Scott Rosochacki
Name: Scott Rosochacki
Public Office Sought: Blaine City Council Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Phone: NA
Website:http://scottforblaine.com
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/Scott4MNCC1
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ScottforBlaine
Candidate Bio
All my life I have wanted to serve my country, and I was able to do that during my time in the Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Electrician. Now I want to do that by serving the town of Blaine. Whilst in the Navy I was thrown into a fast-paced environment that required me to be on high alert 24/7. This taught me how to remain calm under pressure. While I was serving I was also able to achieve my goal of earning my Masters's degree in Criminal Justice which gave me insight into the underlying issues that are so prevalent in our criminal justice system. As the military liaison between government and private contractors, I was able to save the Navy just above 20 million dollars. When I got home from service I started my career as a Risk & Quality Management Specialist. As a member of your City Council, I want to take all of these skills I have gathered from my life to bring civility and stability back to government and apply my lived experiences to provide a welcoming, safe, and prosperous community for the city of Blaine.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
● Investing in infrastructure
● Effective use of tax dollars
● Bringing jobs to Blaine
How would you characterize the business climate in Blaine and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate of Blaine is one that is expanding as can be seen throughout the city. Once a business garners interest within this community we as the City Council must encourage businesses to invest in some way into the people. This could be accomplished by sponsoring a local sports team or sponsoring a local group that will use that sponsorship to reinvest into the community. I would promote the idea that bringing your business to Blaine means investing into the people and the 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, Blaine?
The purpose of a city councilor is, in the most general terms, to improve the quality of life of its citizens. We, as city council members should take this to heart, and if we show that we invest into our businesses, investors and entrepreneurs will see that when you bring your business to Blaine, you will have the support of the city and its people.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
To assist with the labor shortage would mean caring for the citizens that wish to come back to work. At the city council level we should work to make childcare more affordable and invest into a more effective public transit system. By focusing on these two areas we can ensure that children are taken care of while a parent or parents are outside the home. Additionally, by investing in public transit those that do not have a personal vehicle have a greater ability to get to work. This would benefit both the citizens of Blaine and employers which will allow for greater return investment within the community.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Blaine (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 Blaine and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Yes, I strongly support ensuring that our workforce or more specifically, the people are invested in. Work, while important, should not overshadow the critical aspects of our lives. We must allow the workforce the ability to take care of themselves and their families to foster an environment and community that will create a future that will improve the lives of each generation.
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?
Addressing public safety is not something that can be solved by focusing on one single solution, it needs to be solved using multiple pathways. This would require us to focus on both the long term solutions and the short term simultaneously.
In the short term, we as the City Council must work with the Blaine Police Department and the Sheriff's Department to develop a targeted plan that will intelligently utilize limited resources to reduce crime in the most effective manner.
In the long term, we must develop and invest in different programs that may not have an immediate impact but will over time help the community prosper. We need to invest heavily into education which is shown to drastically reduce the crime rate within a society. In tandem with this we need to also invest into mental health programs that can operate both internally and externally to the school system. This will allow for a healthier society which in turn, will allow individuals that may have issues choose a path that may have originally been unseen to them. Finally, we need to address reentry programs from those that were in the prison system. If we as a community let those re-enter society without help they would have a greater chance to fall back into the system which not only fails that individual but causes a financial burden upon that community if the choice is made to not lift them up.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
This would require a delicate balance between allowing investors to come to the community and ensuring that the investors do not override the needs or wants of the community. One of the policies that I would propose is to limit corporations or institutions like Zillow for example in owning or being able to bid on properties. This prevents citizens from being able to compete in the housing market and drives up prices unnecessarily. Another policy that I would like to institute is that a percentage of all housing being built within Blaine be required to be low-income or affordable housing.
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?
One of the biggest issues within my community is Highway 65. This is a road that falls under county jurisdiction but does not preclude me from applying pressure to those that can implement change or utilizing the influence of the office from obtaining funds to assist in the Highway 65 rebuild project. Additionally, there is a surprising lack of pedestrian transportation throughout my community which endangers the citizens and their children as they will have to walk on the street exposing them to unsafe conditions.
We must also make the public transit system more accessible throughout Blaine as this will provide an avenue for traffic reduction as it will also provide a reliable method of transportation for those that require assistance to get to their place of employment.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
My priorities for the budget are simple. I wish to utilize methods that will generate greater revenue for the city such as utilizing local workers or local businesses in citywide projects which will in turn come back to the city through those individuals personal expenses such as restaurants or entertainment. This will allow us as a city to provide more for the citizens with the tax revenue that will be generated.
