By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Two weeks ago, at the Northfield Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, Ruth Dahl and Erica Zwiefel, the candidates for Northfield Mayor, shared their vision for Northfield. In both candidates’ visions, they expressed an interest in rebuilding trust between the city government and the public, creating a more welcoming environment for the public. However, beyond that, the two candidates shared different areas of focus; Zwiefel focused on economic development as one of her priorities in her vision of the city, stating that “the city needs a clear plan.”
“When I went to the city website I it referenced to 2006 plan. So really having a clear Economic development plan. How do we get add to that commercial industrial tax base include in that economic development plan would include a business and retention plan and a targeted business recruitment plan.” – Erica Zwiefel at the Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum
Zweifel stated that she would work to recruit businesses that are complimentary to Northfields top economic sectors:
“We would have attracted businesses that are complementary to our top top economic sectors and then that creates a Nexus where all of those businesses that are in those sectors are thriving and doing better because we brought in a business that’s complementary to a business that’s already here.”
Dahl instead focused on clarity about city projects, wanting to know the reasons for the project and the exact cost:
“I want clarity on if we’re doing a project, I want to know how much the city is paying. I want to know how much the city of Dundas is paying. I want to know how much the school district is paying and I want to see the bottom line and I want to see it very clearly.” – Ruth Dahl at the Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum
Dahl also expressed concerns with tax increases and controlling government spending:
“And we can’t just keep saying: Ohh well, we want this. We want this and we want the taxpayers to keep paying for it. So we’ll just keep asking for more money. That attitude has to stop. We have to learn to live within our means, within our budget. And I think it can be done.”
You can listen to the full recordings of the candidate forum on our website, by clicking here.
Election Day is 21 days away.