[0:00] [Music] [0:08] **Announcer:** thank you [Music] [0:37] **Announcer:** foreign [0:47] **Phil Rains:** hello and welcome to the Lakeville city council candidate Forum brought to you by the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce I'd like to welcome those in the room and those watching via live stream or through rebroadcasts the chamber is hosting three candidate forums this year the Lakeville city council the Lakeville ISD 194 school board and a joint forum for Senate District 57 and House of Representatives districts 57a and 57b I'd like to thank the city of Lakeville for the use of the city hall for all three candidate forums as well as the live streaming and rebroadcasting of the recordings throughout this election season I am Phil rains with prevailing wisdom LLC and I'm the chair of the Lakeville chamber access and issues committee I [1:34] will service tonight's moderator the timekeeper for tonight's Forum will be Colleen LeBeau of LeBeau and Associates Re Max Advantage Plus and she is also a member of the Lakeville chamber access and issues committee it is the mission of the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce to serve as the advocate resource and leaders for our members and the business Community as such we conduct these forms each election season so you may get to know the candidates who would like to represent and serve our businesses and our residents we invited all five city council candidates to come to this forum we're glad that everyone chose to show up today and appreciate your attendance uh cancer attendants who have been [2:20] seated by random draw from my left are Joshua Lee, Abdi Abdullah, Sham, Richard Henderson and Michelle Volk. glad to have you thank you for uh for running this really is a difficult thing to do for people I know and I appreciate everyone who puts their name in the ring and hopes to help our community the format for this form will be as follows accountants were sent a list of potential questions in advance we will random draw the questions asking as many as we have time for with the understanding that I as moderator have the discretion to ask one additional [3:06] question if I so choose to our live audience in attendance and or thank you all for being here we will not be taking any live audience questions today so we do encourage you to reach out to the candidates individually if we don't address topics for which you would like more information and that goes for our online audience as well uh we do also ask that our in-person audience at City Hall please respect each of our candidates and our streaming viewers by refraining from noises and remarks that will disrupt the format and detract from the ability to meet with each of the candidates each Cadence will receive two minutes for introductions and opening remarks two minutes to respond to each question in 90 seconds for for closing remarks [3:52] with 30 seconds remaining in each candidate's allotted response time timekeeper will hold up a yellow card and when time has expired they will hold up a red card if you continue past your a lot of time I will ask you to finish your statement with each new question we'll start with the next clockwise candidate each question will be directed to all candidates this is a form not a debate we do recommend that you use your allotted time to respond to the questions as they relate to you and your candidacy not to comment or respond to other candidates answers we also ask that you respect each candidate there are and their allotted time and do not make comments during or directly following their answer period this form is intended to get to know each of you and why you wish to serve our community [4:39] are there any questions fantastic let's get started each Camp will have two minutes for their opening remarks again we're going to start left to right and then we'll with each question we'll move the starting person one down so that brings us to Mr Lee welcome [4:50] **Joshua Lee:** thank you very much good evening and thank you all for being here my name is Joshua Lee and I am running for re-election on the Lakeville City Council in 2015 or 2014 my family moved to Lakeville for several reasons it was highly rated for K-12 education for its safety for its highly rated amenities and offered affordable housing options that were conveniently located between my workplace at St Olaf College and my wife's workplace at Hamlin [5:25] University in the time since then that initial move I've developed a strong sense of Pride and responsibility for this community that Journey started when I joined the Lakeville police reserves in 2014 and continued to become stronger as I became more connected through Lakeville through the Crossroads Church Lakeville rotary Lakeville Chamber of Commerce and of course my time on the city council Lakeville is not only a place that I move to now it is a place that I call my home after serving in this role through some of the most challenging years in recent history I can tell you that this position is not easy or glamorous but it's an important and rewarding work as a city we have successfully navigated through Uncharted Territory supporting our community through a pandemic while [6:11] simultaneously leading our region in growth achieving a triple a bond rating and maintaining the lowest taxes in the county we also have in shied away from tough conversations and and concerns that impact the most vulnerable populations and resources so when I am when I'm asked why I'm running for reelection it's because I believe in the work that is being done and I've proudly been a part of initiatives that are vital to the growing community and that continue to make Lakeville the best place to live work and play so thank you very much [6:45] **Phil Rains:** thank you sir uh Abdi [6:58] **Abdi Abdullah:** thank you um welcome and my name is Abdullah I am running for city council this is my first time writing for City Council in city of Lakeville a