Riki Banerjee
Name: Riki Banerjee
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-270-2798
Campaign Website: www.rikifornorthoaks.com
Twitter Handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
My husband Steve and I have called North Oaks home for twenty years. We were drawn here by the land — the prairie, the trails, a hundred-year-old bur oak in our yard. Recently, we've restored our own property with native prairie and revitalized the oak savannah, because we believe in caring for something with a long horizon in mind. That's exactly the kind of stewardship I want to bring to the City Council.
For over twenty years, I've led engineering and operations teams through complex, regulated environments. As a Senior Engineering Director at Medtronic and Chief Technology Officer at a medtech startup, I was managing budgets, navigating audits, and driving real decisions under real scrutiny. I’ve been nationally recognized as being one of the Fiercest Women in Life Sciences because I'm data-driven. I'm solution-oriented. And I know how to bring people together to get things done.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is collaborative, data-driven, and accountable. Over two decades of leading engineering and operations teams — from small startup teams to 150-person organizations — I've learned that good decisions come from clear-eyed use of facts, direct engagement with the people affected, and a willingness to make transparent tradeoffs. I build trust by communicating plainly, involving stakeholders before decisions are finalized rather than after, and holding myself and my teams accountable to results. I bring that same approach to city government: listen first, ground decisions in evidence, and communicate openly with residents about the reasoning behind them.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top three priorities are:
What is the biggest challenge facing North Oaks right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge facing North Oaks right now is the pace and opacity of rising costs — the city levy has grown from about $2.05 million in 2022 to over $3.1 million in 2026, a more than 50% increase, without residents always understanding what's driving it. The greatest opportunity is that North Oaks starts from a position of real strength: we already have the lowest city tax rate in Ramsey County and a unique resident-governed structure. With disciplined budgeting and genuinely transparent communication, we can protect that advantage, rebuild trust, and make sure spending decisions reflect residents' shared priorities rather than being explained after the fact.
How would you characterize the business climate in North Oaks, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
North Oaks is, by design, a primarily residential community — our founding covenant and NOHOA governance structure intentionally limit commercial development, and that's part of what residents value about living here. Within that context, city government's role isn't to attract large-scale commercial growth, but to be a responsible, predictable partner: efficient permitting, clear communication with the small businesses and home-based enterprises that do operate here, and sound fiscal management that keeps the tax climate stable for everyone. Where shared regional challenges exist — workforce, infrastructure, economic pressures — the City should collaborate with Ramsey County and neighboring communities rather than trying to solve them alone.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Public safety in North Oaks centers on traffic and road safety, water and ice safety on our lakes, and the kind of property crime and scam activity reflected in our Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reports. I'd address these by using data — traffic patterns, call volumes, seasonal risk — to guide targeted, effective decisions rather than reactive ones, as outlined in our platform. That means working closely with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and Lake Johanna Fire District under our existing contracts, ensuring those contracts are performing well and are cost-effective, and keeping residents informed with clear, regular communication about safety issues and precautions in our community.
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 Oaks is a low-density, covenant-governed community with very limited multifamily or rental housing stock, so citywide rent control is not a directly applicable tool here, and I don't support it as a mechanism for this community. Where housing affordability matters most in North Oaks is in keeping overall city costs — taxes, fees, utility rates — predictable and reasonable, so that longtime residents, including those on fixed incomes, aren't priced out by the cumulative effect of rising local costs.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
North Oaks has a distinctive structure: NOHOA maintains our trails, roads, and plowing, while the City is responsible for road safety elements like signage and striping. I'd approach transportation by using data on traffic patterns and incident history — consistent with our platform's evidence-based approach to safety — to prioritize the signage, striping, and intersection improvements that matter most, and by maintaining close, collaborative communication with NOHOA so that City and Association efforts are coordinated rather than duplicated or working at cross-purposes. For residents who walk, bike, or cross-country ski on our trail system, safe road crossings and clear sightlines are a particular priority.
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?
Residents are feeling real strain from rising property taxes, and the City needs to take direct ownership of the part of that burden it controls. The total city levy rose 11.7% in 2026 alone, to $3,122,439, and has grown more than 50% since 2022. My approach is to scrutinize every line item — from the 87% jump in staff benefit costs to new, previously unbudgeted engineering studies — and require clear, plain-language justification for significant year-over-year changes before they're approved. Essential services like police and fire contracts must be funded responsibly, but reserve transfers, discretionary studies, and administrative costs should be held to the same rigor I'd apply to any budget I'm accountable for. I'd rather ask hard questions before spending than explain surprises after the fact.
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?
Two areas stand out. First, land use and development decisions guided by our founding covenant — protecting open space, wetlands, and the resident-governed character of North Oaks is inherently a local decision that only the City, in partnership with NOHOA and residents, can make well; the state and county have neither the local knowledge nor the mandate to do it. Second, budget transparency and levy discipline — the City directly sets its own levy and controls how it explains and justifies spending to residents; that accountability can't be outsourced to the county or state, and it shouldn't be treated as if it could.
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 residents can understand, in plain language, where every dollar goes and why — not buried in dense financial statements, but explained proactively. Concretely, I'd push for: clear, plain-language summaries of the budget and any significant year-over-year changes, published before votes are taken rather than after; genuine resident input sought before major decisions through open meetings, surveys, and direct outreach — not as a formality; and full, public accounting of city contracts and vendor performance on a regular cycle.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-270-2798
Campaign Website: www.rikifornorthoaks.com
Twitter Handle: N/A
Facebook Page: N/A
Candidate Bio
My husband Steve and I have called North Oaks home for twenty years. We were drawn here by the land — the prairie, the trails, a hundred-year-old bur oak in our yard. Recently, we've restored our own property with native prairie and revitalized the oak savannah, because we believe in caring for something with a long horizon in mind. That's exactly the kind of stewardship I want to bring to the City Council.
