Todd Kruse

Name: Todd Kruse
Public Office Sought: Inver Grove Heights City Council
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-423-5621
Website: www.votekruse.com
Twitter Handle: @toddakruse
Facebook: Todd Allen Kruse
Candidate Bio
Residents of IGH would benefit from my career experience as a city franchise agreement negotiator, my experience as a business owner/consultant to businesses, and as an MBA instructor specializing in strategic management which would be an asset to a city in need of innovative approaches to serving its constituents.
Business climate
1. How would you characterize the business climate in Inver Grove Heights?
Stagnant and actually a deterrent for entrepreneurs since numerous business owners have informed me that contractors they wanted to work with have refused to work in IGH. This lack of competitive bidding on business and residential projects (such as a new garage or a deck on your home) becomes a form of hidden taxation since competitive pressure to keep prices down and quality of service high is limited.
2. 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, Inver Grove Heights?
Economic development is a multi-faceted project for any community but initially I would focus on one action item I would pursue as a council member: the re-branding of the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) as the “IGH River Port Authority” (RPA) to remind residents and developers that we border the Mississippi River since riverfront development should be championed. Beyond re-branding the EDA as the RPA we need to alter the membership of the current EDA - today the mayor/council members double as the EDA which I know from my consulting and strategic planning client work causes “group think” since the same 5 people are talking with each other via work sessions, city council meetings, and EDA meetings. IT IS TIME TO REFORM THIS STAGNANT AND INSULAR MODEL.
3. Would you support hiring a business advocate as a member of the city senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Inver Grove Heights?
No I would not support this mis-guided policy – if my chamber advocated such a policy I would refuse to renew my membership dues.
Adding yet another city employee is not innovation but simply adds to the insular, mandarin-dominated city hall culture that needs to be reformed (see question #3 above) . The business community should unite to phase out our state corporate income tax system then businesses should use the cash savings to spend on their business expansion and/or paying shareholders. Once the business community secures a “business advocate as a member of the city senior staff” you have only lost due to the city power structure – instead the business community should recruit and support their employees to get elected to serve on their respective city councils and to the Minnesota legislature.
It is basic math – there are 5 members of the IGH city council so how many of these people are pro-business development? We have 201 state legislators so how many of them are successful business leaders?
4. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Inver Grove Heights? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Inver Grove Heights and do you support proposals to mitigate the effects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
My favorite college course to teach is Political Philosophy so let me ask – if a government can impose a minimum wage can the imposition of a MAXIMUM wage be far away? NO, I oppose all wage and price controls especially the minimum wage. Business owners should pay the wages they need to pay to recruit the talent they need to be successful. If a job pays so poorly that we need to mandate a minimum wage to incentivize people to take the job then those are jobs we shouldn’t desire having in IGH and/or Minnesota so let’s allow market forces and empowered workers to drive economic transformation which renders minimum wages an obsolete concept.
5. Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Inver Grove Heights (such as mandatory sick time or scheduling notice)? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Inver Grove Heights and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
No I do not and if voters disagree with me I encourage them to read “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt (https://mises.org/library/economics-one-lesson) since my career in teaching college courses has taught me that overall our K-12 education system completely fails to teach economic concepts. If voters don’t like a company’s employment practices do what you can to put them out of business via market forces such as economic boycotts or starting a business to compete with those companies you oppose.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns?
IGH’s current police chief has an impressive community outreach effort that I would enhance with my own outreach to community organizations to enhance after school programming options which I witnessed via the Community Partners with Youth (CPY) program when I worked in New Brighton. Beyond that IGH has a shortage of reserve police officers and fire fighters so I would use my business contacts, Inver Hills College contacts, and my marketing experience to drive an awareness campaign throughout the city.
Budget
7. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
During my four years as a council member I would focus on the following;
• Contract with www.transparagov.com to analyze all city expenditures
• Develop a talent acquisition and retirement plan that positions the city budget to be leaner and more efficient as we compete with the more dynamic communities that we border
• Pursue operational changes to stop the $2.4 million operating budget deficit at Inver Woods Golf Club by driving a city wide conversation regarding “what is the proper role of government in IGH?”
8. How do you view the relationship between commercial and residential property taxes?
First some history on the creation of property taxes - when the British Empire expanded into the African continent they needed a ready labor supply but the local populations owned their own huts and survived via their very localized, self-sustaining micro-economies so in order to force these natives into the labor market the British imposed a “hut tax” (a tax liability) which left the colonized subjects no choice but to seek wage jobs simply to pay their hut tax.