little bit about myself I grew up in South Minneapolis and graduated Minneapolis public schools went to University of Minnesota and attended University of River Falls and provisional status I graduated from Hamlin in a master of public administration as well as my principal license I I am the executive director of small non-profit organization in Southwestern Minneapolis since 2018 I'm still current that administrator I moved to Lakeville after George Falls get killed I have been witnessed that [7:45] traumatized me and I moved out of that City and I moved to Lakeville and I believe City of Lakeville I felt a sense of belonging and home I called the Minneapolis home still where I spent 20 years but now me and my wife was sitting with an audience tonight sugar Abby and I and our six children the age of uh 14 to 4 now a part of this beautiful community I moved it here for many different reasons as safety issue of uh school system all those are part of the [8:31] reason that I moved in Lakeville I Envision a community that have a sense of belonging to each other we polarized the community here but I believe Lakeville have a different vision and that is why I'm running to bring that common uh and interest together as a families thank you [8:48] **Phil Rains:** thank you all right sham [8:51] **Sham:** ah thanks as Chamber of Commerce to host this event tonight my name is Me by sham are born in Cairo Egypt 1963 I have three brothers and one sister my father my mother best weight 25 years ago [9:17] so I carried the whole possibility to grow my brother my sister so because I was the first son since I was young I was working hard to raise my family God so I come to United States of America in 1990 I lived in New York for eight years and I met my wife Agatha who moved to Minnesota to Lakeville here in the year 2000 I helped my friend Salah the owner of the backboard restaurant since then I work with him and uh I went through some tough time and 2016 I got hit by cancer I lost my right kidney [10:04] oh I stay home like one year uh it was a tough time but I follow up with the doctors so far I'm a cancer-free so thank God uh when Chrome virus hit our country about two and a half years ago uh Governor Wallace shut down all businesses especially the small businesses like restaurants bars everything shut down so after like six weeks he opened it but you gotta take out early so I am the everybody file employment except me so I'm the one I was open the restaurant taking orders uh I cook it I give it to the people and most of the customer when technology says man one kidney and uh [10:50] cancer survivor and you do all this I say yes because I love my town and I like to serve the people and they always says you are a hero thank you [11:00] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you Richard [11:03] **Richard Henderson:** good good evening thank you all for attending my name is Richard Henderson I'm running for city council I am a small business owner podcast host Navy veteran and father of five children I am independent non-partisan and I try to be non-polarizing I am a political Outsider not funded by any special interests there is more truth than sarcasm in the saying that Lakeville is America's biggest small town a lot of powerful special interests do influence [11:37] our city but you can always be assured that I I will always make decisions based on what I believe are the best interests of Lakeville and not a special interest I believe I can add unique value to the city council my background as a now retired U.S Navy Captain brings command leadership skills running complex and complicated organizations skills that will translate well to City leadership I have lived the military leaders code of authority responsibility accountability my engineering background will also add value as we tackle what I believe is like Phil's biggest challenge our high rate of growth having raised five children here with my wife Stacy in [12:22] Lakeville I also understand the challenges that families face I serve in rotary and veterans of foreign war and a member of the Chamber of Commerce and All Saints Paris briefly my three priorities are sustained and balanced growth keeping Lakeville family friendly and and Public Safety I am concerned about the polarization that is gridlocking National and state governments and has even turned our local school board into election into partisan trench warfare I'll work to keep Lakeville government friendly and nonpartisan or one strives to find something good in a Viewpoint they disagree with just like we did in in the military my number one job will will be always to listen to you and hopefully be your independent voice thank you [13:08] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you very much Michelle [13:17] **Michelle Volk:** good evening I am always proud to tell people that I'm from Lakeville Minnesota my parents moved here 49 years ago I grew up in the Valley Park area and I graduated from Rosemont High School I met my husband Tom and we've been married now for um for forever 41 years and we have three daughters that we raised here in Lakeville and we are now proud grandparents of three granddaughters I currently work from home and I do bookkeeping for multiple businesses one of the great things about our community is the opportunities that we [13:56] have to volunteer and I have done that through the schools basically as my children were going through the schools I volunteered at all of them I've been a past PTO president of a couple of the schools and thankfully they still allow me into the schools to volunteer as a grandparent for my granddaughter who's at JFK um we are really fortunate that we have such a strong business community and we shouldn't take them for granted they really care about our community and they provide the necessary Partnerships that we need to for the school district and also the city as a longtime resident I've experienced [14:43] the immense growth that we have