Questions posed to candidates
1. Why are you running for office? 2 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. 3. Why would you be an asset to the Annandale City Council? 4. What are the major issues facing Annandale in the two years you would be mayor or the four years you would be a member of the city council? 5. Do you foresee city revenues shrinking in this struggling economy, and how would the mayor and city council deal with that? 6. Should the mayor and city council take or support steps to make Annandale’s Main Street more attractive to potential retail businesses and customers. What? 7. Do you favor creating more recreational opportunities in Annandale such as parks, athletic fields, a community center, bicycle-walking paths and skateboard park? 8. With the wastewater treatment plant expected to be in operation next year, what should the city’s strategy be toward future residential and commercial development in Annandale?
Bill McNellis
1. Why does anyone do anything, usually because they want to. This gives me a chance to give back to the community and help guide it into the future with improved service and facilities at a reasonable cost. 2. Lifelong Annandale resident with 36 years of experience in Annandale government, four years with U.S. Navy, a tour in Vietnam and an Annandale graduate. 3. My years of experience are an asset in making informed decisions and not repeating mistakes of the past. Not making predetermined decisions and listening to all sides of an issue first. 4, 5. These two questions will pretty much go hand in hand the next few years as we are dependent on the state for a good share of our budget revenues. With market values going down and most likely state cuts and freezes, we will most likely need to cut back all spending and projects just to keep services near current levels. If state cuts are real bad, eliminating services and jobs are always a possibility. I am not in favor of raising local taxes to make up any differences. 6. I am always supportive of efforts to improve Main Street business but Main Street problems are complex and go further than just improving appearance and parking. First you need to create a reason for the customers to come here and a lot of that depends on the nature and type of business there already. Large markets supply one stop shopping at reasonable cost. Can small downtown shops do that, I don’t know. I do know that I shop at home more when gas is at $4 a gallon. 7. This I do favor, especially the addition of ball fields. When the new fire hall was built on the little ball field, the council said it would be replaced and we are trying to do that now in conjunction with the school and the proposed athletic field additions. This would be my first choice, then the bicycle-walking paths No. 2, a community center No. 3, a skateboard park fourth. But these all take funding and if the money is not there along with the support of the taxpayers they won’t happen. 8. With the completion of the WWTP we will be able to expand, but first the existing developments will need to be finished. And when the business park is near full that should be expanded. If you don’t have jobs who will build and buy the houses?
McNellis, 60, works for U.S. Filter in St. Michael. He’s a former Annandale Public Works superintendent who worked for the city for nearly 29 years until 2000. He’s been married to Roxanne for 35 years and they have three grown children and three grandchildren. McNellis was born in Annandale and has spent most of his life here. He graduated from Annandale High School in 1966. He joined the U.S. Navy for a 4-year hitch, including a year in Vietnam. McNellis is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Minnesota Wastewater Operators Association and American Waterworks Association.
Marlene Young
1. Annandale is a beautiful city and I care about its residents and businesses. I enjoy hearing the concerns and try to answer their questions. I want to be their voice on the council and be able to make a difference. I have a vested interest in the future of Annandale. Its continued growth while maintaining its small town feel. 2. I have been a member of the Annandale chamber for 13 years and a board member for nine years, serving as president for two years. I am the chair of chamber membership and the All-City Garage Sale and I founded the Chili Cook-Off. I am the treasurer and secretary for the Queen’s Committee. I am also a board member for Youth First, the Annandale-Maple Lake Community Education Advisory Board, vice chair of the Annandale Area Community Team and co-chair of the Annandale Area Community Center Team. As a member of the city council I serve on the personnel committee, I am an alternate for the wastewater commission and serve on the Annandale Fire Commission. 3. Through my involvement on committees and with many organizations it gives me the opportunity to hear what people’s concerns are and bring that knowledge to the council. It gives me a well-rounded outlook on the needs, concerns and challenges that face us all. With eight years on the council I have gained a wealth of knowledge on how a city runs and the needs of the community. This background I feel is an invaluable asset to our community. 4. Keeping taxes down and still providing the quality services we have all become accustomed to. Being conservative on projects and maintaining until the market turns around and monitor the city’s growth. See through the completion of the wastewater treatment plant and continuing the partnership with our neighboring cities, not only on this project but also in other areas. Working with prospective businesses for the Business Park to provide jobs to the area. 5. Levy caps were placed on cities this year and fortunately the Local Government Aid was not reduced by the Legislature but our city administrator and department heads, police, public works and fire, do a fantastic job of watching their budgets and keep a close look on expenditures vs. revenue. They are constantly watching the budget and adjustments are made accordingly. Through their hard work and dedication, they are the backbone that makes this city great. As times get leaner we will have to re-evaluate purchases in our capital improvement plan and do what is necessary to keep up the quality of life in Annandale. As a council member on personnel, we meet to re-evaluate the staffing levels and have made adjustments where necessary. The key is keeping a watchful eye on things and looking ahead to keep the budget in line. 6. The council continues to support the work of the Beautification Committee and it is important to take pride in our main street. The council secured a Small Cities Development grant from the state, which was available to the downtown business owners to refurbish their buildings and continue to look for ways to make the main street safe and inviting to visitors. 7. As the vice chair of the Annandale Area Community Team and the co-chair of the Annandale Area Community Center Team, I definitely support the creation of these amenities to Annandale. It is through the grass roots initiative that dedicated people are working on these projects. The formation of a parks commission was done during the past four years I was on the council and two of my fellow council members worked very hard with the school district to bring to the full council the agreement for an athletic field complex that I totally support. The council has worked very closely with the Heart of the Lakes Trails Committee to get a federal grant and secure the donation of land for the first phase of the trail from Southbrook to Triplett Farms. As a council member I am behind this project 100 percent. 8. It is going to be a very exciting time when the wastewater treatment plant is complete and running. The council will need to focus on planning and zoning and continue to monitor growth at a moderate pace. Looking ahead at future growth in the industrial park to bring jobs to the area. With only 13 acres left in the existing industrial park, future development options have been analyzed and when the time is right we will be ready to accommodate more businesses to the city. It all comes down to continuing to grow and being fiscally responsible to the citizens of the city.
