously known as National Night Out) and having fire and police representatives at community events, such as our Park Celebration, are all essential strategies for our community to get to know our police and firefighters. Neighborhood Watch groups are great. Transparency, visibility, and open-door-discussion policies have made our city services the envy of many local communities. That openness is a vital part of what makes Mendota Heights an attractive place to live.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
Our 2040 Comprehensive Plan update addresses the need to preserve our fully developments residential neighborhoods. Housing maintenance and zoning codes should continue to be enforced to ensure the quality of our housing stock as well as allow for property owners to improve, maintain and enjoy their property. Our Planning Commission is looking at ways to respond to tear downs to ensure newly built houses are consistent with the character of existing homes.
We need to plan for Mendota Heights’ future. Our land is almost fully developed. As demand increases and new development opportunities occurs, we must look at land use options that provide diversity in life-cycle housing stock and support current and future residents.
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?
Traffic along Highway 62, Dodd Road, and Delaware are causes for concern. It has been too easy for the county to postpone the needs of Mendota Heights as growth in areas such as Eagan and Viking Lakes impact our traffic patterns. Conversations with Dakota County must be ongoing to keep this area included in the county’s Regional Roadway Visioning Study.
At the same time, the expansion of bike paths and walking trails within our city has increased in importance. Addressing safety within our paths and trails should be included in any conversation about public safety. Any expansion proposal must include budget and timeline plans for paths and trails to be maintained.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Safety and security, including technology needs for our police and firefighters
Updating infrastructure, such as city hall maintenance and expansion
Staffing needs of the police, fire and public works
Balancing the budget with an eye towards strategically building reserves to address future needs
Our budget must preserve our low taxes while maintaining the high-quality services, staff, and parks and trails that our residents and businesses expect and deserve. As we identify wants vs. needs, strategic choices and disciplined spending are critical to maintaining our city’s AAA bond rating.
What will you do to expand Mendota Heights’ tax base?
Expansion of our tax base comes with new development and redevelopment. Excellent business development opportunities remain in our city. We need to encourage new businesses to come to Mendota Heights, as well as support expansion and redevelopment within our existing business community. It is important for us to support our local businesses. With local business prosperity comes growth and a strong 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 are proud of the work School District 197 does year after year educating our youth. We are fortunate to have Visitation and Saint Thomas Academy reside in our city. Partnerships are key. We currently provide leadership opportunities by having student representatives on our Natural Resources Commission and our Parks and Recreation Commission. Every year we have students analyzing the health of our lakes, providing suggestions for improving lake health, and reporting their findings to the city council. This past year some city staff participated in a career day program at Two Rivers High School. We need to continue to look for partnership opportunities, including encouraging local businesses to partner with our schools in programs such as volunteering in classrooms, career day, and internships.
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?
Our historically low taxes are an indication of a conservative spending pattern. Sharing services often reduce costs. We are currently sharing some services with neighboring cities in the areas of Parks & Recreation and Public Works. I would continue to seek additional shared services opportunities, with awareness that with share services comes the reduction of independence and decision making.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Mendota Heights?
Many small and start-up businesses are minority- and women-owned. The City of Mendota Heights currently partners with the Dakota County Community Development Agency and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers in the free, nonprofit program Open to Business. Open to Business mentors provide one-on-one consulting services to Mendota Heights’ current and prospective entrepreneurs to help them through the early stages of their business. With participation comes the ability to access small business loans.
Mendota Heights can increase the public’s awareness of this program by spotlighting it in our quarterly Heights Highlights newsletter, recognizing participants in the article, and publicizing their businesses. State and national programs that encourage minority- and women-owned businesses can be listed at the end of the article.
What further policies can Mendota Heights adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Partnering with Dakota County, Mendota Heights was able to provide eight local businesses with CARES Act grants from the city’s CARES allocation. As we move to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery stage, the city needs to complete a Lessons Learned study to identify what parts of the process were done well and should be repeated when a similar situation presents itself, and what needs to be done differently or additionally next time. The Lessons Learned conversations with both businesses that received the grants and those that did not will help us identify what the city can do to help our business community recover.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
As a current Planning Commissioner and a past Airport Relations Commissioner, I bring that knowledge and experience to our city council. I am committed to maintaining the special character of our community and the quality of life we expect in Mendota Heights today while strategically planning for our future. I will listen to your concerns and work to address your needs. I pledge to be your voice on the city council and I ask for your vote.