For over twenty years, I've led engineering and operations teams through complex, regulated environments. As a Senior Engineering Director at Medtronic and Chief Technology Officer at a medtech startup, I was managing budgets, navigating audits, and driving real decisions under real scrutiny. I’ve been nationally recognized as being one of the Fiercest Women in Life Sciences because I'm data-driven. I'm solution-oriented. And I know how to bring people together to get things done.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style is collaborative, data-driven, and accountable. Over two decades of leading engineering and operations teams — from small startup teams to 150-person organizations — I've learned that good decisions come from clear-eyed use of facts, direct engagement with the people affected, and a willingness to make transparent tradeoffs. I build trust by communicating plainly, involving stakeholders before decisions are finalized rather than after, and holding myself and my teams accountable to results. I bring that same approach to city government: listen first, ground decisions in evidence, and communicate openly with residents about the reasoning behind them.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top three priorities are:
- preserving the character and natural heritage that make North Oaks unique — our lakes, wetlands, trails, and resident-governed structure;
- restoring fiscal discipline, given that the city levy has risen over 50% since 2022; and
- building transparent, collaborative governance so residents understand and have a voice in city decisions.
What is the biggest challenge facing North Oaks right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge facing North Oaks right now is the pace and opacity of rising costs — the city levy has grown from about $2.05 million in 2022 to over $3.1 million in 2026, a more than 50% increase, without residents always understanding what's driving it. The greatest opportunity is that North Oaks starts from a position of real strength: we already have the lowest city tax rate in Ramsey County and a unique resident-governed structure. With disciplined budgeting and genuinely transparent communication, we can protect that advantage, rebuild trust, and make sure spending decisions reflect residents' shared priorities rather than being explained after the fact.
How would you characterize the business climate in North Oaks, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
North Oaks is, by design, a primarily residential community — our founding covenant and NOHOA governance structure intentionally limit commercial development, and that's part of what residents value about living here. Within that context, city government's role isn't to attract large-scale commercial growth, but to be a responsible, predictable partner: efficient permitting, clear communication with the small businesses and home-based enterprises that do operate here, and sound fiscal management that keeps the tax climate stable for everyone. Where shared regional challenges exist — workforce, infrastructure, economic pressures — the City should collaborate with Ramsey County and neighboring communities rather than trying to solve them alone.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Public safety in North Oaks centers on traffic and road safety, water and ice safety on our lakes, and the kind of property crime and scam activity reflected in our Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reports. I'd address these by using data — traffic patterns, call volumes, seasonal risk — to guide targeted, effective decisions rather than reactive ones, as outlined in our platform. That means working closely with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and Lake Johanna Fire District under our existing contracts, ensuring those contracts are performing well and are cost-effective, and keeping residents informed with clear, regular communication about safety issues and precautions in our community.
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 Oaks is a low-density, covenant-governed community with very limited multifamily or rental housing stock, so citywide rent control is not a directly applicable tool here, and I don't support it as a mechanism for this community. Where housing affordability matters most in North Oaks is in keeping overall city costs — taxes, fees, utility rates — predictable and reasonable, so that longtime residents, including those on fixed incomes, aren't priced out by the cumulative effect of rising local costs.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
North Oaks has a distinctive structure: NOHOA maintains our trails, roads, and plowing, while the City is responsible for road safety elements like signage and striping. I'd approach transportation by using data on traffic patterns and incident history — consistent with our platform's evidence-based approach to safety — to prioritize the signage, striping, and intersection improvements that matter most, and by maintaining close, collaborative communication with NOHOA so that City and Association efforts are coordinated rather than duplicated or working at cross-purposes. For residents who walk, bike, or cross-country ski on our trail system, safe road crossings and clear sightlines are a particular priority.
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?
Residents are feeling real strain from rising property taxes, and the City needs to take direct ownership of the part of that burden it controls. The total city levy rose 11.7% in 2026 alone, to $3,122,439, and has grown more than 50% since 2022. My approach is to scrutinize every line item — from the 87% jump in staff benefit costs to new, previously unbudgeted engineering studies — and require clear, plain-language justification for significant year-over-year changes before they're approved. Essential services like police and fire contracts must be funded responsibly, but reserve transfers, discretionary studies, and administrative costs should be held to the same rigor I'd apply to any budget I'm accountable for. I'd rather ask hard questions before spending than explain surprises after the fact.
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?
Two areas stand out. First, land use and development decisions guided by our founding covenant — protecting open space, wetlands, and the resident-governed character of North Oaks is inherently a local decision that only the City, in partnership with NOHOA and residents, can make well; the state and county have neither the local knowledge nor the mandate to do it. Second, budget transparency and levy discipline — the City directly sets its own levy and controls how it explains and justifies spending to residents; that accountability can't be outsourced to the county or state, and it shouldn't be treated as if it could.
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 residents can understand, in plain language, where every dollar goes and why — not buried in dense financial statements, but explained proactively. Concretely, I'd push for: clear, plain-language summaries of the budget and any significant year-over-year changes, published before votes are taken rather than after; genuine resident input sought before major decisions through open meetings, surveys, and direct outreach — not as a formality; and full, public accounting of city contracts and vendor performance on a regular cycle.