Young, 56, has been the advertising representative-manager at the Annandale Advocate for 14 years. Before that, she taught third grade at Bendix Elementary School for four years and worked for Dayton’s in the planning and opening of its St. Cloud Store. She is a single parent and raised two children, Philip, 27, and Andrea, 26, both Annandale graduates. Philip lives in Shakopee and works for Marriott, and Andrea lives in Annandale and works at the Annandale State Bank. Originally from Bloomington, Young has lived in the Annandale area for 22 years and in the city for 13 years. She graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington in 1970 and received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from St. Cloud State University in 1989.
Maggie Freiberg
1. First, Annandale needs restoration of its downtown. Simply put, there are too many empty storefronts on Main Street. Second, Annandale needs plans to revitalize recreational opportunities of the past, (such as the Pleasant Lake beach, and the Willow Park warming house) and create a variety of new opportunities that appeal to people across generations. I welcome new ideas and creative problem solving that stimulate downtown and recreational growth. 2. I am a lifelong resident of Annandale. I work as a mental health practitioner at the Annandale Intensive Residential Treatment facility and serve as a case manager for adults struggling with dual diagnosis. I assist my clients in identifying psycho-social barriers in their way of successful independent living and support their goals and objectives so they may begin to reach their full potential. I have been working with 10th grade students as a catechist of confirmation at St. Ignatius in Annandale for the past four years. Finally, I am one of the co-founding members of the Annandale Area Community Team. Through this experience I have worked with community members through visioning sessions, supported new groups, such as the Discover Downtown group who planned and facilitated the Farmers Market this summer, Arts and Culture group who are responsible for free Music in the Park, the Art Crawl, Petals and Palates, and so on. I also worked with fifth-11th grade Annandale students to raise money in hopes to build a skate park. My husband, John Dagner (Annandale graduate, firefighter and first responder, and Main Street business owner), and I have three daughters attending Annandale schools and one daughter that graduated from Annandale. 3. I would be an asset to the Annandale City Council because I have a unique perspective of Annandale, as this is where I grew up, raise my family, enjoy a career, socialize, shop, volunteer and pray. I am approachable, open-minded to new ideas, and positive. It is important to me that all community members have a sense of belonging and are proud of Annandale. I represent both young families that desire more recreational opportunities across generations and people concerned with restoring downtown. 4. The major issues include revitalizing downtown and recreational opportunities. 5. The city council and mayor would have to look at new ways to stimulate its local economy. 6. The city council and mayor should be supportive of retailers and consumers. As with the ACT visioning session, which identified future recreational projects, a downtown retail visioning session may prove helpful in recognizing consumer needs and perhaps motivate new business ideas and owners. 7. Yes, I am supportive of revitalizing what we have and creating a variety of new recreational opportunities in Annandale, which appeal to all generations. Community members have identified the need for a skateboard park, trails, community center and a beach with accessible facilities and lifeguard, through the most recent ACT visioning session. There were more safe recreational opportunities when I was a child than in the present. I have very fond childhood memories of sitting on the Pleasant Lake beach with a dozen of my cousins and eating sandwiches made of one piece of bologna slapped between two pieces of white bread, while we waited for the lifeguard on duty to blow the whistle signaling it was safe to go back in the water. My parents had something that I do not, peace of mind knowing their child could safely play at the beach. Our children deserve to safely swim at our local beach and have a place to warm their toes in the winter while ice skating. We can do better as a community. 8. The new wastewater treatment facility certainly opens the city up for new commercial projects, such as a community center. However, we have to ask ourselves if new projects are a good fit for our community.
Freiberg, 34, is an Annandale native who works as a mental health practitioner at the Annandale Intensive Residential Treatment facility. She’s a founding member of the Annandale Area Community Team and chair of the skateboard park committee. Freiberg is a member of the Faith Formation Board of St. Ignatius Church. She and her husband, John Dagner, have four daughters, three of them attending Annandale schools. Freiberg is a 1992 Annandale High School graduate, and she received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from St. Cloud State University in 2007.
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