Luke Hellier
Name: Luke Hellier
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-237-2551
Campaign Website: www.votelukehellier.com
Twitter handle: @lukehellier
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/lukehellier
Candidate Bio
I have served as Mayor since 2023, bringing experience from both local government and the private sector. As mayor, I have worked to strengthen public safety, responsibly plan for one of Minnesota’s fastest-growing communities, and support a competitive business climate, and protect taxpayers through sound budgeting.
My professional career in government affairs and communications has required me to bring people together, navigate complex policy issues, and build productive relationships with other elected leaders. That experience has helped Lakeville advocate effectively for local priorities.
During my time in office, I have supported investments in police and fire, planned for critical infrastructure investments, encouraged stronger collaboration between the city and our school, and worked to ensure residents receive quality services at responsible costs.
Being Mayor, is about listening, being accessible, and keeping Lakeville the best place to raise a family, build a business and retire.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is collaborative and accessible. I believe the mayor’s role is to bring people together, ensure all perspectives are considered and then provide clear direction. Residents should know where I stand, even if we disagree. I value direct communication and being an approachable leader. I also believe that leadership requires making difficult decisions rather than postponing them. Lakeville is growing quickly and we cannot afford to not invest in public safety and infrastructure as we grow.
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?
Lakeville’s biggest challenge is managing rapid growth while preserving the quality of life that brought people here. Nearly 10,000 people moved to Lakeville between 2020 and 2026. This is an astounding number and puts a significant strain on our infrastructure, natural resources, and our school system. Our greatest opportunity is that Lakeville remains a community where people and businesses want to invest. Having a broad property tax base that includes strong commercial and industrial taxpayers help keep taxes low for residents. I will continue to help advocate for new business investment.
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 has a strong business climate thanks to our current business community and their investments and the city staff that helps new investors navigate our city. In 2025, Lakeville was recognized as the most business friendly city in the country for new investment and working through regulatory process to build a new business.
We will continue to partner with schools and the business community to create the best opportunities for the next generation of workforce. Lakeville is lucky to have strong partners and as Mayor I will continue to advance those.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Lakeville’s public safety challenges are closely connected to growth. Police, fire, and first responders will need to continue to expand as our population and service demands increase. It’s part of the reason why I advocated for and secured funding for the First Responders Public Safety Training Center which will open later this summer. This state of the art facility will serve Lakeville as well as the surrounding region to train our currently public safety team and build the next generation of public servants.
In addition, I worked with staff, business community, and Council to develop a funding mechanism to build our newest fire station which will open in 2027. Lakeville has moved to a hybrid model of firefighting which includes full time staff working along side our volunteers. This new model requires new investments in infrastructure and will help maintain Lakeville as the safest place in Minnesota.
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?
Housing affordability requires increasing supply and providing more choices. Lakeville needs a balanced range of housing, including start homes, townhomes, senior housing, workforce housing and opportunities for residents to move through different stages of life.
The most affordable home is one that has already been constructed so creating more opportunities for families to move up and seniors to move down will create a more balanced market for everyone. Furthermore, new development should also contribute its fair share toward infrastructure.
I do not support rent control. It does not do anything but create more housing shortages.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Lakeville needs a transportation system that recognizes people travel in different ways while acknowledging that most residents currently depend on personal vehicles.
My priorities would include maintaining existing roads before they deteriorate, addressing dangerous intersections and congestion points, coordinating improvements with Dakota County and the state, and ensuring new development contributes appropriately to necessary infrastructure.
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?
The levy process should begin with priorities, not a predetermined percentage increase. City leaders must first identify essential services, distinguish needs from wants, examine performance, and understand the long-term cost of every new program, position, facility, or capital project.
I support multi-year financial forecasting, responsible reserves, competitive purchasing, careful debt management, and long-term capital planning. Growth should expand the tax base, but it must also be evaluated honestly because new neighborhoods and businesses create additional service and infrastructure demands.
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?
Public safety and emergency response: These services are delivered locally, and staffing, training, equipment, response times, and community relationships must reflect Lakeville’s needs.
Land use and infrastructure: Decisions about neighborhoods, business development, streets, utilities, parks, and community facilities have lasting local consequences. They should be made by officials directly accountable to the people who live here.
Local economic and community development: The city understands Lakeville’s employers, workforce, neighborhoods, and development opportunities better than a distant state agency.
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 providing information residents can understand before decisions are made—not simply publishing hundreds of pages of technical documents shortly before a vote.
Public engagement must begin early, when residents can still influence an outcome. Council discussions, work sessions, supporting documents, and financial presentations should be easily accessible. Questions should receive direct answers, and significant changes should be explained openly.
Transparency is ultimately about accountability: what government plans to spend, why it is necessary, what results are expected, and whether those results were achieved.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-237-2551
Campaign Website: www.votelukehellier.com
Twitter handle: @lukehellier
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/lukehellier
Candidate Bio
I have served as Mayor since 2023, bringing experience from both local government and the private sector. As mayor, I have worked to strengthen public safety, responsibly plan for one of Minnesota’s fastest-growing communities, and support a competitive business climate, and protect taxpayers through sound budgeting.
