Tyler Fehrman
Name: Tyler Fehrman
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-263-1688
Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/FehrmanForSSP/
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FehrmanForSSP/
Candidate Bio
Tyler Fehrman is a husband, father, baseball coach, City Planning Commissioner, and proud resident of South St. Paul. His career began in state and local government, where he spent nearly a decade improving public services, communications, and organizational effectiveness. He later transitioned into the renewable energy sector, leading complex projects, negotiating multi-million-dollar transactions, managing teams, and advancing clean energy initiatives across the country.
Tyler currently serves on the South St. Paul Planning Commission and recently completed a year as Chair. He is passionate about his community and believes effective leadership starts with listening, ensuring residents feel heard, respected, and represented. His public service philosophy is guided by a simple principle: “People First. Always — and no matter what.”
Tyler believes local government can solve problems at the neighborhood level and that strong communities are built when leaders remain connected to the people they serve. He is deeply committed to the city’s future and preserving the values that make it special.
Tyler lives on the South End of South St. Paul with his wife, Molly (a fifth-generation South St. Paul resident), their children, and their two dogs. In his free time, he enjoys coaching youth baseball, community service, and time with family.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a firm believer that the best leaders practice “servant leadership” and seek to serve others in everything they do. My goal as a City Council member would be to ensure that residents feel seen, heard, and know that they have a seat at the table.
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 South St. Paul right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The greatest challenge facing South St. Paul right now is our ability to find the middle-ground between improving our infrastructure and neighborhoods and the impact that rising costs of goods and services have on residents and their ability to afford the current cost of living. By planning for the future through actively maintaining what we have and looking ahead to our needs – I believe we can continue to grow our city while ensuring that residents aren’t “priced out” of town.
Our greatest opportunity is found in embracing our rich heritage and planning for our very bright future! Through working with community partners, Dakota County, and State Government, I believe we can make the changes necessary to see South St. Paul grow and thrive for generations to come.
How would you characterize the business climate in South 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?
I believe that our business climate is strong – but can always be better! The City should make careful decisions related to zoning, taxes, development, and incentives that attract new businesses to our city – while also creating a positive environment for the businesses who already exist here. By listening to the needs of the business community and making the appropriate changes, we can attract new opportunities and create a desirable hub for growth.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
I believe our most pressing public safety challenges are combatting addiction and drug abuse in our community. I would address this by working with our police and fire chiefs to expand our offerings related to mental health services for those suffering from addiction, as well as how we actively work to keep harmful substances off the streets and out of the hands of our kids.
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?
I believe that the most affordable places to live are those that plan for the future to ensure that unexpected costs aren’t continually passed on to residents – and that the answer to housing shortages is to work with developers to create an environment that is positive for growth and investment. Strict rent control can often have a negative impact on housing development and the local tax base – I believe in a measured and incremental approach to ensuring that housing growth occurs, but that it is done at a rate that is affordable for residents of the City.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
South St. Paul is incredibly lucky to have access to a wealth of public transportation options, as well as strong partnerships with the state and county related to our roads and bridges. In order to improve our transportation infrastructure, I would like to create a plan modeled after the City of Inver Grove Heights – which identifies a designated number of roads each year that in need of improvement and works to fix them on a set timeline. If we are proactive in our approach to addressing transportation infrastructure, we can avoid “emergency” situations that catch us off guard.
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?
I believe that consistently-rising property taxes are often the result of poor planning. When we do not proactively maintain the things we have that benefit our community, we eventually run into situations where we are found without the ability to replace them. By planning ahead and working with private and public partners to create a roadmap for our future, I believe we can make South St. Paul a far more affordable place to live and avoid continually rising costs.
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?
I am a firm believer in local control – and know that our city and its residents know our own needs better than anyone else. When it comes to issues related to local zoning, I believe the City is more attuned to what is needed than anyone else. This is also true as it relates to future development, and determining how to utilize city funds in creating better public service offerings for residents.
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 – to me – is centered on open communication and public discourse. This means that when the city is making a significant financial investment in a project that affects residents, it should seek input from residents before it makes decisions or moves forward at all. Public works, infrastructure, and new development projects should begin with an “open house” where residents can learn more and offer their input – this should always take place before decisions are made. Additionally, I believe that any and all public meetings – formal Council Session or informal work-sessions should be recorded and made available to everyone to help ensure transparency and encourage public involvement.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-263-1688
Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/FehrmanForSSP/
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FehrmanForSSP/
Candidate Bio
Tyler Fehrman is a husband, father, baseball coach, City Planning Commissioner, and proud resident of South St. Paul. His career began in state and local government, where he spent nearly a decade improving public services, communications, and organizational effectiveness. He later transitioned into the renewable energy sector, leading complex projects, negotiating multi-million-dollar transactions, managing teams, and advancing clean energy initiatives across the country.
