Meet the Candidates for Northfield Mayor 2024

The Mayor is the head of the city and the chief presiding officer of the City Council. They have the power to make appointments to different boards and commissions and can set the agenda and goals of the city government. 

Cadidates:

• Ruth Dahl
• Erica Zweifel

Please list any current political offices you hold. (if any)
n/a

Please list any previous political office you’ve held. (if any)
Past Chair and board member of Northfield Board of Education for 17 years
Past Secretary and Board member of MN Board of Dentistry 9 years – Governor appointed
Past Board member for Leading Age MN for 10 years

Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of. (if any)
Volunteer currently: Valley Pond Townhome Association VP 2017- present
Stablish Foundation Board member 2015 – present

What qualifies for the office you’re running for?
I have extensive business experience in management of properties in development and acquisition, in 3 states, including low-income housing and market rate housing. Expansion of my line of business included improved services for people in those neighborhoods.

What inspired you to run for office? If you are running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?
I was inspired to run because Northfield is my home town and I want to help be an agent of change for City Hall and the Council. I am deeply concerned about the amount of large projects the current Council and staff are projecting. We do not need to spend up to $100M in the next
two years on these needless projects. I want to make sure City Hall and the Council are listening to the citizens and taxpayers, which I believe is not happening today. We need business development, jobs and affordable housing ownership options. We cannot maintain double digit property tax increases to feed the current spending appetite of the City Council. One example being to remove the dam and redo our lovely and historic downtown into a plaza.

What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?
A must is to reign in spending, includes drastic reduction in use of consultants, engage all the Council members in good conversation and debate at the public meetings about projects and have the Council members report back to the entire Council on what their constituents are saying. The City Council and Mayor run the City and are responsible to taxpayers. We need excellent administrators and managers to make this happen. We must live within a comfortable budget. I have often heard from all corners of the City during my campaigning, ”Please bring common sense spending back into City Hall.”

What does being a leader mean to you?
Providing good leadership is a strong passion and sense of great satisfaction to me. I want to work along side good thoughtful people who want to listen and learn and grow. The outcome is to provide benefit for the people we serve. We must never lose sight of fact the taxpayers are the ones paying all the bills. We must be good stewards of their money. I want to be progressive but not to over spend. I also find it tremendously gratifying when the people of Northfield come to trust their elected officials to make the best decisions possible. Each Council member must never lose sight of that.

Frequently voters in Northfield have expressed concerns about the high property taxes. Are you willing to vote for a tax increase? If so what are the criteria you use to justify that increase? 
First and foremost, we have been overspending for the past few years. That must stop. We need to be able to rely on a City administrative staff to have the ability to buy in on what projects happen in Northfield and break the dependence we have on consultants. If a property tax increase is needed, it must be totally justified for needed projects – not wanted projects. I need to see a common sense business plan for any and all spending.

There are several projects facing Northfield (Ice Area, Water Treatment Plant, etc.), how would you prioritize which projects get funding and support? 
My stance after doing a lot of homework on the water treatment plant that is NOT needed at this time. 89% of homes in Northfield have soft water treatment. In the new proposed plan the City would only provide “softened” water. We very simply cannot do all these projects currently on the table in 2-3 year timeframe. We also do not need to rearrange Bridge Square and we do not need to remove the dam. I also want to reinstate a financial advisory committee that we used to have in Northfield. This small group of volunteers would meet quarterly and report budget and project cost concerns to the Council. This would go hand-in-hand with the Council members greater education of current financial positions facing the City.

How would you work to make sure that residents concerns are heard and addressed? 
I have a plan that would include the Council members holding townhall meetings in their ward two times per year at a minimum. They need to be responsive to the people that elected them. I also want a report back from each Council member about information they received/heard at these townhall meeting. This would be shared at a public meeting. I want to create an open and inviting atmosphere at City Hall.

Campaign Website & Social Media
https://www.ruth4mayor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ruth4mayor

Please list any current political offices you hold. (if any)
n/a

Please list any previous political office you’ve held. (if any)
Northfield City Council (2009-2020)

Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of. (if any)
Clean River Partners (board member 2021-2024)

Northfield Area Community Solar (Board Member)

Community Action Center’s Runway Revival organizing committee (2023-2024)

What qualifies for the office you’re running for?
I have 12 years of city council experience (2009-2020) and six years of professional civic engagement experience (2017 to current). In my three terms on the City Council from 2009 to 2020, I worked with colleagues and city staff to make Northfield a better place without substantial tax increases. I’m proud of our new police station, an improved and flood protected fire station, the public library expansion, a regional park including the East Cannon River Trail, energy efficiency improvements at city hall, and Phase I of the skateboard park. While on the Council, I also served on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority and we worked with Three Rivers to put together the Spring Creek I townhouses. As Carleton’s Assistant Director for Community Impact in the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, I work on reciprocal relationships with community organizations, meeting the needs of the community and the Carleton students’ learning objectives.