had in our city and um nowadays as I travel across the country the interesting part is is that when I first would tell people 40 something years ago that you know Lakeville Minnesota they had no clue where we were now when I travel and I say I'm from Lakeville Minnesota it doesn't matter what state I'm in they know who we are and we have such a great reputation and I will continue to work on behalf of our citizens to retain that great distinction thank you [15:19] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you very much appreciate uh again all of you being here and a reminder you'll have two minutes to respond to each question as they come through uh we're going to start off with Abdi when we uh get this question this question relates to Workforce all right as our business Community continues to grow we need to continue to develop and support strategies to recruit and retain qualified candidates for the independence positions that are being created excuse me uh how will you work to ensure that Lakeville has the services and amenities that will attract the workforce to fill the jobs that are being created here all right [16:13] **Abdi Abdullah:** all right thank you so the issue of Workforce is something that we have been experiencing lately I am as I told I am executive director of a small school and we experience the same problem that with this question erased and if you go I'm educator so around this school districts now we have a shortage police any Workforce you type in it is a shortage so in a Lakeville it is not different the problem that existed in the state of Minnesota and at large in our nation and that is a problem that we share with elephant in Lakeville how can we address this question and how can we create those we can create a proactive an intervention program that we can put for place which [17:02] means providing incentives creating scholarship is trying to you know scholarship for and even graduate and professional studies those are the ideas that we need to discuss not only in the chamber but at large in the Lakeville community and residence because who will pay at the end of the day and who those money will be sponsoring is by the resident taxes those are the questions it's a hard question it is very hard question and it's a problem to address and we have to touch that and as an administrator I believe I know what it looks like to be balanced the budget I know how to create the budget I know the question that we need to be asked and those are the things that probably will [17:48] have uh come up with a question the question we come up with the issue is not us it is all within a nation in the state and the local government but creating those kind of discussion and having that hot question right now will probably solve the longer term problems thank you [18:05] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you very much Sham [18:25] **Sham:** I think we'll have this problem for the short of the workforce more than 15 years now we'll discuss this issue so many times uh the exit is milked to build a cheap houses uh for people to come to report to live in or to buy it because the houses here is is very expensive now you know you [18:35] need 40 from your income to buy a house that's what banks is same thing if you want to rent apartment you need to the young company has to be one-third the rent so if if you're going to get somebody work here for average 18 an hour 40 hours 40 hours a week is it's like 200 280 if you divide this by three it's gonna come to 960. [19:05] one bedroom apartment rent one thousand three hundred dollars now average in Lakeville forget about the two bedrooms so the the owner or the manager of the buildings is gonna ask him for best stops when I bring the best OPS it's not gonna qualify because they make only 960 it's one third of the rent so it's not going to qualify how am I going to attract people so we'll have two options first option to forget about the base stops so people can rent above money you didn't murder in the escort the second option is the probably text is so expensive now probably tax for last 15 years from 300 for apartment to 900 for apartment and this is a killing the housing or be [19:51] able to come live here to rent apartment and stuff like that what I'm saying is uh we're gonna work out the stinks to send a city council current or the income and to send the motion uh to the managers of buildings rentals to stop asking people for best app that's why people come from outside to come rent apartment you then pay the rent that is the court and this is a fee at a lot of things thanks [20:13] **Phil Rains:** all right appreciate your answer Richard [20:16] **Richard Henderson:** thank you Lake Bill's Workforce will likely surpass 20 000 in 2023 over 25 percent of the city's resident population developing a community a community that will attract and retain workers is as important as keeping [20:38] Lakeville the community of choice for South Metro home buyers this year this issue highlights the Strategic element of planning and development services and amenities such as dining establishments close to employment centers like air Lake requires a strategic focus on planning and Redevelopment there's been some good progress such as the new Amaco station that we had at Ruben covenanting for today and the airport restaurant and more should be prioritized Beyond dining's workers need access to a broad range of services so that Lakeville is not just a place they commute communicate or commute into each and every day we can prioritize more of these services and our new developments including the Professional Services that [21:24] workers need access to during the work day this might require you know being flexible on small amounts of rezoning in development perhaps the best way to track qualified workers is for Lakeville to be a place where more of these workers can afford to live in this requires strategic planning and development for more Workforce oriented