More than three dozen people filed into the Lodge at the Chaska Community Center Monday morning as the first of several election events jump-started this year’s local races.

Current Chaska Mayor Gary Van Eyll and Councilor Jay Rohe were on hand to answer questions as they battle for the mayoral seat. Former Mayor Bob Roepke moderated the discussion, which included both questions from him and questions from the audience.

The candidates opened the forum with statements on why they each desired to be mayor. Van Eyll said he wants his “grandchildren to be raised in a Chaska as good as or better than the one we raised our children in.” He said he’s open to new ideas and “embraces relationships with new and old residents of Chaska” while touting his leadership as mayor for the last six years as having created a “great working relationship with council and city staff.”

Rohe said he and his family were “very vested in Chaska.”

“We have the Hawk in our hearts,” he added.

Rohe applauded Chaska and its leaders for promoting the “heritage and values that exist in the community.”

“We’re fortunate we have those building blocks,” he said, adding that he wanted to now “take this community to the next level.”

Roepke posed questions to the candidates on a variety of topics from their leadership vision to what they would like to see come from the next Commitment to Community Task Force to what they would do for aging adults.

Rohe said his focus would be on creating life-cycle housing and providing for continued health care. “I’m a very big proponent of getting a health care facility in Chaska,” he said.

Van Eyll agreed, adding that the transportation system should also be looked at. He also advocated for more housing options. “People should have a choice of where they can call home over their remaining years,” Van Eyll said.

Audience questions

Audience members asked the candidates about using tax payer dollars to hire consultants, managing growth, property owner rights and maintaining downtown vitality with new Highway 212.

Van Eyll said that they needed to improve signage to get people downtown and provide for more parking.

Rohe said that downtown signage restrictions were a problem and suggested using the Economic Development Authority to promote the downtown to potential businesses.

Of particular interest to those in attendance was the northwest corner of Highway 41 and Chaska Boulevard. Audience members asked the candidates what they would like to see happen at the corner (where the city used eminent domain to acquire properties like Ohnsorg Truck Body Manufacturing for redevelopment) and how they voted on the eminent domain proposal.

Rohe said he voted for eminent domain on the corner, calling it a “necessary tool” for business owners that had become "unreasonable” and untrustworthy. He added that he thought the corner was a “key corner” that required mindful planning.

Van Eyll said that he voted against using eminent domain to acquire Ohnsorg Truck Body Manufacturing and the like because he felt the city did not have a viable plan for the corner and was using eminent domain only because the laws were about to change regarding it.

“This (redevelopment) will cost this community $800,000 to $900,000,” he said. “I think that was a wrong decision.”

Candidates wrapped up the event with their final thoughts about what the role of mayor should be.

Van Eyll said that he believed it was a “commitment to keep striving to make Chaska the best small town in Minnesota.”

Rohe said the mayor’s job is to articulate the city’s vision and values while listening to the residents.

-Mollee Francisco, staff writer