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Candidates for Red Wing mayor and city council discussed city revenue and expenses, increasing the city’s population and cannabis during a forum Sept. 26.
Red Wing mayoral candidates Nicky Buck and Gary Iocco, Red Wing City Council Ward 2 candidates Don Kliewer and Min MartinOakes and Red Wing City Council Wards 3 and 4 candidates Beth Thomas Snyder and Ben Weldon spoke on a variety of topics for more than an hour during the League of Women Voters Red Wing’s forum.
Kim Beise, who is running unopposed for the city council’s Ward 1 seat, was unable to attend. In a statement read to the crowd, Beise thanked residents for supporting him and said he looks forward to serving them for another four years.
A video of the forum can be found on the League of Women Voters Red Wing’s Facebook page.
The League of Women Voters Red Wing is hosting several more opportunities for residents to hear from the candidates. An informal meet and greet with the Red Wing School Board candidates is 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Red Wing Public Library. The League’s candidate forum for the county board and House District 20A candidates begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Red Wing High School. An informal meet and greet with the mayoral and city council candidates, as well as Goodhue County Board and House District 20A candidates, is 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Red Wing Public Library.
The candidates were asked for their ideas on increasing city revenue and decreasing expenses.
Iocco said that Red Wing needs to expand its taxpayer pool, which means the city needs more housing. But the city is landlocked and it should annex land to build new homes that young families and seniors can afford, he said.
Buck said she has had to come up with creative ideas for revenue as a Red Wing School Board member. She said she doesn’t want to cut services, but rather focus on increasing revenue by boosting tourism and encouraging new businesses to open.
Kliewer said it’s not easy to reduce the city’s costs because the city’s biggest cost is its employees. To generate more revenue, the city needs to “upright” the tax revenue it receives from Xcel Energy, he said.
MartinOakes said she’ll listen to people about what they want for the city. Any cuts the city makes need to be a thoughtful process informed by residents, she said. Increasing housing to increase the tax base is also a piece of it, she said. There are other opportunities, such as the proposed cannabis dispensary with the Prairie Island Indian Community, to increase revenue, she said.
Snyder said the city needs to increase the number of residents and businesses. Red Wing has higher tax rates and higher rents than the surrounding communities, which makes it difficult for businesses to open in Red Wing, she said. The city needs to make it easy for businesses to be in Red Wing. The city also needs to find efficiencies in its budget, she said.
Weldon said Red Wing would benefit from a more diverse tax base and the city shouldn’t risk cutting necessary services. The city should pursue businesses who haven’t seen Red Wing as a viable option and remove barriers that may be preventing existing businesses in the city from expanding, he said. The city should also find ways to attract more residents to the city.
The candidates were asked about the role the mayor and city council can play in developing Red Wing’s workforce and increasing its population.
Iocco said the employee base in Red Wing is low and the area is facing a deficit of employees for businesses in the next seven to 10 years. Housing needs to be considered, but it’s not a “silver bullet,” and the city is going to have to look at expanding outside the current city limits, he said.
Buck said she’s already starting to build bridges with people who have historically not had representation in her work with the Honoring Dakota Project. It’s about inviting people authentically and showing up as a community, she said. If you continue to show up, the people who care will continue to show up and you can move through the issue together, she said.
Kliewer has already added more than 750 new units in the community and will be adding another 100 units downtown in the coming year. The community needs single-family homes and townhouses, but the city’s landscape makes it difficult to find places to build those homes, he said.
MartinOakes said the city’s housing shortage is getting in the way of people moving to Red Wing. As a principal, there were several times when she offered teaching positions to people who were unable to move to Red Wing because they couldn’t find an affordable place to live, she said. The city needs to make sure there’s housing options available.
Snyder said the lack of employees and housing needs to be addressed simultaneously. The city needs to first look at the land it has and determine if it’s best for more housing or businesses, she said. The city then needs to remove the barriers to increasing the housing stock and businesses.
Weldon said the city should ensure there’s resources and housing available to new residents, but it should be strategic in building new housing to make sure it’s attracting people with diverse skills to Red Wing.
Candidates were asked if they’d support commercial cannabis sales in Red Wing and if they’d require any guidelines for a cannabis business.
Buck said she supports a partnership between the city and Prairie Island on cannabis. She said she was part of the process that Prairie Island went through before it opened its first cannabis dispensary earlier this year and it was long and informational.
Iocco said he supports Prairie Island having two cannabis dispensaries in Red Wing, but he doesn’t support the city being involved in it or having the proposed dispensary in the Bauer Built building.
Kliewer pointed out that the Legislature passed a law that requires Red Wing to have two cannabis dispensaries and the city doesn’t have a say other than zoning decisions.
MartinOakes said she thinks the proposal for the city to collaborate with Prairie Island on a cannabis dispensary could be a “great partnership.” Cannabis sales are going to happen and there’s opportunity for “significant” revenue for the city, she said.
Snyder, a retired medical executive, said she has a “hard time” with the city being part of the cannabis industry because of her profession. Cannabis can be addictive, harmful to the city’s youth and could be mistakenly ingested by a child, she said.
Weldon said the city partnering with Prairie Island on cannabis is a “smart play” because it gives the city control over cannabis. An outside cannabis company could potentially bring “outside issues” into the city, he said.
”}]] Candidates for Red Wing mayor and city council discussed city revenue and expenses, increasing the city’s population and cannabis during a forum Sept. 26. Read More