housing closer to centers of employment and to increase diversity of housing with more affordable Apartments and Townhomes close to employment centers and that might include senior housing for seniors who want to stay in the workforce and for these workers who live in Lakeville amenities such as improved bike trails and Pathways offer attractive alternatives to traditional Automotive commuting so green [22:10] development can actually be Pro development in making Lakeville more attractive to the folks who work here each day thank you [22:17] **Phil Rains:** I appreciate that Michelle [22:19] **Michelle Volk:** thank you so I was trying to think of all the amenities that we have here in Lakeville and one of the greatest resources that we have is the chambers Lake for Works program one this program has really helped to connect our youth and people in our citizens with potential jobs here in Lakeville and the other thing that they've highlighted is [22:57] the fact that you don't need a four-year degree to actually get a fantastic paying job in this city we have plenty of them in the air Lake Park that maybe even with a couple years of schooling you would and and or the company may actually train you that they are pretty desperate for employees in a well-paying job um it would also be wonderful if we could get a college like Dunwoody to actually come and offer some satellite classes here in Lakeville and I'm not really sure at this time you know what that would take to get them to come here to offer those classes but I'm definitely willing to spend the time to [23:43] pursue that idea our current amenities is that we have like over 90 restaurants the city council has updated their policy on food trucks so businesses could have food trucks come to their company we have lots of Green Space Parks Trails for employees to take walks during their lunch breaks the wonderful air Lake airport that was brought up um and I believe that our city is a great place to raise a family with all the activities that we have in the Park and Recs Department the art center is a wonderful venue and all of these things including beautiful neighborhoods are ways to attract people to come and live and work in Lakeville [24:31] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you for your answer appreciate that Joshua [24:39] **Joshua Lee:** so the labor issues to me are an evolving and multifaceted issue ultimately what it comes down to right now is the fact that our labor pool is so small and the skills that they have are a mismatch for the opportunities that we have within the city of Lakeville and really any region around the country so while there are many ways to address this I think the primary issue is educating and creating those career opportunities in ways that maybe our high school students are not thinking about right now and one of the the best sustainable ways to do that is investing in our youth who are are ready to work [25:19] and are ready to learn the skills they need to make a meaningful and profitable life after graduation as a administrator at Saint Olaf College I I clearly am one that is an advocate for a four-year education and have um been one to really push opportunities that revolve around mentorships apprenticeships internships but I have also had several conversations with college students that a four-year degree is not always the right path and I think that that is true for our high school students and they need to realize and understand all of the opportunities that are out there and if we can help train our youth to [26:06] match the skilled trades that we have in Lakeville that is a very sustainable sustainable and healthy way to not only support our businesses but to support our community and hopefully keep that Talent here because uh honestly if we can do that that is a very holistic and sustainable way to just uh help our residents businesses and the whole ecosystem that we have so um just one obviously there are many more but that's the first one that came to mind [26:41] **Phil Rains:** okay thank you for your answer appreciate that all right we'll move to the next question which we'll start with sham this is a question about Envision Lakeville uh Envision Lakeville was created to serve as a road map for the future of the city I'll have the Community Values and strategic priorities of Envision Lakeville been carried out and what still needs to be addressed sham [27:16] **Sham:** five or ten years from now War heard about climate change climate change the rain the clouds come back to us with acid rain now and just keeping grown because the poisons and all the factories were sent to the cloud and they come back to us as acid rain [27:37] I think five ten years from now the lake you can swim in the lake no more so my Barbosa is for one of my objects will have a great spaces in our uh [28:03] in our box so my proposal is I see in September 19 on a city council meeting that was discussed about uh a truck vending truck Beverages and little food and works and uh I see I agree with Joshua and Michelle to oppose this situation because that is a bigger issue we couldn't discuss that so if you want to go we're going to go big we have a lot of spaces all we need one of my sips to build a fine investor or or the city Final investor to build swimming board some embolden one in the box is going to [28:51] bring us uh a lot of join and fun for families and kids and so also cafeteria was a light meals and beverages and we all discuss this uh later on but the idea is to bring something new and bring Revenue to the city a city takes six percent for the food truck or a beverage no you take a 50 from the investor and this is a lot of income of becoming like the liquor store bring a lot of income to the city so this is the same thing to bring a lot of income to the city that's one of my proposal thank you [29:32] **Phil Rains:** all right I appreciate that Richard [29:38] **Richard Henderson:** I believe in Envision Lakeville