Temmy Olasimbo
Name: Temmy Olasimbo
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-541-1896
Campaign Website: temmy-olasimbo.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I am a life-long Woodbury resident, having lived here with my husband of over 21 years and our children Lanre (18) and Lola (14) for 18 years. I lead a Research Operations team at a Fortune 500 corporation. I serve as the commissioner representing Woodbury on the Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) dedicated to creating safe and affordable housing and economic opportunities and was elected by my peers for a second term as vice-chairperson. I serve on the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties Board of Directors, dedicated to eradicating poverty. I was the planning chairperson (2023) and visionary for the One Woodbury event, a first of its kind which aim to cultivate and celebrate a sense of belonging within our community. I am on the Advisory Board of Power of People Leadership Institute, an organization dedicated to mentoring emerging leaders. I bring with me a wealth of experience leading teams and delivering impactful strategies. Most importantly, I bring a desire to serve and a passion to future proofing and enriching my community.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Servant Leadership. I firmly believe in serving my community in a way that exemplify the desire to put the collective need at the forefront.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
Safety, it’s imperative for the community to feel safe and our public safety to feel supported. Water, clean drinking water is critical to establishing and sustaining a great quality of life, I will continue the work in making our water safe and create transparency on end-to-end process. Economic vitality- I want to ensure that we are not only maintaining the economic growth for the city at positive rates but ensuring that we are also preparing for future state. I am adept at pivoting and applying diligence when situations call for it.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Woodbury?
I believe the biggest challenge as with most communities currently is affordable housing. The balance of finding creative ways to source for landing, the rate of growth, and funding continues to be a challenge that we ought to solve for to incrementally close the widening gap.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
Businesses and the government should have a mutually beneficial relationship. There should be a shared goal, which is to ensure that its citizens, employes are afforded the opportunity to have a good quality of life which in turn should enrich the community at large. Creating laws that are balanced, attractive to businesses while ensuring that workers are protected is a win-win for businesses and the government. As with most things, finding ways to compromise without compromising foundational values will bring both parties together in finding solutions to benefit most.
How would you characterize the business climate in Woodbury and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Woodbury?
I believe as one of the fastest growing cities (8th), the business climate is an attractive and welcoming one for businesses, Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce, CDA and many others along with the City Council and staff continue to work collaboratively to grow and sustain. The role of the city is creating policies that benefits it constituents, safety in the community, schools, clean water, resources to attract and retain businesses big and small
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Access to resources and personnel. Creating opportunities for the residents to know and engage with public safety in ways that build trust. My approach would center around relationship building. I would also invest in resources that align with safety needs while using research and data to inform decisions
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Creative solutions – land banking, collaborative funding source are ways we can begin to address the ever-widening gap
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Aligning the needs of the city specifically to curated solutions… create/maintain bike trails so children and adults alike can bike within the community, helping to reduce our carbon footprint while providing health benefits and an opportunity to enjoy nature. Bigger and safer sidewalks for pedestrians and maintenance of our roads to ensure that drivers and motorcyclist alike are safe. Support transportation policies that would benefit the city and its surrounding neighbors.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
Fiscal responsivity. I will be diligent in making sure that monies are spent wisely. Making sure that we are allocating funds to the needs of the community in a fiscally responsible way. I will find ways to diminish waste and ensure that any initiatives we spend on will give a return on investment that will benefit the community even residually.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
I believe local government should focus on the day to day needs of its constituents. Providing basic services such as clean water, safe roads and trails, effective public safety, operating a welcoming and safe public spaces, providing housing options, creating and managing social programs while the state maintains its core responsibilities of running state education, making state laws and many more.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-541-1896
Campaign Website: temmy-olasimbo.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I am a life-long Woodbury resident, having lived here with my husband of over 21 years and our children Lanre (18) and Lola (14) for 18 years. I lead a Research Operations team at a Fortune 500 corporation. I serve as the commissioner representing Woodbury on the Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) dedicated to creating safe and affordable housing and economic opportunities and was elected by my peers for a second term as vice-chairperson. I serve on the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties Board of Directors, dedicated to eradicating poverty. I was the planning chairperson (2023) and visionary for the One Woodbury event, a first of its kind which aim to cultivate and celebrate a sense of belonging within our community. I am on the Advisory Board of Power of People Leadership Institute, an organization dedicated to mentoring emerging leaders. I bring with me a wealth of experience leading teams and delivering impactful strategies. Most importantly, I bring a desire to serve and a passion to future proofing and enriching my community.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Servant Leadership. I firmly believe in serving my community in a way that exemplify the desire to put the collective need at the forefront.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
Safety, it’s imperative for the community to feel safe and our public safety to feel supported. Water, clean drinking water is critical to establishing and sustaining a great quality of life, I will continue the work in making our water safe and create transparency on end-to-end process. Economic vitality- I want to ensure that we are not only maintaining the economic growth for the city at positive rates but ensuring that we are also preparing for future state. I am adept at pivoting and applying diligence when situations call for it.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Woodbury?
I believe the biggest challenge as with most communities currently is affordable housing. The balance of finding creative ways to source for landing, the rate of growth, and funding continues to be a challenge that we ought to solve for to incrementally close the widening gap.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
Businesses and the government should have a mutually beneficial relationship. There should be a shared goal, which is to ensure that its citizens, employes are afforded the opportunity to have a good quality of life which in turn should enrich the community at large. Creating laws that are balanced, attractive to businesses while ensuring that workers are protected is a win-win for businesses and the government. As with most things, finding ways to compromise without compromising foundational values will bring both parties together in finding solutions to benefit most.
How would you characterize the business climate in Woodbury and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Woodbury?
I believe as one of the fastest growing cities (8th), the business climate is an attractive and welcoming one for businesses, Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce, CDA and many others along with the City Council and staff continue to work collaboratively to grow and sustain. The role of the city is creating policies that benefits it constituents, safety in the community, schools, clean water, resources to attract and retain businesses big and small
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Access to resources and personnel. Creating opportunities for the residents to know and engage with public safety in ways that build trust. My approach would center around relationship building. I would also invest in resources that align with safety needs while using research and data to inform decisions
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Creative solutions – land banking, collaborative funding source are ways we can begin to address the ever-widening gap
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Aligning the needs of the city specifically to curated solutions… create/maintain bike trails so children and adults alike can bike within the community, helping to reduce our carbon footprint while providing health benefits and an opportunity to enjoy nature. Bigger and safer sidewalks for pedestrians and maintenance of our roads to ensure that drivers and motorcyclist alike are safe. Support transportation policies that would benefit the city and its surrounding neighbors.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
Fiscal responsivity. I will be diligent in making sure that monies are spent wisely. Making sure that we are allocating funds to the needs of the community in a fiscally responsible way. I will find ways to diminish waste and ensure that any initiatives we spend on will give a return on investment that will benefit the community even residually.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
I believe local government should focus on the day to day needs of its constituents. Providing basic services such as clean water, safe roads and trails, effective public safety, operating a welcoming and safe public spaces, providing housing options, creating and managing social programs while the state maintains its core responsibilities of running state education, making state laws and many more.