Philosophically my thinking has developed whereby I consider property taxes to be more oppressive (and regressive of course) than any income or sales tax. Imagine working your entire life, paying off your home, and living a low cost existence thus reducing your income and sales tax obligations yet your property tax never goes away and rarely is decreased.
On commercial taxes I support complete repeal of the current Commercial and Industrial (C&I) system because businesses don’t have a pot of gold sitting around to pay such taxes – instead the REAL payers of the C&I taxes are US; Consumers (via higher prices and lower quality) , Employees (via wage cuts and/or layoffs, cutting benefits), and Owners (shareholders getting stock dividends cuts – including those retirees mentioned at the start of this question response who rely on stock dividends to supplement their retirement income so they can pay their “residential hut tax”.
9. What will you do to expand Inver Grove Heights’ tax base?
Fully implement my Question #9 solution and then help businesses fill our open commercial space – citizens should tour IGH to see the numerous “For Lease” and “For Sale” signs that populate our city. The national and state economy are doing well yet IGH hasn’t seen the benefits so why is that the case today? 2018 ELECTIONS SHOULD ALTER OUR STATUS QUO.
Workforce development
10. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
At the state level I would advocate the merger of the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) but coupled with the complete phase out of the cornucopia of workforce development programs. If an employer wants welders than it should pay for college tuition via an apprenticeship program they create. The business community should also lead an aggressive campaign to return shop class/industrial arts classes to school districts across Minnesota. The worker shortage in our trades industry will harm our state’s economic future.
Our state, city, and county governments should complete a cost-benefit analysis which calculates the relationship (dollars involved) between corporate income taxes, workforce development programs, and the “product” (high school graduates) produced by our K-12 education system. Does this iron triangle of spending make sense or should we empower entrepreneurs and students to spend their money for their own benefit versus having a centrally-planned economy.
11. What do you see as the city council’s role with regard to Inver Grove Heights Public Schools?
The city council’s role should simply be “make the city work efficiently” via a road system free of pot holes where the snow removal is superb and the city is safe and secure. Such a scenario would allow residents/businesses to generate the income needed to support their children’s education which could include checks written to the BEST Foundation, PTSA fundraisers, or clubs/sports teams versus spending unnecessary dollars on city operations.
If city leaders and/or staff feel they should play a role with the school district then I encourage them to either 1.) run for election to the school board or 2.) earn their teaching certificate so they can add value in our classrooms - other than that the city should focus on public works and public safety not curriculum or workforce planning.
Other
12. What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?
Biggest challenge is “Business Climate” so please review my responses to Questions #2 and #3 noted earlier in this survey .
13. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
• Re-brand and re-constitute the membership of the city’s Economic Development Authority
• Reorganize the city’s citizen commissions/committees based on community feedback to guide the decisions but some commissions I would like to consider are - 1.) Arbor Pointe Commercial Area Commission 2.) Empty Buildings Commission , and 3.) City-to-City Regional Collaboration Commission , 4.) Innovation/TED Talk Commission (as a joint project with River Heights Chamber of Commerce) - I know firsthand that our current city leaders turn away volunteers interested in serving so let’s harness interested citizens’ creative energy where the city needs innovative thinking.
• Start working on 2020 city elections to recruit candidates who share my world view to transform our city
14. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Improve the quality of our streets via “Adopt a Street” program with community groups responsible for reporting public safety issues, identifying needed pothole repairs , and initiating beautification projects focused on cleaning up eye sores. Beyond that we need to remind residents and city leaders that IGH is crisscrossed by key roads including - Highway 52, I-494, and Highway 55 - so an aggressive signage campaign that reminds drivers that “Wakota” is not a Native American word for “keep on driving to Woodbury for a vibrant economy and high quality of life……………….”
15. 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?
Hopefully residents will agree with me that money pits like Inver Wood Golf Course and The Grove recreation center are not sacred cows that will ensure my election defeat should I advocate any changes. Imagine an IGH where our recreation center is managed by LA Fitness or Lifetime Fitness where membership rates are lower AND members get the added benefit of access to other branches such as LA Fitness on Robert Street in West St. Paul or Lifetime’s Eagan facility.
Voters need to ask themselves – “hey, since I am shopping at Hy-Vee in Eagan today I think I will go swimming at the Lifetime location on Cliff Avenue………………” simply because their The Grove membership now provides them a greater range of options for recreation.
16. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Read more books especially on politics, history , and economics. Additionally voters should remember that term limits already exist on all public officials (except city hall staff who ride a desk and have better retirement benefits than the vast majority of IGH residents) no matter who is elected) called ELECTIONS. If you want a new direction in your city government then “fire” the incumbents every 2 years starting with the August 14 primary election and the November 6 general election until you get the performance you expect.