has been an effective tool to bring folks together to share opinions and ideas about what they strategically Envision for Lakeville let's view some of the different sections of Envision Lakeville first we made good progress on increasing economic sustainability this includes in improved diversity and larger and smaller commercial businesses as Lakeville moves aggressively through its 2040 land use plan we should open up the aperture more to the next phase of Development coming after 2028. next are excellent schools continue to be perhaps the biggest driver that brings in new families I would perhaps look at ways to improve upon the Chamber of commerce's Lakeville [30:24] Works initiative two partner schools with the local Workforce the next element of Envision Lakeville to develop a community of choice is moving in the right direction the recently passed Park Bond will improve our parks and raises everybody's property values and local builds quality reputation the city government I also think is also delivering its services in a highly competent manner the more challenging part of Envision Lakeville is to cultivating a sense of community lakeville's large footprint and increasing diversity diversity that is concentrated in our newer neighborhoods our challenges we've created a good starting point to have the conversation and I support doing more to build on [31:09] this inclusion this year's tax Force has been a good to improve sense of belonging it's been good action steps move in the right direction but there are not a lot of specifics more General guidelines and collaborations we should Implement more measurable steps into 2023 Envision Lakeville updates in the future one item I will be sensitive to is that efforts to cultivate a sense of Community start to become what the military we called Kabuki theater where going through the promotions and the process became the focus cultivating a sense of community is a journey not a destination and it requires the ongoing Community Focus and a Leader's commitment to inclusion thank you [31:51] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you uh Michelle [31:55] **Michelle Volk:** well one of the Community Values that I would like to focus on in the next four years is access to a multitude of natural amenities and recreational opportunities we're very fortunate in this city to have 125 miles of pedestrian and bike trails and 1700 Acres of beautiful parks our newest neighborhood park includes a we go round and that is for children that have are in wheelchairs and so that they have the opportunity we I should say have the opportunity now to enhance our additional parks that we've got coming up with inclusive playground [32:41] equipment I recently saw an article online describing the University of Pittsburgh and the new design that they had for waterproof motorized wheelchair that runs entirely on compressed air this chair was designed for a splash park in Morgan's Wonderland Park in San Antonio Texas and by the way Morgan's Wonderland Park claims that they are the first Park where everyone can play in order to accomplish this goal of enhancing our parks with inclusive playground equipment equipment Partnerships will need to play a vital role currently our Partnerships with the Lakeville Hockey Association and Heritage figure skating clubs they have committed a 1.5 million to the outdoor [33:27] multi-use Pavilion at Halsey Arena our business Community is the one that commit contributed toward the uyghur round in that neighborhood park the Lakeville lions are donating five hundred thousand dollars to the new Splash Pad at Avon leap Community Park we need to continue to find Opportunities to partnership with organizations and other government entities that will benefit our community thank you [34:10] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate that uh Joshua [34:14] **Joshua Lee:** right so I I've been a part of many strategic planning and visioning processes throughout my career and one of the most frustrating parts of these processes is when the end result in no change no action and gets placed on the Shelf what I appreciate about Lakeville and the lake Envision Lakeville document is that it's an initiative that's a living document that's embedded in the day-to-day operations of our city of our planning and decision making and you can see how these strategies have evolved over time through multiple committees and Community input it it's something that the whole Community has been a part of and is is one of the reasons why I think it's been successful you can actually go to the city website right now to see our progress on all of these initiatives however my belief is that this work is [35:00] never really Complete because we are consistently reevaluating and determining what our next step should be it's an annual process that continues to grow and evolve to cultivate a sense of community value has been a recent focal point for our community and spawned several initiatives and as one of the primary authors for the task force and the subsequent actions that that came after that I believe that this is an extremely important piece of the future of Lakeville each aspect of this process has been an opportunity to learn but it has also been an exercise in humility so as a result of this work we've initiated a new youth advisory commission and have created more measurable strategies for fostering a sense of community so while there's more [35:46] work to be done I believe we lay we've laid the foundation for more work that supports Community involvement in addressing Community concerns [36:03] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate that Abdi [36:06] **Abdi Abdullah:** good all right thank you Envision Lakeville uh there was not something that I was aware until I was received a phone call from a reporter from I think started tribuno NPR I don't remember and they asked me about you live in Lakeville you know how did the city treat you and I was like