There are three seats up for grabs this year on the Chaska City Council. Incumbent Mayor Gary Van Eyll will be challenged for his seat by Ward 4 Councilor Jay Rohe. Rohe’s seat has two challengers – Rick Ford and Mike Huang. In Ward 2, Greg Boe and Sara Machakaire will face off for the seat being vacated by Bob Lindall, who announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down after three decades of service.

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MAYOR of CHASKA

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Jay Rohe

Age: 45

Family: Wife: Heidi, twin 13-year-old daughters Hannah and Sarah

Address: 2535 Christian Drive

Employment: Director of Sales, Milestone AV Technologies

Education: Richmond High School, Indiana University

Community activities/government experience: Eight-year Chaska City Councilmember, Chairman Southwest Transit Commission, member St. John’s Lutheran Church, Chaska Area Youth Basketball Association Board Member, past member of the Arts in Public Places Committee, District 112 Community Education Advisory Board, Chaska Rotary, St. John’s Lutheran Church School Board of Education 

1. Why are you running for Mayor? Over the past 8 years I have had the honor and privilege of serving the people of Chaska as a city councilmember. As Chaska continues to grow and as the suburban area knocks at our door, it becomes ever more increasingly important that we have a mayor who is a strong leader, who can articulate our vision, heritage and strategic goals set by the city council.

Some elected officials lose sight of who put them into office. For me, it is about serving the people and being their voice and advocate.

 The experience, I have gained, as a city councilmember coupled with my executive experience in business will allow me to hit the ground running if elected mayor. I truly enjoy serving the people of Chaska and I take pride in our wonderful community. It would be an honor to serve as your mayor.

 

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? Clearly the budget, traffic congestion, promoting downtown Chaska, continued growth and maintaining our values, heritage and small town feel are all current issues.

Declining revenues, home values and the overall economy have impacted our revenue stream. The city council over the coming years must work diligently to control costs and not just arbitrarily raise the tax levy. You can count on me to keep the purse strings tight and your taxes low. The alternate (Highway) 41 crossing will continue to be a top priority. We must work with our neighboring communities and MnDOT to develop the best solution for Chaska. I will fight to keep our city whole and not destroyed by this new river crossing.

I will propose a new commission dedicated to downtown vitality, made up of business owners and residents to look at how we can promote and keep our downtown vibrant.  

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? First we need to clearly articulate our goals to the public and staff. In tough economic times, attention to detail and execution of our objectives will be paramount. The city needs to make sure that we are working with our businesses. We must make it easy for them to flourish in Chaska. In a tough economic climate we need to eliminate roadblocks to their success.

As your mayor and a member of the chamber of commerce, I would look to be pro-active in working with our chamber and their business council to develop ways that the city can work together with businesses. The EDA is a strong arm of the city and should be utilized to attract, retain and promote our local businesses. The EDA should be actively marketing our city to attract new industry, restaurants and retail establishments. Keeping Chaska competitive and attractive to businesses will be a priority. 

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? I believe it is important that people can live and work in their community no matter at what level of income they earn. Chaska has done a great job of being pro-active in establishing certain affordability guidelines with regards to housing and one of the first cities to establish a land trust.

The tough part of this goal is to ensure balance. If we do not promote enough affordable housing we are not accomplishing our goal. If we provide too much we risk affecting market values of other homeowners. Chaska has done its fair share in providing affordability. It is time for our neighboring Cities to step up to the plate and deliver. The balance is not there with regards to our sister cities and if elected mayor I would advocate for these communities to establish an aggressive plan to put them on an even playing field with Chaska. 

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? There are several ways we can improve communication quickly with our residents. Our Web site is probably the best tool we have to inform our citizens. Updating and maximizing our Web site in a more effective manner is needed. We can provide so much more information then what we currently do and I would look to increase our utilization of our Web site.Public access television and our local newspaper are other ways we can communicate. Another key objective of mine is to increase the coverage area of mailing notification to residents of changes in land use or development. We need to change the policy and increase the coverage area. The policy should also be amended to require posting a sign on a piece of land or development indicating the change in zoning or project proposed for the site. This will notify the public outside of the mailing notification area. 