Public Office Sought: Inver Grove Heights City Council
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 612-423-5621
Website: www.votekruse.com
Twitter Handle: @toddakruse
Facebook: Todd Allen Kruse
Candidate Bio
Residents of IGH would benefit from my career experience as a city franchise agreement negotiator, my experience as a business owner/consultant to businesses, and as an MBA instructor specializing in strategic management which would be an asset to a city in need of innovative approaches to serving its constituents.
Business climate
1. How would you characterize the business climate in Inver Grove Heights?
Stagnant and actually a deterrent for entrepreneurs since numerous business owners have informed me that contractors they wanted to work with have refused to work in IGH. This lack of competitive bidding on business and residential projects (such as a new garage or a deck on your home) becomes a form of hidden taxation since competitive pressure to keep prices down and quality of service high is limited.
2. 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, Inver Grove Heights?
Economic development is a multi-faceted project for any community but initially I would focus on one action item I would pursue as a council member: the re-branding of the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) as the “IGH River Port Authority” (RPA) to remind residents and developers that we border the Mississippi River since riverfront development should be championed. Beyond re-branding the EDA as the RPA we need to alter the membership of the current EDA - today the mayor/council members double as the EDA which I know from my consulting and strategic planning client work causes “group think” since the same 5 people are talking with each other via work sessions, city council meetings, and EDA meetings. IT IS TIME TO REFORM THIS STAGNANT AND INSULAR MODEL.
3. Would you support hiring a business advocate as a member of the city senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Inver Grove Heights?
No I would not support this mis-guided policy – if my chamber advocated such a policy I would refuse to renew my membership dues.
Adding yet another city employee is not innovation but simply adds to the insular, mandarin-dominated city hall culture that needs to be reformed (see question #3 above) . The business community should unite to phase out our state corporate income tax system then businesses should use the cash savings to spend on their business expansion and/or paying shareholders. Once the business community secures a “business advocate as a member of the city senior staff” you have only lost due to the city power structure – instead the business community should recruit and support their employees to get elected to serve on their respective city councils and to the Minnesota legislature.
It is basic math – there are 5 members of the IGH city council so how many of these people are pro-business development? We have 201 state legislators so how many of them are successful business leaders?
4. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Inver Grove Heights? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Inver Grove Heights and do you support proposals to mitigate the effects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
My favorite college course to teach is Political Philosophy so let me ask – if a government can impose a minimum wage can the imposition of a MAXIMUM wage be far away? NO, I oppose all wage and price controls especially the minimum wage. Business owners should pay the wages they need to pay to recruit the talent they need to be successful. If a job pays so poorly that we need to mandate a minimum wage to incentivize people to take the job then those are jobs we shouldn’t desire having in IGH and/or Minnesota so let’s allow market forces and empowered workers to drive economic transformation which renders minimum wages an obsolete concept.
5. Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Inver Grove Heights (such as mandatory sick time or scheduling notice)? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Inver Grove Heights and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
No I do not and if voters disagree with me I encourage them to read “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt (https://mises.org/library/economics-one-lesson) since my career in teaching college courses has taught me that overall our K-12 education system completely fails to teach economic concepts. If voters don’t like a company’s employment practices do what you can to put them out of business via market forces such as economic boycotts or starting a business to compete with those companies you oppose.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns?
IGH’s current police chief has an impressive community outreach effort that I would enhance with my own outreach to community organizations to enhance after school programming options which I witnessed via the Community Partners with Youth (CPY) program when I worked in New Brighton. Beyond that IGH has a shortage of reserve police officers and fire fighters so I would use my business contacts, Inver Hills College contacts, and my marketing experience to drive an awareness campaign throughout the city.
Budget
7. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
During my four years as a council member I would focus on the following;
• Contract with www.transparagov.com to analyze all city expenditures
• Develop a talent acquisition and retirement plan that positions the city budget to be leaner and more efficient as we compete with the more dynamic communities that we border
• Pursue operational changes to stop the $2.4 million operating budget deficit at Inver Woods Golf Club by driving a city wide conversation regarding “what is the proper role of government in IGH?”
8. How do you view the relationship between commercial and residential property taxes?
First some history on the creation of property taxes - when the British Empire expanded into the African continent they needed a ready labor supply but the local populations owned their own huts and survived via their very localized, self-sustaining micro-economies so in order to force these natives into the labor market the British imposed a “hut tax” (a tax liability) which left the colonized subjects no choice but to seek wage jobs simply to pay their hut tax.
