Wendy Webster
Name: Wendy Webster
Public Office Sought: St. Anthony Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-554-2497
Campaign Website: www.electwendywebster.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have served on St. Anthony City Council since 2020 and am proud to live, work and serve in my community of St. Anthony Village. For 16 years, I have also served as the Director of Community Services and Communications for the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District where I lead with empathy and integrity to inspire and create an equitable community for all families.
I model authenticity and care and am a respected and trusted leader in our community. I am deeply invested and committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive community of St. Anthony Village. My husband Seth and I have lived in St. Anthony since 1999 and, in 2012, were lucky to become a family of four. The community of St. Anthony Village warmly welcomed our children and my goal every day is to ensure our residents and families feel they are welcomed into and valued by our community too.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a skilled leader who develops effective teams by listening, learning, seeking multiple perspectives, and solving complex problems together. I value people and listening to their experiences to understand how each person perceives the world. I am a problem solver who analyzes data and recognizes the best solutions come from our practice of actively listening to community members who are directly impacted. As a leader, I model how to treat one another with dignity and respect while remaining curious in disagreement.
As mayor and city council members, I believe we have a responsibility to continually learn, build our skills as leaders, and increase our effectiveness as a team. To better serve our community, we have an obligation to listen and learn from our community and remain future-focused to address the challenges facing St. Anthony Village.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Ensuring the delivery of high quality city services in a time of staff shortages. Increasing awareness of the businesses that operate in St. Anthony and partnering with the St. Anthony Area Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents to shop and purchase services locally. Increasing our climate resilience to address the impact of severe weather caused by climate change.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Saint Anthony Village?
In St. Anthony Village, our biggest challenge is a limited tax base–we are a landlocked two square mile community with full city services and our own school district. The majority of our tax base is residential so our property owners pay a higher proportion of property taxes compared to neighboring communities.
Our biggest opportunity, however, is our small community that is home to dedicated, talented people who love St. Anthony and, in many cases, have lived here for generations. We have opportunities to harness our local, creative talent and work together to find solutions to address our challenges and the future of St. Anthony.
How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Anthony Village and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Anthony Village?
St. Anthony Village is home to over 300 businesses and our existing businesses are very important to our community. Research shows over 70% of business expansion occurs from within and, historically, the city has focused on wanting to help businesses stay and grow in St. Anthony Village. In 2013, I was a member of the Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) team, a collaborative effort of the St. Anthony Area Chamber of Commerce and City of St. Anthony. The objective of the BR&E program was to learn more about St. Anthony Village businesses, help identify any business assistance needs, and assist in business retention and expansion activities. In addition to BR&E, I also believe the city could partner with the Chamber of Commerce to increase awareness of existing businesses in St. Anthony and encourage community members to shop and purchase services locally.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
One of our public safety challenges is the shortage of police officers available to hire while retaining highly qualified officers. This is critical to ensure the continuation of our model of community-oriented policing. I believe the culture of the St. Anthony Police Department and a market adjustment to salary enhances our ability to hire and retain officers. In addition, our police department is implementing an academy where students, who are working toward a career in law enforcement, can earn a stipend while learning skills, procedures, and the culture of continuous improvement of our police department. Even more, the academy can serve as a preview of potential candidates.
After the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016, our St. Anthony Police Department engaged in a transformative process to improve their service of policing. The department established a clear vision, mission and strategic plan that aligns with staff training to provide community-oriented policing. I am proud of our police department for remaining committed to continuous improvement and maintaining high ethical standards for our current and new officers.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is experiencing a housing shortage and a gap exists between the number of affordable units that are needed and the current supply. Creating an inclusive community of belonging is one where all families feel welcomed and valued. My goal is twofold: preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and researching opportunities to develop additional affordable or workforce housing in our community.
One of my focus areas is preserving naturally occurring affordable housing in our single family homes as it helps provide starter homes for families who can contribute their talents and skills to our community and build generational wealth. I'm curious to review the data of our rental properties utilized for temporary rentals–which are often our most affordable single family homes in our community–and potential solutions.