Public Office Sought: Mendota Heights City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-503-5564
Campaign Website: www.SallyforCouncil.com
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/SallyforCouncil/
Facebook Page: https://tinyurl.com/SallyforCouncil
Candidate Bio
I am a 42-year resident of Mendota Heights. I love our city and chose to raise my family here. I am a trusted, experienced community leader with a proven service history of success. We need a person with Planning Commission and Airports Commission knowledge serving on our city council. In 1994, I was appointed to the Mendota Heights Planning Commission, and served twelve years, five as chair. I then served thirteen years on the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission, six as vice-chair. I returned last year to the Planning Commission, becoming vice-chair, and also currently serve as chair of Dakota County’s Special Board of Tax Appeal. I also serve as National Vice President of the FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association.
I received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and master’s in Math Education from the University of Minnesota, and taught mathematics in the Minneapolis Public Schools. I earned my MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business Executive Program, while working as a Fortune 500 national training manager. Currently I am an assistant vice president and project manager for a national financial services provider. Skilled at building relationships, I have a reputation of demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and integrity.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Safety and Security:
I am committed to a budget designed to support improved technology, facility, and staffing needs of police, fire and public works. Technology changes every day. Our city services require these improvements to ensure residents and businesses thrive in a safe and secure environment.
Fiscal Responsibility: A fiscal conservative, I support a budget that balances our expenses with our revenue, while building reserves to address long-term planning and the preservation of our historically low taxes.
Planning, Development and Community Building: A proactive approach to evolving traffic patterns, life-cycle housing options, maintenance of parks and trails, and expanded age-appropriate social connections across our city will enhance quality of life for all residents. Just as we seek to continuously improve relations with our neighbor cities and our schools, the city should also work to attract new businesses.
How would you characterize the business climate in Mendota Heights and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
Our business climate is stable. The pandemic has changed the dynamic of all businesses, industrial and customer-facing. The future is uncertain. An aggressive approach to including businesses of all types in quality-of-life discussions is increasingly important. The city needs to have a strong handle on what businesses need right now to thrive as well as engage in ongoing conversations regarding how businesses can support our community.
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, Mendota Heights?
A strong and diverse business community is critical for the health of our city. This includes customer facing shops, services, and restaurants, and our industrial park. The industrial area suffered during the pandemic and several employers went to a home office model. Helping market vacant space in partnership with building owners is one way to mitigate that problem. The questions, “What can we do to attract companies to Mendota Heights?” and “What can we provide that other cities cannot?” must be asked. Our answer will include the geographic advantages of being close to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, access to major freeways, low taxes, and a safe and vibrant community.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
The city does not provide policies as such; this is out of the scope of normal city business. However, city sponsored job fairs would be a great place to start and we could include high school students who are looking for part-time work. We should encourage local businesses to offer internships and engage local employers to confirm if these ideas would support some of their needs.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Mendota Heights (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 Mendota Heights and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
The reality is the labor shortage is a national problem right now. Each business must determine the employment-related guidelines it chooses to offer its workers, with the understanding that the business meets or exceeds state and federal laws. The Mendota Heights City Council does not engage in these decisions.
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 and security are and will remain my number one priority. Our aging infrastructure requires that we look at the physical structure of our buildings and make the necessary investments to ensure our police and fire departments have the ongoing technology, facilities, and staffing that they need for success. Our work environment and salaries must be competitive if we are going to attract and retain the high-quality staff our residents deserve and expect. Mendota Heights has made it a priority to have our police and fire department staff get to know residents so strong connections are built before emergencies and times of stress. Night to Unite (previously known as National Night Out) and having fire and police representatives at community events, such as our Park Celebration, are all essential strategies for our community to get to know our police and firefighters. Neighborhood Watch groups are great. Transparency, visibility, and open-door-discussion policies have made our city services the envy of many local communities. That openness is a vital part of what makes Mendota Heights an attractive place to live.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
Our 2040 Comprehensive Plan update addresses the need to preserve our fully developments residential neighborhoods. Housing maintenance and zoning codes should continue to be enforced to ensure the quality of our housing stock as well as allow for property owners to improve, maintain and enjoy their property. Our Planning Commission is looking at ways to respond to tear downs to ensure newly built houses are consistent with the character of existing homes.