Tyler currently serves on the South St. Paul Planning Commission and recently completed a year as Chair. He is passionate about his community and believes effective leadership starts with listening, ensuring residents feel heard, respected, and represented. His public service philosophy is guided by a simple principle: “People First. Always — and no matter what.”
Tyler believes local government can solve problems at the neighborhood level and that strong communities are built when leaders remain connected to the people they serve. He is deeply committed to the city’s future and preserving the values that make it special.
Tyler lives on the South End of South St. Paul with his wife, Molly (a fifth-generation South St. Paul resident), their children, and their two dogs. In his free time, he enjoys coaching youth baseball, community service, and time with family.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I am a firm believer that the best leaders practice “servant leadership” and seek to serve others in everything they do. My goal as a City Council member would be to ensure that residents feel seen, heard, and know that they have a seat at the table.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
- Effective Planning for the Future: Working alongside the other members of Council – and the residents of the city - as a collaborator in the process of careful planning for the future of South St. Paul. We must address issues related to aging infrastructure, community services, and promoting what a great place SSP is to live, work, and raise a family!
- Communication and Education: I will, first and foremost, be a voice for the residents of South St. Paul – by communicating regularly and effectively, and working to translate complex local government issues into easily-digestible information for the public.
- Building a Stronger Community: We must work together to help our community thrive through robust and meaningful programming and opportunities/spaces for residents and their families to enjoy South St. Paul.
What is the biggest challenge facing South St. Paul right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The greatest challenge facing South St. Paul right now is our ability to find the middle-ground between improving our infrastructure and neighborhoods and the impact that rising costs of goods and services have on residents and their ability to afford the current cost of living. By planning for the future through actively maintaining what we have and looking ahead to our needs – I believe we can continue to grow our city while ensuring that residents aren’t “priced out” of town.
Our greatest opportunity is found in embracing our rich heritage and planning for our very bright future! Through working with community partners, Dakota County, and State Government, I believe we can make the changes necessary to see South St. Paul grow and thrive for generations to come.
How would you characterize the business climate in South 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?
I believe that our business climate is strong – but can always be better! The City should make careful decisions related to zoning, taxes, development, and incentives that attract new businesses to our city – while also creating a positive environment for the businesses who already exist here. By listening to the needs of the business community and making the appropriate changes, we can attract new opportunities and create a desirable hub for growth.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
I believe our most pressing public safety challenges are combatting addiction and drug abuse in our community. I would address this by working with our police and fire chiefs to expand our offerings related to mental health services for those suffering from addiction, as well as how we actively work to keep harmful substances off the streets and out of the hands of our kids.
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?
I believe that the most affordable places to live are those that plan for the future to ensure that unexpected costs aren’t continually passed on to residents – and that the answer to housing shortages is to work with developers to create an environment that is positive for growth and investment. Strict rent control can often have a negative impact on housing development and the local tax base – I believe in a measured and incremental approach to ensuring that housing growth occurs, but that it is done at a rate that is affordable for residents of the City.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
South St. Paul is incredibly lucky to have access to a wealth of public transportation options, as well as strong partnerships with the state and county related to our roads and bridges. In order to improve our transportation infrastructure, I would like to create a plan modeled after the City of Inver Grove Heights – which identifies a designated number of roads each year that in need of improvement and works to fix them on a set timeline. If we are proactive in our approach to addressing transportation infrastructure, we can avoid “emergency” situations that catch us off guard.
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?
I believe that consistently-rising property taxes are often the result of poor planning. When we do not proactively maintain the things we have that benefit our community, we eventually run into situations where we are found without the ability to replace them. By planning ahead and working with private and public partners to create a roadmap for our future, I believe we can make South St. Paul a far more affordable place to live and avoid continually rising costs.
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?
I am a firm believer in local control – and know that our city and its residents know our own needs better than anyone else. When it comes to issues related to local zoning, I believe the City is more attuned to what is needed than anyone else. This is also true as it relates to future development, and determining how to utilize city funds in creating better public service offerings for residents.
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 – to me – is centered on open communication and public discourse. This means that when the city is making a significant financial investment in a project that affects residents, it should seek input from residents before it makes decisions or moves forward at all. Public works, infrastructure, and new development projects should begin with an “open house” where residents can learn more and offer their input – this should always take place before decisions are made. Additionally, I believe that any and all public meetings – formal Council Session or informal work-sessions should be recorded and made available to everyone to help ensure transparency and encourage public involvement.