Craig Johnson
Name: Craig Johnson
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-562-0315
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I’m a retired Project Engineering Manager. I have a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in business administration. I have served on the Vadnais City Council from 2012 to 2020. In my career as a Project Manager, I needed to evaluate problems, investigate options, and design solutions. I needed to present the proposed solutions to my company’s management. The solution needed to demonstrate that it was better than the other options and needed to produce a financial return justifying the expenditure. During my time on the City Council, I learned that the City staff had many wants for new equipment and the latest programs they thought were needed. A council person can easily be convinced that they need to do whatever the professional staff tells them. I ask many probing questions to get at the heart of the problem, and my engineering and business background was critical for making my decision for the best solution or rejecting the proposal.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I have a hands-on leadership style. I like to go and see the problem that the City is trying to solve whether it’s the condition of the roads, buildings, or our sewer and water systems. In the past I always listened to citizens’ proposals for improvements to their property. The City staff always wanted to limit homeowners from building on their larger lots, pushing them towards subdividing their land. I’m a property rights advocate and if the construction plans meet our current codes, you should be able to use your land as you wish.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
Number 1: Cut our City’s current expenses. We have seen City taxes increased by over 90% in the last 6 years.
Number 2: Improve the condition of the 30 plus miles of residential streets in our community. The City has tried to repair or replace 1.5 to 2 miles of our streets every year. We need to improve and increase that schedule. Some of our roads are in areas that have high water tables and poor soil; those roads fail earlier. It is easy to see the areas that need extra attention just by driving around. Not by hiring outside consultants.
Number 3: We are a city of 13,000 people and we are surrounded by Cities that have much larger populations. Those Cities have their own Police and Fire services that if not superior to ours, they are larger and better equipped. As a small City with limited resources, we cannot “Keep up with the Jones”. We need to consider sharing other City’s expensive equipment or contracting with private or surrounding Cities to get the service we need without owning very underutilized equipment.
What is the biggest challenge facing Vadnais Heights right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge to Vadnais Heights is the increase in the growth of the City government. That growth has caused us above inflation rate increases in home property Taxes. Property taxes are increasing by over 10%, year on year, which will double your property tax in 7 years. Our senior Citizens and lower wage workers will not be able to afford to live in Vadnais Heights, which has typically had most homes priced below the average for this region. Bringing in more Government subsidized housing is not the answer. I have found that the Government subsidized housing pays only one fourth the property tax rate as unsubsidized market rate housing. The subsidized housing adds to the property tax burden of the typical homeowner. Subsidized housing pays less towards the City’s tax income and towards the public school’s budget, which is transferred to the current homeowners.
How would you characterize the business climate in Vadnais Heights, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
I’m probusiness and have always tried to accommodate businesses that want to build or expand in Vadnais Heights. I will do what I can to make getting approvals for business and to reduce the interference and regulations that our City places on business. Trying to be cooperative and welcoming to business benefits everyone. Vadnais Heights has a difficult business climate. We have one attractive freeway exit in the center of our city. Unfortunately, Vadnais Heights has too many wetlands that are unbuildable, which means a lower population density. Because of our low population density, retail businesses need to be a priority destination. Target and Walmart are places where people will go out of their way to shop. Our ability to support higher priced restaurants and retail is limited by our population density. We are blessed however with a high percentage of light industry and many car dealerships. This means that we have thousands of people that drive to Vadnais Heights for their work and could possibly eat and shop here.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Vadnais Heights contracts its Police services with the Ramsey county Sheriff. This is a great cost savings to the City. The number of police calls and an increase in physical violence suggests that in the future we may need to add additional patrol officers to Vadnais heights. This is a necessary cost for all our safety.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability, and how do you view the role of rent control policies in that process?
Reduce as many restrictions as possible on getting building permits and make the process faster. Many government mandates that our community has adopted and what are called “Best Practices” need to be re-evaluated and if possible, eliminated because they increase the cost of all our housing. The Government can mandate the safest most efficient house possible, but no one can afford to live in it.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Make sure roads, trails and sidewalks are in excellent condition at all times. We are blessed in our suburban communities with wide roads that are needed for snow removal. These wide roads provide improved safety in neighborhoods for cars and walkers. If excess speed is a problem or blind curves, we should consider more stop signs and streetlights in those areas.
Residential property owners across the region are feeling significant strain from rising property tax bills. How would you approach balancing fiscal responsibility with the demand for services when setting the city levy?
In most cases our City services have been sufficient for the last 60 years of the City. It’s most important that we take care of what we have. Increased services need to be looked at with a cost benefit analysis. We can’t have amenities that are used by 10% of the population but paid for by the other 90%.
What are the two or three issues where you believe city government is best positioned to lead — and why the city rather than the state or county?
The best government is the one closest to the citizens. The City Council is much easier to hear your voice than the Capital. Most people just want to be left alone. The City Council often makes poor decisions and thinks that because no one is at the Council meeting, it means everyone must agree. Most Citizens learn about what is going on when they get the assessment notice in the mail. I do not know how you get the average Citizen to pay more attention. It would be nice if the City just ran efficiently behind the scenes and my water flowed pure, the Streets were clean, the Police and Fireman waved as they drove by. I would like to work towards that ideal and not rob you of all your money in the process.
What does real taxpayer transparency look like to you, and what specific steps would you take to achieve it — both in terms of financial reporting and public engagement?
