Joshua Lee
Name: Joshua Lee
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 763-245-3677
Campaign Website: www.votelee.org
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VoteJoshuaLee
Candidate Bio
As the Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at St. Olaf College, my daily work requires me to build lasting relationships and manage complex community needs. This background informs my “servant leader” approach to city governance.
My family and I built a multi-generational home here because Lakeville is a premier city that cares for residents at every stage of life. When we aren’t at Antlers Park, the Pickleball Court or Pan-O-Prog, you can find me serving as a Rotary member, youth baseball coach, high school STRIVE mentor or volunteering for events like the Taste of Lakeville.
Since my election to the City Council in 2018, I have prioritized balanced growth, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring all residents are heard. I’ve proudly championed decisions that keep our tax rates low while securing record-breaking development and protecting spaces the community values (e.g. tree preservation policy, fine arts building, parks and trails). We’ve also expanded community assets that improve public safety training and enhanced support for first responders.
I believe my job as a council member is to listen, build common ground, and deliver results. My background and experience has prepared me well to continue delivering on that promise for a third term.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a servant leader, heavily influenced by my career in higher education and my active community service roles. Community members trust me to have conversations that are genuine, thoughtful, and responsive. I actively engage with residents, business owners, and local leaders rather than relying on political posturing. I have consistently demonstrated my ability to respectfully discuss all sides of an issue, even those that cause division within our community. I prioritize creating space for even the most highly polarized perspectives to be heard. My approach focuses on creating a sense of belonging and building connectivity through direct, honest engagement.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
What is the biggest challenge facing Lakeville right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
Our biggest challenge is managing rapid growth without losing our community identity or overextending our infrastructure. This creates inherent friction. During our recent discussions on a strategic residential development pause, we had to thread a difficult needle between residents demanding a halt to fast-paced growth and local builders highlighting the economic ramifications and potential increases in housing costs.
Our greatest opportunity lies in our current strategic planning, specifically the Community Facilities Study and the 2050 Comprehensive Plan. When executed well, we can thoughtfully design the next chapter of Lakeville, ensuring balanced development and premier amenities that serve all residents.
How would you characterize the business climate in Lakeville, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Lakeville’s business climate is strong, engaged, and rapidly growing. City government should continue to be a proactive partner. We need to maintain a culture that is easy to work with, efficiently guiding businesses through development processes.
To develop the workforce, the city should continue to foster partnerships between the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, and educational institutions, specifically expanding focus beyond K-12 to include community colleges and skilled-trade programs.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Our most pressing challenge is adequately supporting and staffing our public safety departments as our population rapidly expands, which includes navigating the intersection of public safety technology and resident privacy. When reviewing the implementation of ALPR (Flock) cameras, I specifically challenged the policy to address resident concerns regarding Pan-Tilt-Zoom models, data retention limits, third-party data disclosure and camera locations limited to the most critical needs.
I will continue to advocate for investments in our personnel, focusing on mental health support and on-going training within our newly constructed regional training facility, while ensuring we maintain community trust through strict accountability in our policing tools.
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?
The current lack of inventory state-wide drives up housing costs across the board. While I do not believe rent control ordinances will solve the problem, Lakeville must continue to do its part by developing a wide variety of housing stock, including higher-density units and rental units.
That said, we must also protect our existing neighborhoods. I voted in favor of our short-term rental ordinance to limit market saturation by restricting the number of permits an owner can hold and requiring local management contacts. This prevents large-scale commercial operators from turning residential streets into de facto hotels, balancing housing availability with neighborhood quality of life.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
We need a robust, multimodal transportation system. My time with the I-35 Solutions Alliance focused on long-term regional connectivity, including expanding MnPASS lanes and modernizing interchanges like CSAH 50. Thankfully, all the efforts to make that happen are becoming a reality!
Locally, we must prioritize safe routes to school and integrate pedestrian and cyclist safety into new road designs. We must design a city that is physically connected by parks, trails, and accessible shared spaces. When standard intersection designs fail due to capacity, I support evaluating infrastructure that enhances driver compliance and improves safety with innovative solutions.
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?
Lakeville consistently maintains one of the lowest tax-capacity rates in the county while managing a $52M budget. We achieve this by adhering to our Financial Sustainability and Resiliency Policy.
To balance the levy, we must continue expanding our commercial and industrial tax base, which offsets the residential burden. We must also prioritize efficiency, seeking grant funding and utilizing joint powers agreements to share service costs where appropriate. We will fund necessary services, but we will not spend unnecessarily.
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?
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 transparency means information is accessible, understandable, and actionable for the average resident. It also means engaging in honest dialogue about the trade-offs of city services.
For example, when evaluating the $26.1 million expansion of our water treatment plant, I prioritized financial discipline that limited rate increases, but I clearly communicated the trade-offs to the public regarding system redundancy and future contaminant treatment limits.
For public engagement, transparency means actively going to the community rather than waiting for them to come to City Hall. I will continue to support open forums, utilize digital outreach, and advocate that advisory boards reflect the diverse demographics of Lakeville so that all voices are genuinely heard before decisions are made.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 763-245-3677
Campaign Website: www.votelee.org
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VoteJoshuaLee
Candidate Bio
As the Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at St. Olaf College, my daily work requires me to build lasting relationships and manage complex community needs. This background informs my “servant leader” approach to city governance.
My family and I built a multi-generational home here because Lakeville is a premier city that cares for residents at every stage of life. When we aren’t at Antlers Park, the Pickleball Court or Pan-O-Prog, you can find me serving as a Rotary member, youth baseball coach, high school STRIVE mentor or volunteering for events like the Taste of Lakeville.
