Jodi Justice
Name: Jodi Justice
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-799-1248
Campaign Website: N/A
Twitter Handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
I have been in the financial and human resources sectors of business for my entire career. I retired as the Vice President of Finance & HR with Mid-Continent Engineering, after a 40 year career and was involved in the decision-making of our company policies and financial decisions to grow the company. I oversaw several depts, that kept me involved in many aspects of the company, such as the finance, HR, IT and the compliance dept. These skills will help me to contribute to making North St Paul a city that grows and prospers in the coming years. My HR management experience taught me how to deal with people and social issues that were always evolving.
I have lived in North St Paul for 26 years. I moved to MN from Toledo, OH where I was born & raised. Since retiring last year, I volunteer at the Minnesota Veterans Home, am a board member for the Minnesota Quilters Inc organization, and I quilt for family & charity. I enjoy basket weaving and several other crafts, as well. I have also recently been hired as an Election Judge.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I’m a leader that listens and makes decisions based on facts, not feelings. I’m straight forward, down to earth and easy to work with.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
1-I would like to see the city have more incentives and opportunities to bring young families to North St Paul, so we can get more residents involved in city activities. We need to create opportunities and generate revenue to keep growing. 2-I would like to give more support to our veterans. We have 4 veteran organizations in the city and need to support them so they can help veterans in need, both financially and mentally. 3-Everything in life is uncertain, and we need to prepare for it. I need to learn more about the financial aspects of the city before addressing funding issues.
What is the biggest challenge facing North St. Paul right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
Growth and leadership. We need to have leadership that really wants growth in the city and will stick with it. I will bring that mindset to the table.
How would you characterize the business climate in North St. Paul, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Personally, I feel most of the businesses like being in North St Paul and want to grow their customer bases. The government should guide and support the businesses, by creating activities and events to promote them and what they offer. North St Paul needs to maintain the small town feel, but compete with the big cities too. If elected, I will really dive into this.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
I don’t feel like we have pressing public safety challenges. North St Paul seems to be a very welcoming community that has neighbors helping neighbors to keep safe.
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?
North St Paul has been addressing the housing shortage over the past recent years and I don’t feel it is an issue here. Rent control needs to be considered, but not to the extent that landlords are subsidizing the costs to maintain renters. Rent costs need to stay in line with the cost of living for both the renter and the landlord.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
I don’t believe this is an issue in North St Paul.
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?
From my financial experience, we can’t keep going to others to pay the bills. We need to look at the city’s spending and find more economical ways to provide services or work with residents to provide shared services through residential volunteers and city resources.
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?
If elected, this will be part of my learning process of how the city leads and then I’ll have more input.
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?
Real taxpayer transparency is just that. All government spending, policies and decision making should be made available to anyone that wants the information. The public should have the opportunity to express their opinions and if they don’t like an outcome, run for office themselves to try and make changes they want to see. Nothing the gov’t governs should be kept from the public & taxpayers.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-799-1248
Campaign Website: N/A
Twitter Handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
I have been in the financial and human resources sectors of business for my entire career. I retired as the Vice President of Finance & HR with Mid-Continent Engineering, after a 40 year career and was involved in the decision-making of our company policies and financial decisions to grow the company. I oversaw several depts, that kept me involved in many aspects of the company, such as the finance, HR, IT and the compliance dept. These skills will help me to contribute to making North St Paul a city that grows and prospers in the coming years. My HR management experience taught me how to deal with people and social issues that were always evolving.
I have lived in North St Paul for 26 years. I moved to MN from Toledo, OH where I was born & raised. Since retiring last year, I volunteer at the Minnesota Veterans Home, am a board member for the Minnesota Quilters Inc organization, and I quilt for family & charity. I enjoy basket weaving and several other crafts, as well. I have also recently been hired as an Election Judge.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I’m a leader that listens and makes decisions based on facts, not feelings. I’m straight forward, down to earth and easy to work with.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
1-I would like to see the city have more incentives and opportunities to bring young families to North St Paul, so we can get more residents involved in city activities. We need to create opportunities and generate revenue to keep growing. 2-I would like to give more support to our veterans. We have 4 veteran organizations in the city and need to support them so they can help veterans in need, both financially and mentally. 3-Everything in life is uncertain, and we need to prepare for it. I need to learn more about the financial aspects of the city before addressing funding issues.
What is the biggest challenge facing North St. Paul right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
Growth and leadership. We need to have leadership that really wants growth in the city and will stick with it. I will bring that mindset to the table.
How would you characterize the business climate in North St. Paul, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Personally, I feel most of the businesses like being in North St Paul and want to grow their customer bases. The government should guide and support the businesses, by creating activities and events to promote them and what they offer. North St Paul needs to maintain the small town feel, but compete with the big cities too. If elected, I will really dive into this.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
I don’t feel like we have pressing public safety challenges. North St Paul seems to be a very welcoming community that has neighbors helping neighbors to keep safe.
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?
North St Paul has been addressing the housing shortage over the past recent years and I don’t feel it is an issue here. Rent control needs to be considered, but not to the extent that landlords are subsidizing the costs to maintain renters. Rent costs need to stay in line with the cost of living for both the renter and the landlord.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
I don’t believe this is an issue in North St Paul.
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?
From my financial experience, we can’t keep going to others to pay the bills. We need to look at the city’s spending and find more economical ways to provide services or work with residents to provide shared services through residential volunteers and city resources.
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?
If elected, this will be part of my learning process of how the city leads and then I’ll have more input.
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?
Real taxpayer transparency is just that. All government spending, policies and decision making should be made available to anyone that wants the information. The public should have the opportunity to express their opinions and if they don’t like an outcome, run for office themselves to try and make changes they want to see. Nothing the gov’t governs should be kept from the public & taxpayers.