I am also focused on how, in a landlocked community, we might develop owner-occupied affordable housing. Our city recently partnered with a team of experts from the Urban Land Institute to seek technical assistance. A developer, who specializes in missing middle housing, shared examples of keeping city-owned land in a perpetual trust and building fully accessible townhomes to maintain a level of affordability. In addition, I recommend our City Council explore how tax increment financing (TIF) might be used to ensure any new development includes affordable housing. At this time, St. Anthony City Council, unfortunately, does not have a plan to meet Met Council's goal of constructing 152 affordable units by 2030 and this will need to be a focus area.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
St. Anthony Village is a small, walkable community and safe transportation options for residents of all ages increases their quality of life. I believe a combination of infrastructure enhancements combined with our police department’s focus on traffic safety continues to improve safe transportation options for residents. For example, in 2020, City Council reduced the speed limit to 25 mph on residential streets to increase safety for bikers, pedestrians and drivers.
In addition, our community members continue to express interest in sidewalks or designated walk/bike lanes on our residential streets to enhance safety. This infrastructure improvement could benefit walkers, bikers and transit riders. We can also ensure adequate lighting is on our streets and near bus shelters/stops to increase safety, especially for commuters and students who are walking to and from bus stops in the dark.
What will you do to expand Saint Anthony Village’s tax base?
Although we are a landlocked community, each new business or residential property built in St. Anthony increases our city’s taxable net tax capacity. Expanding our tax base helps spread the city’s tax levy across multiple property owners. In 2031, our largest tax increment financing district will end and will help share the cost of city services across the majority of our community.
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?
St. Anthony Village is proud to provide high quality city services to our residents. Our city currently shares policing services with the City of Lauderdale and our finance department provides accounting and human resources support to Nine North and the Mississippi Water Management Organization, respectively. I do not believe any city services should be reduced or eliminated and will continue to support opportunities for collaboration and partnership.
Public Office Sought: St. Anthony Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-554-2497
Campaign Website: www.electwendywebster.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I have served on St. Anthony City Council since 2020 and am proud to live, work and serve in my community of St. Anthony Village. For 16 years, I have also served as the Director of Community Services and Communications for the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District where I lead with empathy and integrity to inspire and create an equitable community for all families.
I model authenticity and care and am a respected and trusted leader in our community. I am deeply invested and committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive community of St. Anthony Village. My husband Seth and I have lived in St. Anthony since 1999 and, in 2012, were lucky to become a family of four. The community of St. Anthony Village warmly welcomed our children and my goal every day is to ensure our residents and families feel they are welcomed into and valued by our community too.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a skilled leader who develops effective teams by listening, learning, seeking multiple perspectives, and solving complex problems together. I value people and listening to their experiences to understand how each person perceives the world. I am a problem solver who analyzes data and recognizes the best solutions come from our practice of actively listening to community members who are directly impacted. As a leader, I model how to treat one another with dignity and respect while remaining curious in disagreement.
As mayor and city council members, I believe we have a responsibility to continually learn, build our skills as leaders, and increase our effectiveness as a team. To better serve our community, we have an obligation to listen and learn from our community and remain future-focused to address the challenges facing St. Anthony Village.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Ensuring the delivery of high quality city services in a time of staff shortages. Increasing awareness of the businesses that operate in St. Anthony and partnering with the St. Anthony Area Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents to shop and purchase services locally. Increasing our climate resilience to address the impact of severe weather caused by climate change.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Saint Anthony Village?
In St. Anthony Village, our biggest challenge is a limited tax base–we are a landlocked two square mile community with full city services and our own school district. The majority of our tax base is residential so our property owners pay a higher proportion of property taxes compared to neighboring communities.
Our biggest opportunity, however, is our small community that is home to dedicated, talented people who love St. Anthony and, in many cases, have lived here for generations. We have opportunities to harness our local, creative talent and work together to find solutions to address our challenges and the future of St. Anthony.