Since my election to the City Council in 2018, I have prioritized balanced growth, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring all residents are heard. I’ve proudly championed decisions that keep our tax rates low while securing record-breaking development and protecting spaces the community values (e.g. tree preservation policy, fine arts building, parks and trails). We’ve also expanded community assets that improve public safety training and enhanced support for first responders.
I believe my job as a council member is to listen, build common ground, and deliver results. My background and experience has prepared me well to continue delivering on that promise for a third term.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a servant leader, heavily influenced by my career in higher education and my active community service roles. Community members trust me to have conversations that are genuine, thoughtful, and responsive. I actively engage with residents, business owners, and local leaders rather than relying on political posturing. I have consistently demonstrated my ability to respectfully discuss all sides of an issue, even those that cause division within our community. I prioritize creating space for even the most highly polarized perspectives to be heard. My approach focuses on creating a sense of belonging and building connectivity through direct, honest engagement.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
- Safety & Well-being: We must continue to invest in our first responders, focusing on mental health support and modern training facilities. If external funding decreases, we must rely on strategic budgeting and collaborative partnerships to maintain these critical services.
- Sustainable Growth: As we finalize the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, we need to sustain a balance between residential, commercial, and industrial development. A fluctuating economy demands we maintain our AAA bond rating and leverage our strong industrial park to expand the tax base locally, reducing reliance on state or federal funds.
- Sense of Community: As Lakeville grows rapidly, maintaining our cultural richness and connectivity is vital. We must continue to invest in shared spaces like parks and trails and ensure youth and underrepresented groups are heard. These initiatives often rely on local engagement and volunteerism, making them more resilient to external funding shifts.
What is the biggest challenge facing Lakeville right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
Our biggest challenge is managing rapid growth without losing our community identity or overextending our infrastructure. This creates inherent friction. During our recent discussions on a strategic residential development pause, we had to thread a difficult needle between residents demanding a halt to fast-paced growth and local builders highlighting the economic ramifications and potential increases in housing costs.
Our greatest opportunity lies in our current strategic planning, specifically the Community Facilities Study and the 2050 Comprehensive Plan. When executed well, we can thoughtfully design the next chapter of Lakeville, ensuring balanced development and premier amenities that serve all residents.
How would you characterize the business climate in Lakeville, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Lakeville’s business climate is strong, engaged, and rapidly growing. City government should continue to be a proactive partner. We need to maintain a culture that is easy to work with, efficiently guiding businesses through development processes.
To develop the workforce, the city should continue to foster partnerships between the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, and educational institutions, specifically expanding focus beyond K-12 to include community colleges and skilled-trade programs.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Our most pressing challenge is adequately supporting and staffing our public safety departments as our population rapidly expands, which includes navigating the intersection of public safety technology and resident privacy. When reviewing the implementation of ALPR (Flock) cameras, I specifically challenged the policy to address resident concerns regarding Pan-Tilt-Zoom models, data retention limits, third-party data disclosure and camera locations limited to the most critical needs.
I will continue to advocate for investments in our personnel, focusing on mental health support and on-going training within our newly constructed regional training facility, while ensuring we maintain community trust through strict accountability in our policing tools.
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?
The current lack of inventory state-wide drives up housing costs across the board. While I do not believe rent control ordinances will solve the problem, Lakeville must continue to do its part by developing a wide variety of housing stock, including higher-density units and rental units.
That said, we must also protect our existing neighborhoods. I voted in favor of our short-term rental ordinance to limit market saturation by restricting the number of permits an owner can hold and requiring local management contacts. This prevents large-scale commercial operators from turning residential streets into de facto hotels, balancing housing availability with neighborhood quality of life.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
We need a robust, multimodal transportation system. My time with the I-35 Solutions Alliance focused on long-term regional connectivity, including expanding MnPASS lanes and modernizing interchanges like CSAH 50. Thankfully, all the efforts to make that happen are becoming a reality!
Locally, we must prioritize safe routes to school and integrate pedestrian and cyclist safety into new road designs. We must design a city that is physically connected by parks, trails, and accessible shared spaces. When standard intersection designs fail due to capacity, I support evaluating infrastructure that enhances driver compliance and improves safety with innovative solutions.
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?
Lakeville consistently maintains one of the lowest tax-capacity rates in the county while managing a $52M budget. We achieve this by adhering to our Financial Sustainability and Resiliency Policy.
To balance the levy, we must continue expanding our commercial and industrial tax base, which offsets the residential burden. We must also prioritize efficiency, seeking grant funding and utilizing joint powers agreements to share service costs where appropriate. We will fund necessary services, but we will not spend unnecessarily.
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?
- Land Use and Development: City government understands the local landscape and neighborhood dynamics. We are best positioned to execute the 2050 Comprehensive Plan and manage local zoning, ensuring growth aligns with our community values, not a state mandate.
- Community Belonging and Local Amenities: Creating a sense of place happens at the neighborhood level. The city is uniquely capable of designing local parks, trails, and community centers that directly impact our residents' daily quality of life.
- Tailored Public Safety: While safety is a regional issue, effective community policing, fire service and ambulatory services require departments that reflect its community expectations. The City is best equipped to build trust and tailor safety initiatives to the unique needs of Lakeville neighborhoods.
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 transparency means information is accessible, understandable, and actionable for the average resident. It also means engaging in honest dialogue about the trade-offs of city services.
For example, when evaluating the $26.1 million expansion of our water treatment plant, I prioritized financial discipline that limited rate increases, but I clearly communicated the trade-offs to the public regarding system redundancy and future contaminant treatment limits.
For public engagement, transparency means actively going to the community rather than waiting for them to come to City Hall. I will continue to support open forums, utilize digital outreach, and advocate that advisory boards reflect the diverse demographics of Lakeville so that all voices are genuinely heard before decisions are made.