Tena Monson
Name: Tena Monson
Public Office Sought: Arden Hills City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 320.223.9660
Campaign Website: advanceardenhills.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
Tena is a development operations director at a renewable energy firm headquartered in the Twin Cities. She has extensive experience with local governments across the country as a project developer of solar farms. She has experience working with ordinances, leading public hearings, pursuing land use and construction permits, as well as, working with project stakeholders. On an annual basis, she has overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects, positioning her to be a good steward of such projects, like TCAAP, in Arden Hills. Tena also serves as a board member of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, a bipartisan nonprofit working to educate elected officials on clean energy jobs. TCAAP is a unique opportunity for the City of Arden Hills and in order to develop the project in an economic and sustainable manner, the right leaders are needed. Tena’s background in development and energy provides a solid foundation to navigate the challenges that developments of the scale of TCAAP bring.
TCAAP background
In 2013, Ramsey County bought land at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site (TCAAP). The 427- acre Rice Creek Commons plan include housing, business, parks and trails. The county has spent $41 million to buy the land and prepare it for development. The city has spent over $1.5 million on planning and litigation. Both parties will recover some costs when development begins. The county wants to add more housing to the plans, but Arden Hills city council has refused. No progress has been made since 2019. (Summary courtesy of One and All Arden Hills.)
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Facilitate the development of TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons with Ramsey County
Create a plan to build out the City’s Vision for trails throughout the City
Review ordinances to remove barriers for homeowners to improve their properties.
How would you characterize the business climate in Arden Hills and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
While the current business climate is a good foundation for the city that provides employment opportunities, utilizing the TCAAP development to bring more businesses to facilitate growth is a key objective. They are the key to bringing people together for work and recreation and making Arden Hills an even more attractive place to live.
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, Arden Hills?
The City should always be undertaking efforts to attract and retain jobs in alignment with local and regional economic organizations. Soliciting new business to TCAAP will be imperative to ensure that it meets the citizen’s vision for a cohesive development. Working with the developer is a key pathway to matching the vision with the business. Importantly, the City must take into consideration the current businesses to ensure their needs are met as well.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
I support providing workforce housing, transit availability and connected trails in and to TCAAP to maximize workforce availability.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Arden Hills (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 Arden Hills and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I do not have a position on specific employment related proposals in Arden Hills. In the event these topics gather interest, I would determine what the benefits and costs could be from implementing these policies. I would discuss directly with current business owners, understand local organizations’ stances, and also be sure to discuss outcomes with cities that have implemented these policies.
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?
The City of Arden Hills contracts with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office for the protection of the people and businesses. However, a strong community that knows its neighbors, is a valuable aspect of Arden Hills today.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
By supporting the efforts to develop TCAAP, the increase in new housing could be as high as 2,500 units with a certain percentage dedicated to affordable/workforce housing. I fully support adding flexibility in the ordinance to enable homeowners to improve their current housing. This would allow for families who need change to accommodate different aspects of their lives to stay in Arden Hills.
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?
A goal of mine is to determine the best way forward to develop a more walkable and bike-able and connected city via trails. This would allow some citizens to reduce their driving needs. This has become even more needed and wanted by citizens who find themselves working from home and looking for more amenities near their homes. Fortunately, the trail system envisioned would connect into TCAAP.
By supporting a higher number of units at TCAAP, at least 2,000 units, the Met Council would be able to provide transit to the development. I believe this is important to ensure workforce access to the new development.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Keep the budget neutral via reallocation. The increase in tax base from TCAAP will allow the City to do more. I am also open to reviewing bonding as a option in order to provide additional city needs.
What will you do to expand Arden Hills’s tax base?
Support the development of TCAAP.
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 Mounds View School District draws many young families to Arden Hills and is an important stakeholder in the development of TCAAP. I will work closely with them and other post-secondary institutions to develop or review any existing programs they have in place to ensure that they are looking at ways to adapt to workforce needs.
Bethel and the University of Northwestern are important anchors in our City as well. They play an integral part of our day-to-day life in Arden Hills and by working with them closely, we’ll be able to ensure that they continue to be so.
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 currently believe that there is anything to be cut back or eliminated. The City of Arden Hills has many partnerships with neighboring cities for shared services.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Arden Hills?
City Council leadership is an important voice in pursuing and ensuring diversity in business. Being vocal about this topic is important.
What further policies can Arden Hills adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is important to continue to work closely with the State and the Federal Government to maximize any resources available for businesses still suffering from COVID-19 impacts.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The development of TCAAP is the best pathway forward to grow the City of Arden Hill. It will expand tax base and provide amenities to the citizens of Arden Hills. There are many other important topics to the citizens that I look forward to tackling if I’m fortunate to win a seat at the council. If you want to see change in leadership that is more focused on pursuing development, creating a more connected city and done so in a sustainable manner, vote for me and the rest of the Advance Arden Hills candidates – Gregg Larson, Emily Rousseau and Tom Fabel (www.advanceardenhills.com).