Gary Van Eyll

Age: 58

Family: Wife Barb, three children and their spouses – Kerrie and Dave Thompson, James and Cindy Van Eyll, Amanda and Brett Baumann, seven grandchildren – Parker Rauen, Bryan and Brandon Eberle, Bailey and Bryce Van Eyll, and Basil and August Baumann

Address: 336 Highwood Drive Circle

Employment: No answer

Education: Central High School in Norwood-Young America, Minneapolis School of Business and Normandale Community College

Community activities/government experience: I have been a resident of Chaska since 1974, a 20-year member of the Chaska Fire Department- four of those years as fire chief, a member of the Guardian Angels parish since 1974- 20-plus years as an usher, past chairperson of the GA finance board. Also a member of the GA Knights of Columbus. Honorable discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps and a member of the Chaska American Legion Post #57, a member of the second Commitment to Community Task Force and a past member of the District #112 Community Education Council, volunteer for Christmas in May. I am now participating in the Carver County Elected Officials Leadership Program. I am also a member of the Chaska Historical Society and the Carver County Historical Society. I have been on the Chaska City council for almost ten years- four as a councilperson and almost six as your mayor. 

1. Why are you running for Mayor?  I believe the motivation for me would be answered by taking a look at Chaska. This community has been and is a great place to call home and to raise a family. I have served and want to serve this community and retain and enhance this vision for future families of Chaska. We need to maintain this vision and make decisions as to what is best for Chaska and its future. Chaska is a progressive and all-inclusive community that has and needs to remain this way in the future.

 

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? Fiscal responsibility, the way the economy is going to act and react is going to be the most pressing issue. This will affect the housing and commercial building trade and also the businesses already located in our community and each family in Chaska. We need fiscal responsibility in taxes and our utilities, we have one of the lowest taxes per capita in the metro area and our utilities are lower than most communities. We need to maintain this and continue to deliver great essential services to give our residents and businesses these advantages. 

 

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? We will have to remain a progressive community working together with our partners, State of Minnesota and Carver County economic development authorities to ensure we have the “location” and amenities available to entice new businesses to our community. Creating these new businesses and new jobs will create the demand for housing and this housing will create the vitality we are promoting for our existing businesses both retail and commercial. Our community, our entire area, depends on this.    

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? When we talk to our businesses, among the concerns they have are work force and the distance they need to travel for housing affordability. There are communities choosing to downplay the importance of this issue. We have been involved and need to continue to be involved with the Chaska Community Land Trust to encourage permanently affordable housing. We also need to maintain and encourage developers to construct a diverse housing product making our community stronger fiscally, leading to the vitality of our community. 

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? Upgrading our Chaska Web site and the access our community has to information through this site would be the most important. We need to encourage all of our commissions to be on our local cable access channels for another. Recently we improved our process in the notification of surrounding neighbors concerning development. I have also instituted a Coffee with the Mayor the first Saturday of each month at 9:00 A.M. at the Chaska Community Center to allow access to myself to either answer your concerns or to forward to you the information you request. It has been very successful.

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WARD 2

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Greg Boe

Age: 49

Family: spouse: Debbie; children: Greg Jr. (U of M) and Jenna (attends Clover Ridge Elementary)

Address: 2287 Clover Field Drive

Employment: Senior community development specialist with Scott County

Education: BS from Mankato State (Biology/Toxicology and Chemistry); AA from Willmar AVTI/CC (Electronics)

Community activities/government experience: I am currently a member of the Chaska Lions Club, the Sons of the American Legion, and the Knights of Columbus.  I have served on the Chaska City Planning Commission, the Carver County Planning Commission, the SouthWest Transit Commission (as a citizen representative for Chaska), the Jonathan Association Board of Directors, and I have graduated from the Leadership Chaska program. 

1. Why are you running for City Council? I love Chaska, and I enjoy serving and representing our residents and businesses.  I like showing people that local government can be respectful and friendly. I have enjoyed serving on the Chaska Planning Commission for the last nine years, and have learned a great deal during that time. This local experience has given me valuable insight into the challenges and issues facing our city today - insight that will be helpful on our city council. I would like to put my experience to work for us, guiding Chaska toward a future that is both well-planned and prosperous. I will seek improved communication between the city and all residents, and welcome new ideas. I will keep our taxes low, while continuing to provide the same quality services that we have come to appreciate. I will work hard to preserve the look, feel, and values of the best small town in Minnesota!  