We need to plan for Mendota Heights’ future. Our land is almost fully developed. As demand increases and new development opportunities occurs, we must look at land use options that provide diversity in life-cycle housing stock and support current and future residents.
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?
Traffic along Highway 62, Dodd Road, and Delaware are causes for concern. It has been too easy for the county to postpone the needs of Mendota Heights as growth in areas such as Eagan and Viking Lakes impact our traffic patterns. Conversations with Dakota County must be ongoing to keep this area included in the county’s Regional Roadway Visioning Study.
At the same time, the expansion of bike paths and walking trails within our city has increased in importance. Addressing safety within our paths and trails should be included in any conversation about public safety. Any expansion proposal must include budget and timeline plans for paths and trails to be maintained.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Safety and security, including technology needs for our police and firefighters
Updating infrastructure, such as city hall maintenance and expansion
Staffing needs of the police, fire and public works
Balancing the budget with an eye towards strategically building reserves to address future needs
Our budget must preserve our low taxes while maintaining the high-quality services, staff, and parks and trails that our residents and businesses expect and deserve. As we identify wants vs. needs, strategic choices and disciplined spending are critical to maintaining our city’s AAA bond rating.
What will you do to expand Mendota Heights’ tax base?
Expansion of our tax base comes with new development and redevelopment. Excellent business development opportunities remain in our city. We need to encourage new businesses to come to Mendota Heights, as well as support expansion and redevelopment within our existing business community. It is important for us to support our local businesses. With local business prosperity comes growth and a strong 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 are proud of the work School District 197 does year after year educating our youth. We are fortunate to have Visitation and Saint Thomas Academy reside in our city. Partnerships are key. We currently provide leadership opportunities by having student representatives on our Natural Resources Commission and our Parks and Recreation Commission. Every year we have students analyzing the health of our lakes, providing suggestions for improving lake health, and reporting their findings to the city council. This past year some city staff participated in a career day program at Two Rivers High School. We need to continue to look for partnership opportunities, including encouraging local businesses to partner with our schools in programs such as volunteering in classrooms, career day, and internships.
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?
Our historically low taxes are an indication of a conservative spending pattern. Sharing services often reduce costs. We are currently sharing some services with neighboring cities in the areas of Parks & Recreation and Public Works. I would continue to seek additional shared services opportunities, with awareness that with share services comes the reduction of independence and decision making.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Mendota Heights?
Many small and start-up businesses are minority- and women-owned. The City of Mendota Heights currently partners with the Dakota County Community Development Agency and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers in the free, nonprofit program Open to Business. Open to Business mentors provide one-on-one consulting services to Mendota Heights’ current and prospective entrepreneurs to help them through the early stages of their business. With participation comes the ability to access small business loans.
Mendota Heights can increase the public’s awareness of this program by spotlighting it in our quarterly Heights Highlights newsletter, recognizing participants in the article, and publicizing their businesses. State and national programs that encourage minority- and women-owned businesses can be listed at the end of the article.
What further policies can Mendota Heights adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Partnering with Dakota County, Mendota Heights was able to provide eight local businesses with CARES Act grants from the city’s CARES allocation. As we move to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery stage, the city needs to complete a Lessons Learned study to identify what parts of the process were done well and should be repeated when a similar situation presents itself, and what needs to be done differently or additionally next time. The Lessons Learned conversations with both businesses that received the grants and those that did not will help us identify what the city can do to help our business community recover.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
As a current Planning Commissioner and a past Airport Relations Commissioner, I bring that knowledge and experience to our city council. I am committed to maintaining the special character of our community and the quality of life we expect in Mendota Heights today while strategically planning for our future. I will listen to your concerns and work to address your needs. I pledge to be your voice on the city council and I ask for your vote.