How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Anthony Village and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Anthony Village?
St. Anthony Village is home to over 300 businesses and our existing businesses are very important to our community. Research shows over 70% of business expansion occurs from within and, historically, the city has focused on wanting to help businesses stay and grow in St. Anthony Village. In 2013, I was a member of the Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) team, a collaborative effort of the St. Anthony Area Chamber of Commerce and City of St. Anthony. The objective of the BR&E program was to learn more about St. Anthony Village businesses, help identify any business assistance needs, and assist in business retention and expansion activities. In addition to BR&E, I also believe the city could partner with the Chamber of Commerce to increase awareness of existing businesses in St. Anthony and encourage community members to shop and purchase services locally.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
One of our public safety challenges is the shortage of police officers available to hire while retaining highly qualified officers. This is critical to ensure the continuation of our model of community-oriented policing. I believe the culture of the St. Anthony Police Department and a market adjustment to salary enhances our ability to hire and retain officers. In addition, our police department is implementing an academy where students, who are working toward a career in law enforcement, can earn a stipend while learning skills, procedures, and the culture of continuous improvement of our police department. Even more, the academy can serve as a preview of potential candidates.
After the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016, our St. Anthony Police Department engaged in a transformative process to improve their service of policing. The department established a clear vision, mission and strategic plan that aligns with staff training to provide community-oriented policing. I am proud of our police department for remaining committed to continuous improvement and maintaining high ethical standards for our current and new officers.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is experiencing a housing shortage and a gap exists between the number of affordable units that are needed and the current supply. Creating an inclusive community of belonging is one where all families feel welcomed and valued. My goal is twofold: preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and researching opportunities to develop additional affordable or workforce housing in our community.
One of my focus areas is preserving naturally occurring affordable housing in our single family homes as it helps provide starter homes for families who can contribute their talents and skills to our community and build generational wealth. I'm curious to review the data of our rental properties utilized for temporary rentals–which are often our most affordable single family homes in our community–and potential solutions.
I am also focused on how, in a landlocked community, we might develop owner-occupied affordable housing. Our city recently partnered with a team of experts from the Urban Land Institute to seek technical assistance. A developer, who specializes in missing middle housing, shared examples of keeping city-owned land in a perpetual trust and building fully accessible townhomes to maintain a level of affordability. In addition, I recommend our City Council explore how tax increment financing (TIF) might be used to ensure any new development includes affordable housing. At this time, St. Anthony City Council, unfortunately, does not have a plan to meet Met Council's goal of constructing 152 affordable units by 2030 and this will need to be a focus area.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
St. Anthony Village is a small, walkable community and safe transportation options for residents of all ages increases their quality of life. I believe a combination of infrastructure enhancements combined with our police department’s focus on traffic safety continues to improve safe transportation options for residents. For example, in 2020, City Council reduced the speed limit to 25 mph on residential streets to increase safety for bikers, pedestrians and drivers.
In addition, our community members continue to express interest in sidewalks or designated walk/bike lanes on our residential streets to enhance safety. This infrastructure improvement could benefit walkers, bikers and transit riders. We can also ensure adequate lighting is on our streets and near bus shelters/stops to increase safety, especially for commuters and students who are walking to and from bus stops in the dark.
What will you do to expand Saint Anthony Village’s tax base?
Although we are a landlocked community, each new business or residential property built in St. Anthony increases our city’s taxable net tax capacity. Expanding our tax base helps spread the city’s tax levy across multiple property owners. In 2031, our largest tax increment financing district will end and will help share the cost of city services across the majority of our community.
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?
St. Anthony Village is proud to provide high quality city services to our residents. Our city currently shares policing services with the City of Lauderdale and our finance department provides accounting and human resources support to Nine North and the Mississippi Water Management Organization, respectively. I do not believe any city services should be reduced or eliminated and will continue to support opportunities for collaboration and partnership.