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? Our challenges today include: our local business climate, improved communication and planning for the future.

Chaska is a wonderful place to live and a great place to raise our families – and last year we were named the eighth best city in which to live in the United States! Chaska is rich in natural beauty and history, with a strong sense of community. However, even with all of those things going for us, there is always room for improvement. As your councilmember I will work hard to create a more vibrant downtown, while also maintaining a healthy business climate throughout our city. I will also seek to assure open and honest communication between city hall and every resident and business owner in Chaska, while promoting transparent government. And finally, I will work to plan our growth wisely so as to assure that we will meet our future transportation and infrastructure needs. 

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? We are obviously facing uncertain economic times in our country today. However, Chaska is actually in a fortunate position when it comes to our local business outlook. The newly completed Highway 212 has given us much improved access to the Twin Cities. By providing shorter commuting times for our residents and easier delivery of supplies and products for our businesses, the Highway 212 project has made Chaska much more attractive to a business that might be considering relocation or expansion. Our new Biotech Center is expected to provide as many as 10,000 high paying jobs in our community when it is completed, along with a healthy boost to our tax base. As your councilmember, I will work to promote clean and sustainable growth, while also helping our historic downtown to assure similar economic prosperity. I will seek to make our downtown more friendly and welcoming for shoppers and businesses alike. 

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? Chaska has already taken great strides toward providing affordable housing for our residents, through several creative and successful programs. For some time now, local business owners have communicated the need for affordable housing in our area for employees and their families. Over the years, our city has taken bold steps to address those needs.  For example, the Community Land Trust (CLT) program has worked well for Chaska. The CLT has provided 18 permanently affordable homes in Chaska since its inception in 2002.  Other methods, such as creative zoning and land use regulations, can also accomplish the same goals but with no direct cost to the city or taxpayers. This, in fact, has proven to be a much more effective tool for Chaska. As a city we should continue our efforts to provide affordable housing in reasonable numbers, in an attempt to meet the needs of local residents and younger families.

 

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? I believe that open and honest communication between city hall and residents or business owners in Chaska is vital for building and maintaining a healthy level of interaction and trust.  Every resident and business owner in Chaska must know that they can depend on the city to communicate honestly on various subjects.  This is extremely important!  As your councilmember, it will be my goal that every resident and business owner should enjoy straightforward communication and respectful treatment from city hall.  In addition, while serving on the planning commission I have seen first-hand the need for improvements in our communication systems.  These changes could allow Chaska residents to view the details of applications for proposed developments and upcoming council agenda items from the comfort of their own home.  Finally, we must take a look at our notification process, to assure that all interested parties are able to participate in public hearings.  

 

Sara Machakaire

Age: 27

Family: Joel Machakaire (husband), Justin Machakaire (son – 4), Kyra Machakaire (daughter – 3)

Address: 870 Braunworth Courth

Employment: Account Service Coordinator for Textron Financial in Golden Valley

Education: B.A. Political Science, St. Cloud State University 2004

Community activities/government experience: Volunteer for Open Arms (based in Minneapolis), member of Guardian Angels parish 

 

1. Why are you running for City Council? I am running for city council because I want to give back to my community through ensuring its continued growth and prosperity. I am running to make sure we are fiscally responsible with the money the residents of Chaska have allowed us to use. I see a need on the council for someone who understands the challenges facing so many of our families in Chaska because my family and I face many of those same challenges. There is also a great need for someone who will be a true representative of the people, and who will make their thoughts, opinions, and wishes are heard by the council at large. 

 

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? The most pressing issues facing Chaska today are economic issues. The economy is on each of our minds every single day. We are facing a lowering tax base, and we need to have a plan in place to keep our city running without placing the burden on the shoulders of the residents through increases in taxes. We need innovative and creative solutions that may not have been thought of even a year ago to ensure all necessary parts of the budget are funded.  