Philosophically my thinking has developed whereby I consider property taxes to be more oppressive (and regressive of course) than any income or sales tax. Imagine working your entire life, paying off your home, and living a low cost existence thus reducing your income and sales tax obligations yet your property tax never goes away and rarely is decreased.
On commercial taxes I support complete repeal of the current Commercial and Industrial (C&I) system because businesses don’t have a pot of gold sitting around to pay such taxes – instead the REAL payers of the C&I taxes are US; Consumers (via higher prices and lower quality) , Employees (via wage cuts and/or layoffs, cutting benefits), and Owners (shareholders getting stock dividends cuts – including those retirees mentioned at the start of this question response who rely on stock dividends to supplement their retirement income so they can pay their “residential hut tax”.
9. What will you do to expand Inver Grove Heights’ tax base?
Fully implement my Question #9 solution and then help businesses fill our open commercial space – citizens should tour IGH to see the numerous “For Lease” and “For Sale” signs that populate our city. The national and state economy are doing well yet IGH hasn’t seen the benefits so why is that the case today? 2018 ELECTIONS SHOULD ALTER OUR STATUS QUO.
Workforce development
10. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
At the state level I would advocate the merger of the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) but coupled with the complete phase out of the cornucopia of workforce development programs. If an employer wants welders than it should pay for college tuition via an apprenticeship program they create. The business community should also lead an aggressive campaign to return shop class/industrial arts classes to school districts across Minnesota. The worker shortage in our trades industry will harm our state’s economic future.
Our state, city, and county governments should complete a cost-benefit analysis which calculates the relationship (dollars involved) between corporate income taxes, workforce development programs, and the “product” (high school graduates) produced by our K-12 education system. Does this iron triangle of spending make sense or should we empower entrepreneurs and students to spend their money for their own benefit versus having a centrally-planned economy.
11. What do you see as the city council’s role with regard to Inver Grove Heights Public Schools?
The city council’s role should simply be “make the city work efficiently” via a road system free of pot holes where the snow removal is superb and the city is safe and secure. Such a scenario would allow residents/businesses to generate the income needed to support their children’s education which could include checks written to the BEST Foundation, PTSA fundraisers, or clubs/sports teams versus spending unnecessary dollars on city operations.
If city leaders and/or staff feel they should play a role with the school district then I encourage them to either 1.) run for election to the school board or 2.) earn their teaching certificate so they can add value in our classrooms - other than that the city should focus on public works and public safety not curriculum or workforce planning.
Other
12. What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?
Biggest challenge is “Business Climate” so please review my responses to Questions #2 and #3 noted earlier in this survey .
13. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
• Re-brand and re-constitute the membership of the city’s Economic Development Authority
• Reorganize the city’s citizen commissions/committees based on community feedback to guide the decisions but some commissions I would like to consider are - 1.) Arbor Pointe Commercial Area Commission 2.) Empty Buildings Commission , and 3.) City-to-City Regional Collaboration Commission , 4.) Innovation/TED Talk Commission (as a joint project with River Heights Chamber of Commerce) - I know firsthand that our current city leaders turn away volunteers interested in serving so let’s harness interested citizens’ creative energy where the city needs innovative thinking.
• Start working on 2020 city elections to recruit candidates who share my world view to transform our city
14. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Improve the quality of our streets via “Adopt a Street” program with community groups responsible for reporting public safety issues, identifying needed pothole repairs , and initiating beautification projects focused on cleaning up eye sores. Beyond that we need to remind residents and city leaders that IGH is crisscrossed by key roads including - Highway 52, I-494, and Highway 55 - so an aggressive signage campaign that reminds drivers that “Wakota” is not a Native American word for “keep on driving to Woodbury for a vibrant economy and high quality of life……………….”
15. 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?
Hopefully residents will agree with me that money pits like Inver Wood Golf Course and The Grove recreation center are not sacred cows that will ensure my election defeat should I advocate any changes. Imagine an IGH where our recreation center is managed by LA Fitness or Lifetime Fitness where membership rates are lower AND members get the added benefit of access to other branches such as LA Fitness on Robert Street in West St. Paul or Lifetime’s Eagan facility.
Voters need to ask themselves – “hey, since I am shopping at Hy-Vee in Eagan today I think I will go swimming at the Lifetime location on Cliff Avenue………………” simply because their The Grove membership now provides them a greater range of options for recreation.
16. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Read more books especially on politics, history , and economics. Additionally voters should remember that term limits already exist on all public officials (except city hall staff who ride a desk and have better retirement benefits than the vast majority of IGH residents) no matter who is elected) called ELECTIONS. If you want a new direction in your city government then “fire” the incumbents every 2 years starting with the August 14 primary election and the November 6 general election until you get the performance you expect.