My professional career in government affairs and communications has required me to bring people together, navigate complex policy issues, and build productive relationships with other elected leaders. That experience has helped Lakeville advocate effectively for local priorities.
During my time in office, I have supported investments in police and fire, planned for critical infrastructure investments, encouraged stronger collaboration between the city and our school, and worked to ensure residents receive quality services at responsible costs.
Being Mayor, is about listening, being accessible, and keeping Lakeville the best place to raise a family, build a business and retire.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is collaborative and accessible. I believe the mayor’s role is to bring people together, ensure all perspectives are considered and then provide clear direction. Residents should know where I stand, even if we disagree. I value direct communication and being an approachable leader. I also believe that leadership requires making difficult decisions rather than postponing them. Lakeville is growing quickly and we cannot afford to not invest in public safety and infrastructure as we grow.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
- Maintaining excellent public safety. Our first responders, staffing and equipment, need to keep pace with our growth.
- Managing growth responsibly. We need roads, parks, and public facilities that support new development without harming existing neighborhoods or burdening taxpayers
- Protecting affordability. That means common-sense budgeting, a competitive business climate, housing choices and careful long term planning. It also means, that Lakeville needs to chart its own path and not one dictated by politicians in St. Paul.
What is the biggest challenge facing Lakeville right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
Lakeville’s biggest challenge is managing rapid growth while preserving the quality of life that brought people here. Nearly 10,000 people moved to Lakeville between 2020 and 2026. This is an astounding number and puts a significant strain on our infrastructure, natural resources, and our school system. Our greatest opportunity is that Lakeville remains a community where people and businesses want to invest. Having a broad property tax base that includes strong commercial and industrial taxpayers help keep taxes low for residents. I will continue to help advocate for new business investment.
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 has a strong business climate thanks to our current business community and their investments and the city staff that helps new investors navigate our city. In 2025, Lakeville was recognized as the most business friendly city in the country for new investment and working through regulatory process to build a new business.
We will continue to partner with schools and the business community to create the best opportunities for the next generation of workforce. Lakeville is lucky to have strong partners and as Mayor I will continue to advance those.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Lakeville’s public safety challenges are closely connected to growth. Police, fire, and first responders will need to continue to expand as our population and service demands increase. It’s part of the reason why I advocated for and secured funding for the First Responders Public Safety Training Center which will open later this summer. This state of the art facility will serve Lakeville as well as the surrounding region to train our currently public safety team and build the next generation of public servants.
In addition, I worked with staff, business community, and Council to develop a funding mechanism to build our newest fire station which will open in 2027. Lakeville has moved to a hybrid model of firefighting which includes full time staff working along side our volunteers. This new model requires new investments in infrastructure and will help maintain Lakeville as the safest place in Minnesota.
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?
Housing affordability requires increasing supply and providing more choices. Lakeville needs a balanced range of housing, including start homes, townhomes, senior housing, workforce housing and opportunities for residents to move through different stages of life.
The most affordable home is one that has already been constructed so creating more opportunities for families to move up and seniors to move down will create a more balanced market for everyone. Furthermore, new development should also contribute its fair share toward infrastructure.
I do not support rent control. It does not do anything but create more housing shortages.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Lakeville needs a transportation system that recognizes people travel in different ways while acknowledging that most residents currently depend on personal vehicles.
My priorities would include maintaining existing roads before they deteriorate, addressing dangerous intersections and congestion points, coordinating improvements with Dakota County and the state, and ensuring new development contributes appropriately to necessary infrastructure.
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?
The levy process should begin with priorities, not a predetermined percentage increase. City leaders must first identify essential services, distinguish needs from wants, examine performance, and understand the long-term cost of every new program, position, facility, or capital project.
I support multi-year financial forecasting, responsible reserves, competitive purchasing, careful debt management, and long-term capital planning. Growth should expand the tax base, but it must also be evaluated honestly because new neighborhoods and businesses create additional service and infrastructure demands.
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?
Public safety and emergency response: These services are delivered locally, and staffing, training, equipment, response times, and community relationships must reflect Lakeville’s needs.
Land use and infrastructure: Decisions about neighborhoods, business development, streets, utilities, parks, and community facilities have lasting local consequences. They should be made by officials directly accountable to the people who live here.
Local economic and community development: The city understands Lakeville’s employers, workforce, neighborhoods, and development opportunities better than a distant state agency.
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 providing information residents can understand before decisions are made—not simply publishing hundreds of pages of technical documents shortly before a vote.
Public engagement must begin early, when residents can still influence an outcome. Council discussions, work sessions, supporting documents, and financial presentations should be easily accessible. Questions should receive direct answers, and significant changes should be explained openly.
Transparency is ultimately about accountability: what government plans to spend, why it is necessary, what results are expected, and whether those results were achieved.