 

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? I would take a two-part approach to promoting vitality. I would first go over the budget with a fine-tooth comb to make sure that we are funding what is necessary. Our family budgets do not allow for many 'extras' in tough times, so why should the city's budget? I would then find all the possible ways to generate extra revenue through an increase in business activity. Bringing more business to Chaska will increase employment within our city borders as well as save on gasoline expenditures for residents. It creates a larger tax base, which benefits us all by keeping our tax rate steady. 

 

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? The city should do everything in its power to not place extra burdens on it residents through unnecessary fees, regulations and obstacles. The market will regulate the pricing as we have begun to see in neighboring communities as well as our own. The city should act as a resource for residents who need information on how they can find affordable housing. The more the city is involved with making housing affordable, the harder it will be for housing to actually be affordable for each of us. 

 

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? Communication is essential for the city council to understand the desires of the people. We have a responsibility to voice our concerns, and the council has an absolute responsibility to listen to those concerns and act in accordance. Communication often only occurs during an election cycle, so I would employ many of the same strategies used during an election to reach out to the people of Chaska. This means, going door to door and calling so that I can engage people in conversation as well as inviting them personally to the city council meetings. This also means utilizing the Chaska Herald for editorial pieces as well as blogs. Chaska residents deserve to know what the council members are thinking before events take place. If there is a vote that will affect many people, I will ensure as many people know as possible so they have a chance to react.

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WARD 4

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Rick Ford

Age: 55

Family: Wife Margaret

Address: 3090 Red Oak Circle

Employment: President, Community Insurance Advisors

Education: B.S. in Psychology from University of Minnesota, graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 1992

Community activities/government experience: President and member of Chaska Rotary, president and member of Chaska Chamber of Commerce, graduate of Chaska Leadership Program, president and board member for Christmas in May, vice president and board member for District 112 Foundation, delegate to White House Conference on Small Business, host and creator of “This Week with Rick Ford.” 

1. Why are you running for City Council? Chaska is a community with a rich tradition. We need to build on what we have done so well over the years as a community. This is a time of significant change. Chaska will need a broadly engaged leader who encourages inclusiveness and has a history of building community. I believe I can bring my considerable knowledge and experience through my commitment to community and service to others. I will continue to strengthen, improve and build our community, with the same hard work and dedication of Chaska’s original builders...one brick at a time.

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? Growth, growth and more growth. With managed growth, however, comes opportunity. In order to preserve our quality of life in Chaska, we will need to reach out and energize the lives of our neighbors through an accessible transportation system, sustainable life cycle and workforce housing and jobs for all who want to work. 

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? I have and will continue to promote job development in Chaska. First, I am in favor of building Ridgeview’s new hospital and all the jobs it will bring to Chaska. Second, as a member of the Chaska Area Chamber’s Economic Development Committee we have been assisting the City of Chaska in the promotion of the BioTech Center, a 300-acre corporate/industrial development in the Heights of Chaska. It has the potential to increase Chaska’s market value by $500 million and create 10,000 new jobs paying an average of $50,000 each. Lastly, I recently became an investor in the EdCampus. EdCampus will be a 450,000 square foot facility, in the Heights of Chaska, uniting a variety of post secondary institutions. Ed Campus will be seeking platinum LEED Certification. Nearly 300 jobs will be created.   

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? The City of Chaska should be taking a leadership role in providing affordable housing to the community. As a part of the City of Chaska’s defined mission statement, such an emphasis clearly ties into Chaska’s legacy- life-cycle housing and workforce housing for newly hired college graduates, for senior citizens and for those with modest incomes. Through planning and working with developers, partnering with the Chaska Community Land Trust and the Carver County CDA, Chaska can and should encourage affordable housing. With the assistance of tax increment financing and funding through the Met Council, anyone wishing to live here will be able to call Chaska home.  

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? Without question, anytime a property owner is affected by any proposed change by the city council, the property owner needs to be contacted directly. The property owner also needs to be made aware of, in a timely fashion, the specifics of the change, the hearing process and the timeline the city council will be using to gather data and comments prior to making a decision. It is important that the planning process be open, transparent and promotes community input. 