Public Office Sought: Arden Hills City Council
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 320.223.9660
Campaign Website: advanceardenhills.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
Tena is a development operations director at a renewable energy firm headquartered in the Twin Cities. She has extensive experience with local governments across the country as a project developer of solar farms. She has experience working with ordinances, leading public hearings, pursuing land use and construction permits, as well as, working with project stakeholders. On an annual basis, she has overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects, positioning her to be a good steward of such projects, like TCAAP, in Arden Hills. Tena also serves as a board member of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, a bipartisan nonprofit working to educate elected officials on clean energy jobs. TCAAP is a unique opportunity for the City of Arden Hills and in order to develop the project in an economic and sustainable manner, the right leaders are needed. Tena’s background in development and energy provides a solid foundation to navigate the challenges that developments of the scale of TCAAP bring.
TCAAP background
In 2013, Ramsey County bought land at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site (TCAAP). The 427- acre Rice Creek Commons plan include housing, business, parks and trails. The county has spent $41 million to buy the land and prepare it for development. The city has spent over $1.5 million on planning and litigation. Both parties will recover some costs when development begins. The county wants to add more housing to the plans, but Arden Hills city council has refused. No progress has been made since 2019. (Summary courtesy of One and All Arden Hills.)
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Facilitate the development of TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons with Ramsey County
Create a plan to build out the City’s Vision for trails throughout the City
Review ordinances to remove barriers for homeowners to improve their properties.
How would you characterize the business climate in Arden Hills and what is the role of businesses supporting quality of life issues in the community?
While the current business climate is a good foundation for the city that provides employment opportunities, utilizing the TCAAP development to bring more businesses to facilitate growth is a key objective. They are the key to bringing people together for work and recreation and making Arden Hills an even more attractive place to live.
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, Arden Hills?
The City should always be undertaking efforts to attract and retain jobs in alignment with local and regional economic organizations. Soliciting new business to TCAAP will be imperative to ensure that it meets the citizen’s vision for a cohesive development. Working with the developer is a key pathway to matching the vision with the business. Importantly, the City must take into consideration the current businesses to ensure their needs are met as well.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address the labor shortage?
I support providing workforce housing, transit availability and connected trails in and to TCAAP to maximize workforce availability.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals in Arden Hills (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 Arden Hills and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I do not have a position on specific employment related proposals in Arden Hills. In the event these topics gather interest, I would determine what the benefits and costs could be from implementing these policies. I would discuss directly with current business owners, understand local organizations’ stances, and also be sure to discuss outcomes with cities that have implemented these policies.
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?
The City of Arden Hills contracts with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office for the protection of the people and businesses. However, a strong community that knows its neighbors, is a valuable aspect of Arden Hills today.
What strategies or policies would you propose to address housing issues facing your community?
By supporting the efforts to develop TCAAP, the increase in new housing could be as high as 2,500 units with a certain percentage dedicated to affordable/workforce housing. I fully support adding flexibility in the ordinance to enable homeowners to improve their current housing. This would allow for families who need change to accommodate different aspects of their lives to stay in Arden Hills.
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?
A goal of mine is to determine the best way forward to develop a more walkable and bike-able and connected city via trails. This would allow some citizens to reduce their driving needs. This has become even more needed and wanted by citizens who find themselves working from home and looking for more amenities near their homes. Fortunately, the trail system envisioned would connect into TCAAP.
By supporting a higher number of units at TCAAP, at least 2,000 units, the Met Council would be able to provide transit to the development. I believe this is important to ensure workforce access to the new development.
What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Keep the budget neutral via reallocation. The increase in tax base from TCAAP will allow the City to do more. I am also open to reviewing bonding as a option in order to provide additional city needs.
What will you do to expand Arden Hills’s tax base?
Support the development of TCAAP.
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 Mounds View School District draws many young families to Arden Hills and is an important stakeholder in the development of TCAAP. I will work closely with them and other post-secondary institutions to develop or review any existing programs they have in place to ensure that they are looking at ways to adapt to workforce needs.
Bethel and the University of Northwestern are important anchors in our City as well. They play an integral part of our day-to-day life in Arden Hills and by working with them closely, we’ll be able to ensure that they continue to be so.
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 currently believe that there is anything to be cut back or eliminated. The City of Arden Hills has many partnerships with neighboring cities for shared services.
What is the role of the City Council in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Arden Hills?
City Council leadership is an important voice in pursuing and ensuring diversity in business. Being vocal about this topic is important.
What further policies can Arden Hills adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is important to continue to work closely with the State and the Federal Government to maximize any resources available for businesses still suffering from COVID-19 impacts.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The development of TCAAP is the best pathway forward to grow the City of Arden Hill. It will expand tax base and provide amenities to the citizens of Arden Hills. There are many other important topics to the citizens that I look forward to tackling if I’m fortunate to win a seat at the council. If you want to see change in leadership that is more focused on pursuing development, creating a more connected city and done so in a sustainable manner, vote for me and the rest of the Advance Arden Hills candidates – Gregg Larson, Emily Rousseau and Tom Fabel (www.advanceardenhills.com).