What inspired you to run for office? If you are running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?
I love being engaged in our local democracy. Like many residents, I question the direction the current Mayor and Council have taken with large tax increases, lack of transparency, poor communication, and focus on projects that do not meet our strategic goals. We can do better and I’m inspired to work with the community to prioritize and address our challenges together.

What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?
I will work to rebuild trust in city government by planning and budgeting for city priorities and establishing better two-way communication between staff and Council and the community.

What does being a leader mean to you?
Being a leader means working collaboratively for the benefit of the community. A leader must ask tough questions of staff to ensure Council policy direction is being carried out as Council envisioned. And, a leader must build support on the Council and in the community.

Frequently voters in Northfield have expressed concerns about the high property taxes. Are you willing to vote for a tax increase? If so what are the criteria you use to justify that increase? 
Some tax increases are necessary to keep up with inflation and cost increases outside our control like health insurance and construction costs. However, the Council must exercise its power to control spending and direct staff on budget issues, rather than agreeing with staff direction. The city has been increasing taxes at a rate that is not sustainable and is outpacing many people’s ability to pay. We must prioritize and schedule major improvements in the Capital Improvement Plan to stay within our financial limits and the capacity of staff and Council to manage the projects. Further, projects which benefit the entire community should be a higher priority than those which serve a very limited population. Finally, Northfield must take care of what it has before taking on substantial new liabilities for new facilities or projects.

There are several projects facing Northfield (Ice Area, Water Treatment Plant, etc.), how would you prioritize which projects get funding and support? 
The City has important goals with broad community support: increase the commercial and industrial tax base to ease the burden on residential taxpayers, increase housing choice and affordability, a park system for everyone and climate preparedness. I would prioritize projects that further these goals.

Next, I would ask myself and ask the Council to consider: What is the city-wide impact of a big capital project on the amount of debt we carry (including future costs to operate the facility), and how will it affect the tax levy?

Water treatment plant: Clean, safe drinking water is a core responsibility of city government; I support clean drinking water and removing pollutants including PFAS and other forever chemicals. This facility has been part of our city plans for many years, and I think we are all shocked at the price tag for the proposed new plant. The city has received $3.9 million in federal grants and has applied for an additional $29 million, but says “Whether or not the City receives the federal funding, the project is moving forward.” I would work to bring those costs down as this project moves forward.

Ice Arena: Northfield’s Ice Arena has been in poor condition for many years and a proposal for a new arena with two sheets of ice was voted down by the public in 2018. I favor a privately funded ice area or working collaboratively on a regional ice arena. If the council/EDA moves this forward in 2024, at the very least the city should have private fundraising taking place before construction is scheduled, and the private funding should be on par percentage wise with what the youth raised for the skateboard park. While there will be some opportunities for public skating, this is an expensive building to build, operate and maintain that primarily serves a small number of Northfielders.

Liquor Store: As a Council member in 2009, I served on a committee to review the return on our investment (ROI) for a new liquor store. Our finding was that it would take too long to recover the costs of a new store and I continue to think that is the case. This is not a core City function. Exiting the liquor business would free up valuable land for taxable uses.

A final example: The Northfield Community Resource Center (NCRC) building houses FiftyNorth, the Community Action Center (CAC), Healthy Community Initiative, Growing Up Healthy and more. These hard-working groups serve thousands of people and have been asking for updates to this city owned building for years. The CAC, which serves up to 25% of Northfielders, needs a better loading dock. I see that need first-hand as I help deliver hundreds of pounds of food a day just from CUB as part of food recovery efforts through my job at Carleton and my volunteering. Improving this facility would immediately improve the lives of many people. We should make it a priority.

How would you work to make sure that residents concerns are heard and addressed? 
I’m listening to you! More voices at the table leads to better solutions for Northfield and I’m committed to real engagement which welcomes debate and shares how public input is used to make decisions. Staff should not ask people to comment on what are essentially finished projects. I will welcome public input earlier so your knowledge can be used to prioritize and plan. Democratic elections are about choice and using the power of your vote to elect leaders who listen to you.

Campaign Website & Social Media
https://ericaformayor.org/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561927140810