What will you do to expand Blaine’s tax base?
One of the greatest ways to expand the tax base is to invest within the community itself. I would like to make unions and the use of the unions more prevalent within Blaine. The people in these unions are our neighbors, friends, and family and care deeply about their community which in turn is reflected in their craftsmanship. Additionally, when companies that are not invested within the community, they take their profits and leave rather than spending or reinvesting back within the community which will increase the tax revenue that we can utilize to invest more into Blaine and its citizens.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
The city council, while it may not have a direct impact on what is studied or provided within the school system, can fund the education system to provide specific educational avenues that will support having an educated workforce. I will advocate to fund the educational system and support providing:
● Career guidance
● Financial literacy courses
● Entrepreneurial skills training
● Working with local businesses to expand apprenticeship opportunities
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?
I do not believe that there are services that need to be cut back or eliminated. At this point, there are no services that require sharing that have not already been addressed. I will be on the lookout for inevitable future endeavors that our city will be involved in and have the ability to share with other cities.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Blaine?
The City Council needs to be representative of its population base. One of the ways that this can be accomplished is by promoting minority and women owned businesses. From outsiders to those that have chosen Blaine as its home, promoting businesses that have different cultures can only make the city of Blaine and its citizens leaders in progress.
What further policies can Blaine adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that we as a city need to have excellent communication with local businesses since they provide more than revenue or jobs but show the health of the community at large. I will accomplish this in two ways:
● Improving lines of communication between our local government and county, state, and federal groups to ensure funds do not get lost or held up preventing local business from making the hard choices that are unnecessary.
● Communicate with and establish a governmental communication portal for local businesses to understand their conditions, wants, and needs.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Blaine is an area that wants to support its veterans which as one, I find admirable. I wish to turn this support into action that will not only address veteran issues but showcase Blaine as a city to attract more veterans. I will advocate for the creation of a Veterans Affairs (VA) satellite office to allow veterans greater access to healthcare including mental health assistance. Additionally, I will advocate for the creation of a Veterans Service Office (VSO) to help service members transitioning from military life to civilian life.
Public Office Sought: Blaine City Council Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Phone: NA
Website:http://scottforblaine.com
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/Scott4MNCC1
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ScottforBlaine
Candidate Bio
All my life I have wanted to serve my country, and I was able to do that during my time in the Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Electrician. Now I want to do that by serving the town of Blaine. Whilst in the Navy I was thrown into a fast-paced environment that required me to be on high alert 24/7. This taught me how to remain calm under pressure. While I was serving I was also able to achieve my goal of earning my Masters's degree in Criminal Justice which gave me insight into the underlying issues that are so prevalent in our criminal justice system. As the military liaison between government and private contractors, I was able to save the Navy just above 20 million dollars. When I got home from service I started my career as a Risk & Quality Management Specialist. As a member of your City Council, I want to take all of these skills I have gathered from my life to bring civility and stability back to government and apply my lived experiences to provide a welcoming, safe, and prosperous community for the city of Blaine.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
● Investing in infrastructure
● Effective use of tax dollars
● Bringing jobs to Blaine
How would you characterize the business climate in Blaine and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
The business climate of Blaine is one that is expanding as can be seen throughout the city. Once a business garners interest within this community we as the City Council must encourage businesses to invest in some way into the people. This could be accomplished by sponsoring a local sports team or sponsoring a local group that will use that sponsorship to reinvest into the community. I would promote the idea that bringing your business to Blaine means investing into the people and the 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, Blaine?
The purpose of a city councilor is, in the most general terms, to improve the quality of life of its citizens. We, as city council members should take this to heart, and if we show that we invest into our businesses, investors and entrepreneurs will see that when you bring your business to Blaine, you will have the support of the city and its people.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
To assist with the labor shortage would mean caring for the citizens that wish to come back to work. At the city council level we should work to make childcare more affordable and invest into a more effective public transit system. By focusing on these two areas we can ensure that children are taken care of while a parent or parents are outside the home. Additionally, by investing in public transit those that do not have a personal vehicle have a greater ability to get to work. This would benefit both the citizens of Blaine and employers which will allow for greater return investment within the community.
Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Blaine (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 Blaine and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
Yes, I strongly support ensuring that our workforce or more specifically, the people are invested in. Work, while important, should not overshadow the critical aspects of our lives. We must allow the workforce the ability to take care of themselves and their families to foster an environment and community that will create a future that will improve the lives of each generation.
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?
Addressing public safety is not something that can be solved by focusing on one single solution, it needs to be solved using multiple pathways. This would require us to focus on both the long term solutions and the short term simultaneously.
In the short term, we as the City Council must work with the Blaine Police Department and the Sheriff's Department to develop a targeted plan that will intelligently utilize limited resources to reduce crime in the most effective manner.
In the long term, we must develop and invest in different programs that may not have an immediate impact but will over time help the community prosper. We need to invest heavily into education which is shown to drastically reduce the crime rate within a society. In tandem with this we need to also invest into mental health programs that can operate both internally and externally to the school system. This will allow for a healthier society which in turn, will allow individuals that may have issues choose a path that may have originally been unseen to them. Finally, we need to address reentry programs from those that were in the prison system. If we as a community let those re-enter society without help they would have a greater chance to fall back into the system which not only fails that individual but causes a financial burden upon that community if the choice is made to not lift them up.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
This would require a delicate balance between allowing investors to come to the community and ensuring that the investors do not override the needs or wants of the community. One of the policies that I would propose is to limit corporations or institutions like Zillow for example in owning or being able to bid on properties. This prevents citizens from being able to compete in the housing market and drives up prices unnecessarily. Another policy that I would like to institute is that a percentage of all housing being built within Blaine be required to be low-income or affordable housing.
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?
One of the biggest issues within my community is Highway 65. This is a road that falls under county jurisdiction but does not preclude me from applying pressure to those that can implement change or utilizing the influence of the office from obtaining funds to assist in the Highway 65 rebuild project. Additionally, there is a surprising lack of pedestrian transportation throughout my community which endangers the citizens and their children as they will have to walk on the street exposing them to unsafe conditions.
We must also make the public transit system more accessible throughout Blaine as this will provide an avenue for traffic reduction as it will also provide a reliable method of transportation for those that require assistance to get to their place of employment.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
My priorities for the budget are simple. I wish to utilize methods that will generate greater revenue for the city such as utilizing local workers or local businesses in citywide projects which will in turn come back to the city through those individuals personal expenses such as restaurants or entertainment. This will allow us as a city to provide more for the citizens with the tax revenue that will be generated.
What will you do to expand Blaine’s tax base?
One of the greatest ways to expand the tax base is to invest within the community itself. I would like to make unions and the use of the unions more prevalent within Blaine. The people in these unions are our neighbors, friends, and family and care deeply about their community which in turn is reflected in their craftsmanship. Additionally, when companies that are not invested within the community, they take their profits and leave rather than spending or reinvesting back within the community which will increase the tax revenue that we can utilize to invest more into Blaine and its citizens.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
The city council, while it may not have a direct impact on what is studied or provided within the school system, can fund the education system to provide specific educational avenues that will support having an educated workforce. I will advocate to fund the educational system and support providing:
● Career guidance
● Financial literacy courses
● Entrepreneurial skills training
● Working with local businesses to expand apprenticeship opportunities
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?
I do not believe that there are services that need to be cut back or eliminated. At this point, there are no services that require sharing that have not already been addressed. I will be on the lookout for inevitable future endeavors that our city will be involved in and have the ability to share with other cities.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Blaine?
The City Council needs to be representative of its population base. One of the ways that this can be accomplished is by promoting minority and women owned businesses. From outsiders to those that have chosen Blaine as its home, promoting businesses that have different cultures can only make the city of Blaine and its citizens leaders in progress.
What further policies can Blaine adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that we as a city need to have excellent communication with local businesses since they provide more than revenue or jobs but show the health of the community at large. I will accomplish this in two ways:
● Improving lines of communication between our local government and county, state, and federal groups to ensure funds do not get lost or held up preventing local business from making the hard choices that are unnecessary.
● Communicate with and establish a governmental communication portal for local businesses to understand their conditions, wants, and needs.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Blaine is an area that wants to support its veterans which as one, I find admirable. I wish to turn this support into action that will not only address veteran issues but showcase Blaine as a city to attract more veterans. I will advocate for the creation of a Veterans Affairs (VA) satellite office to allow veterans greater access to healthcare including mental health assistance. Additionally, I will advocate for the creation of a Veterans Service Office (VSO) to help service members transitioning from military life to civilian life.