Today the City’s finances are buried in complicated spreadsheets. I would like to see the City put out a simple summary of its income and expenses; plus provide a budget of what large expenses they expect to have in the next year. I have always hoped the City Staff would present a list of Goals for every department that would save the taxpayers more money by making things better and cheaper, that is how most businesses work. If your job function costs more than it is producing for the business, then we should consider eliminating that activity.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-562-0315
Campaign Website:
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page:
Candidate Bio
I’m a retired Project Engineering Manager. I have a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in business administration. I have served on the Vadnais City Council from 2012 to 2020. In my career as a Project Manager, I needed to evaluate problems, investigate options, and design solutions. I needed to present the proposed solutions to my company’s management. The solution needed to demonstrate that it was better than the other options and needed to produce a financial return justifying the expenditure. During my time on the City Council, I learned that the City staff had many wants for new equipment and the latest programs they thought were needed. A council person can easily be convinced that they need to do whatever the professional staff tells them. I ask many probing questions to get at the heart of the problem, and my engineering and business background was critical for making my decision for the best solution or rejecting the proposal.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I have a hands-on leadership style. I like to go and see the problem that the City is trying to solve whether it’s the condition of the roads, buildings, or our sewer and water systems. In the past I always listened to citizens’ proposals for improvements to their property. The City staff always wanted to limit homeowners from building on their larger lots, pushing them towards subdividing their land. I’m a property rights advocate and if the construction plans meet our current codes, you should be able to use your land as you wish.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
Number 1: Cut our City’s current expenses. We have seen City taxes increased by over 90% in the last 6 years.
Number 2: Improve the condition of the 30 plus miles of residential streets in our community. The City has tried to repair or replace 1.5 to 2 miles of our streets every year. We need to improve and increase that schedule. Some of our roads are in areas that have high water tables and poor soil; those roads fail earlier. It is easy to see the areas that need extra attention just by driving around. Not by hiring outside consultants.
Number 3: We are a city of 13,000 people and we are surrounded by Cities that have much larger populations. Those Cities have their own Police and Fire services that if not superior to ours, they are larger and better equipped. As a small City with limited resources, we cannot “Keep up with the Jones”. We need to consider sharing other City’s expensive equipment or contracting with private or surrounding Cities to get the service we need without owning very underutilized equipment.
What is the biggest challenge facing Vadnais Heights right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge to Vadnais Heights is the increase in the growth of the City government. That growth has caused us above inflation rate increases in home property Taxes. Property taxes are increasing by over 10%, year on year, which will double your property tax in 7 years. Our senior Citizens and lower wage workers will not be able to afford to live in Vadnais Heights, which has typically had most homes priced below the average for this region. Bringing in more Government subsidized housing is not the answer. I have found that the Government subsidized housing pays only one fourth the property tax rate as unsubsidized market rate housing. The subsidized housing adds to the property tax burden of the typical homeowner. Subsidized housing pays less towards the City’s tax income and towards the public school’s budget, which is transferred to the current homeowners.
How would you characterize the business climate in Vadnais Heights, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
I’m probusiness and have always tried to accommodate businesses that want to build or expand in Vadnais Heights. I will do what I can to make getting approvals for business and to reduce the interference and regulations that our City places on business. Trying to be cooperative and welcoming to business benefits everyone. Vadnais Heights has a difficult business climate. We have one attractive freeway exit in the center of our city. Unfortunately, Vadnais Heights has too many wetlands that are unbuildable, which means a lower population density. Because of our low population density, retail businesses need to be a priority destination. Target and Walmart are places where people will go out of their way to shop. Our ability to support higher priced restaurants and retail is limited by our population density. We are blessed however with a high percentage of light industry and many car dealerships. This means that we have thousands of people that drive to Vadnais Heights for their work and could possibly eat and shop here.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Vadnais Heights contracts its Police services with the Ramsey county Sheriff. This is a great cost savings to the City. The number of police calls and an increase in physical violence suggests that in the future we may need to add additional patrol officers to Vadnais heights. This is a necessary cost for all our safety.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability, and how do you view the role of rent control policies in that process?
Reduce as many restrictions as possible on getting building permits and make the process faster. Many government mandates that our community has adopted and what are called “Best Practices” need to be re-evaluated and if possible, eliminated because they increase the cost of all our housing. The Government can mandate the safest most efficient house possible, but no one can afford to live in it.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Make sure roads, trails and sidewalks are in excellent condition at all times. We are blessed in our suburban communities with wide roads that are needed for snow removal. These wide roads provide improved safety in neighborhoods for cars and walkers. If excess speed is a problem or blind curves, we should consider more stop signs and streetlights in those areas.
Residential property owners across the region are feeling significant strain from rising property tax bills. How would you approach balancing fiscal responsibility with the demand for services when setting the city levy?
In most cases our City services have been sufficient for the last 60 years of the City. It’s most important that we take care of what we have. Increased services need to be looked at with a cost benefit analysis. We can’t have amenities that are used by 10% of the population but paid for by the other 90%.
What are the two or three issues where you believe city government is best positioned to lead — and why the city rather than the state or county?
The best government is the one closest to the citizens. The City Council is much easier to hear your voice than the Capital. Most people just want to be left alone. The City Council often makes poor decisions and thinks that because no one is at the Council meeting, it means everyone must agree. Most Citizens learn about what is going on when they get the assessment notice in the mail. I do not know how you get the average Citizen to pay more attention. It would be nice if the City just ran efficiently behind the scenes and my water flowed pure, the Streets were clean, the Police and Fireman waved as they drove by. I would like to work towards that ideal and not rob you of all your money in the process.
What does real taxpayer transparency look like to you, and what specific steps would you take to achieve it — both in terms of financial reporting and public engagement?
Today the City’s finances are buried in complicated spreadsheets. I would like to see the City put out a simple summary of its income and expenses; plus provide a budget of what large expenses they expect to have in the next year. I have always hoped the City Staff would present a list of Goals for every department that would save the taxpayers more money by making things better and cheaper, that is how most businesses work. If your job function costs more than it is producing for the business, then we should consider eliminating that activity.