For general information the city council could use the Chaska Today newspaper insert, have a guest column and/or a letter to the editor in the Chaska Herald, utilize the Chaska.net portal page on the Internet or use the community cable stations to create programs similar to the current events program, “This Week With Rick Ford”, which has been on Chaska cable since 1997.

Mike Huang

Age: 37

Family: Married with one daughter (5) and a dog

Address: 2265 Manuela Circle

Employment: Manager for a software company in Plymouth

Education: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – Computer Science

Community activities/government experience: St. Hubert Cana Committee, Cal Poly Educational Equity Commission, various other student government positions 

1. Why are you running for City Council? I’m running for City Council because I believe we need to challenge the status quo, ask tough questions and enable the residents of the community to be active participants in the decision-making process. Good decisions come about from open discussion and discourse. Bringing transparency to city government is a fundamental part of any dialogue. Arming the residents of the community with timely and accurate facts is the first step in a constructive discussion. All sides -- residents, city, and developers – need to come together to collaborate on mutually agreeable solutions. Through this consensus-building process we will have the opportunity to make better short, and long-term decisions for the community.

I was inspired to run for office because I believe that the process can be improved. We deserve better – especially when our taxpayer dollars are at stake. Our voices should be more than a din in the background. 

 

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues facing the City of Chaska today? The new Highway 212 has been an exciting addition to Chaska, and it brings much to our community – faster access to the rest of the metro, as well as the growth associated with easy access to the regional population and infrastructure.

In the future, we need to work diligently to ensure that the new Highway 41 replacement – a connector between 212 and 169 – does not create a physical rift within Chaska.

Managing growth will be critical to Chaska’s future for the next ten years. What we choose to do as a community will shape Chaska’s identity and culture for decades to come. While opportunities will certainly arise, we need to carefully examine whether they will be in the best interests of our community long-term, and how best to integrate them into our landscape, while maintaining the core values which brought us here.

 

3. What would you do to promote vitality for the city in this tough economic climate? Fostering growth of the new bioscience zone and EdCampus will be key to both short and long-term economic vibrance.

Diversification is a key element to weathering economic downturns.  Through development of the bioscience zone, we will increase our tax base, bringing economic stability, as well as providing a basis for maintaining low residential taxes.

Providing a positive climate for businesses and higher education to thrive has been a proven recipe for stimulating local economies. Ventures between corporations and academia can spawn new commercial ventures (many of which tend to take root near where they are founded), in addition to the more immediate traffic brought by faculty, staff, and students who are patrons of local retail and dining establishments.

Each of these initiatives takes time to develop – the good news here is that much of the groundwork has been completed, and is moving forward today. 

 

4. What role, if any, should the city have in providing affordable housing? At this time, as a community, we should reassess the mix of affordable housing driven by the City. At the time of this writing (Sept. 23rd), according to Housinglink.org, the inventory of affordable housing in Chaska is more than double that of Carver, Chanhassen, and Victoria combined! Based on statistics from TCHousingPolicy.org, Chaska has developed more new units (1,039 owner and rental) towards the Livable Communities Act between 1996 and 2006 than Carver, Chanhassen, and Victoria together (861 total).

Our neighbor to the northeast, Chanhassen comprises a significant part of the total, but Carver and Victoria also need to do their part as well. Of the 1,900 affordable units developed, only 5.3% of those were in either Carver or Victoria.

The responsibility of affordable housing in the Southwest metro should not fall only on residents Chaska and Chanhassen– other communities need to take ownership as well. 

 

5. What, if anything, would you do to improve communication between the city council and the community? Good relationships are built on trust and open communications where opinions can be shared openly, and the other side is actively listening. Partnerships take that another step further – where both sides collaborate together to solve problems.

We need to leverage the technologies and approaches that make the most sense for our community to build a stronger foundation of open information sharing.

Whether it is a Web 2.0 approach such as Twitter, Facebook or Blogger (check out my blog!), an e-newsletter (as Chief Knight has executed so successfully), podcast or informal monthly neighborhood discussions, we need to challenge our civic leaders to be more proactive in reaching out and being accessible to their constituents.

Even mundane activities such as official announcements about Council or Planning Commission meetings need to be in plain English – not legalese!  How about a summary – so those of us who are not lawyers can understand?