what what are you talking about so uh the plan the vision what we wrote in it in the cohort group that we put together all these will end it up as Joshua say in the [36:34] cabinet but the difference is that we're looking for is implementation and exit executing that implementation so that is what really the ultimate goal that is it so setting up a goal that's measurable and attainable for the city is what we need to get out of this Envision Lakeville how do we get that is the question and how do we create that is the question we need to ask ourselves it's not a question that the chamber can be answered is the question that whole entire city of Lakeville resident and taxi Bayers need to be a part of it and collaboration and consultation with the stakeholders peace and his members other community members so it is a very challenge [37:21] that's ahead that we need to be ready for it today you know in a city perspective budgeting and money and how we paid things that the beautiful idea that we propose how are we going to challenge the crisis that will come out the new diversity population in the community that joined in Lakeville City that's now called itself a very welcoming City and that we say those are the questions that needs to be find an answer for it do I have the answers and best to plan of course I do it cost you money so those are the things that we need to ask ourselves so I believe collaboration between the community and the city officials stakeholders the county we need to come together and plan better for our city thank you [38:08] **Phil Rains:** okay thank you all right I appreciate everyone's answers today uh we're gonna move on to the next one and we will start on this one with Richard that one seems like the perfect one this is about city services Lakeville continues to be the fastest growing city in Minnesota and the demand for services is constantly increasing how would you balance the increased need for services while also ensuring that our city remains fiscally responsible Richard [38:55] **Richard Henderson:** with Lakeville tracking to be the fifth largest city in Minnesota demand for services are going only going to go up first people and business expansions in our cities will require proportional increases in Staffing and services you can only rely so much on improved economies of scale the envisioned Lakeville process also notes superiority of city services as important contributors to our high quality City I will cautiously consider Outsourcing to the private sector to accommodate an increase in workloads when it is not feasible or cost effective to hire City staff this is often done for example with infrastructure projects but whether hiring new staff or using private sector Outsourcing the bottom line is we should be willing to make the spending Investments to ensure that no decline in quality of government services or quality of life to not make [39:42] these Investments over time will reduce everyone's property values and the value attached to Lakeville and these declines in property could be to benefit negligible Savings in these expenses you know this would be a good time to deprive Define my values when revealing increases in government spending I apply a nonpartisan business case process that I learned in business school such as a cost benefit analysis I determine what additional costs are required for a community investment and then make an estimate on the increase in property values and revenue that would result from that investment if this clearly if this increase clearly exceeds the cost then I will move forward favorably with a further review on this spending or investment thank you [40:34] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate that Michelle [40:38] **Michelle Volk:** thank you well this is always a challenge by ensuring that we're providing the necessary core services such as police fires the streets the trail maintenance along with our need to actually replace and and or purchase expensive equipment and then balancing the cost to the taxpayer in the best way we can um one of the things that I wanted to [41:14] mention is that we are extremely fortunate that we have department heads in this city that ha don't have the mentality of use it or lose it their budgets do not roll over year after year um and so they consciously look at their budget and determine whether or not what they had budgeted for that year is actually a necessary expense and can it be held off consistently we have seen them come in under budget year after year which I have to say is very commendable there's just not a lot of government agencies that do that they are great fiscal stewards of our money [42:01] sometimes as council members we have to make some tough decisions and and that is maybe not to actually purchase something or move a project to the next year as we're trying to look at that balance of what it's going to cost to our taxpayer we also need to reach out and seek more grants for instance the city council is looking at seeking a grant to be able to hire six firefighters um at the end of the year if we have general fund money left over um our policy is that 50 percent of the budget has to be available for the next year then we can make some one-time purchases in my opinion the city council has been a very good Steward of our taxpayers dollars thank you [42:54] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate your response Joshua [42:58] **Joshua Lee:** well there are several ways to balance the needs of services and the demands there and meet our fiscal responsibility needs first we need to continue to make progress on our financial sustainability policy and our pay as as we go strategy because at some point our growth will slow down and will be necessary that we have the funding structures available to support a community that's not growing as rapidly as we are today second we need to continue to seek out the grants and resources that are available at the federal state and [43:33] county level for example the county has a program for trailheads that they will help develop and maintain and there are opportunities for us to continue that partnership so that they take over those financial responsibilities for those trails third can continually seek efficiencies in our resources tools and equipment four focus on maintaining that AAA Bond rating we achieved it we know what it takes to continue to maintain that and it's important that we do because that brings down our interest rate on any bonding that we do here on out and fifth ensure strong communication and input from our economic economic development committee and finance committee to help us help guide us forward because we need their expert voices as we continue to move into the next chapter of Lakeville so while this is not an exhaustive List It demonstrates the multiple facets that it it requires and the levers that are available to keep our city financially healthy thank you [44:52] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you Abdi [44:56] **Abdi Abdullah:** okay I believe is only one way uh to balance the the balance sheet which is to be responsible and that is what I have seen the city was missing last two years when I according to the finance budget uh the budget that was in 2022 2021 the city is spending more money than Revenue that's coming to end so how it is a it is very simple logic how are you gonna spend the more money than you have you either have what do you have in the book and expanded that to the Limit or you look for another revenues whether you're gonna bring from City Investments or grants whether the federal the state level Partnerships find the ways to pay for it and whatever you budgeted on that budget should that's what the city needs to be go under it going back to the question of how do we do this we need to be a transparent with the community that we serve in residents and [45:51] taxpayers do we have you know what it takes to bring that onto the table that's a question that needs to be answered uh are we planning uh we plan accordingly are we paying accordingly who is our you know who are we paying the biggest debug of course we need a we need to pay the police we need to pay the city and City Walkers we need to uh work with the fire and we need there is you know there's an area that we have to address immediately that we have to pay that payroll needs to go out but we need to answer the question of which is very simple how are we going to generate more fundings if we're not raising a taxes or making any levies and we're spending more money where will the city future go that's the question needs to be answered and I'm I don't have the question answers for myself but it's Among Us thank you [46:44] **Phil Rains:** thank you appreciate it Sham [47:11] **Sham:** physical possibility is a relationship between spending and our income in the city so many times I says they cannot spend money you don't have I see uh the day for yesterday and here in the chamber uh mayor Doug Anderson who is worried about the five years project coming was engineer Zach was here the other day to borrow like 10 million dollars and uh five years from now the 10 million dollars is going to go up because everything coming expensive expensive it's going to go up to 15 000 to 15 million dollars maybe so we cannot spend money we don't have like I says we're going to burota is the need before the ones so many times I says and also thank you will have no investment the city didn't invest in anything all the investment we have is is the liquor stores like us is if if the city invests in a swimming pool in the Box if I have a thousand membership in each swimming ball [48:09] for a hundred dollar membership this is a hundred dollar this is a hundred thousand dollars a month for a whole year this is going to be Four Seasons it's gonna be a million dollars exactly income or leave to enter the swimming pool you can have a cafeteria food beverages if you're gonna fight investor to do it yeah you're going to have charging 50 percent and come to the city so this many projects you can attract money to the city we're keeping and spending money spending money like 90 from 90 percent money investors and infrastructure and Road and stuff it doesn't come back you never come back so we need to spend money and bring Revenue to us again so we could use it again again and again thank you [49:03] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate that okay so we're on to the fourth question this one we start with Michelle all right and this one is about Connections given that the chamber is a business organization tell us specifically about your connection to the local business community Michelle [49:38] **Michelle Volk:** thank you um so I've been a chamber member for over 20 years and I have been participating in the access and issues group meetings these meetings a lot of times highlight a speaker and they discuss issues that affect our local business community members that are on that at that meeting can then talk about some of the obstacles that they're facing for instance during the pandemic the some of the businesses were talking about how hard it was to actually find Qualified employees and some of the solutions that they were coming up with were having large starting bonuses and they also basically learned that they needed to increase the wage for some of their entry-level jobs um another benefit for this meeting is the fact that the businesses are able to [50:29] get updates from the City the school district their state legislatures Etc and we get feedback from them on policies that we're thinking about Etc and they can let us know how that's going to affect them I've attended many chamber luncheons where I've had the privilege of sitting at a table for lunch and learning about the employees in our area and and their roles and their jobs I've attended many ribbon cuttings Etc that at this point seem to be occurring weekly and it's always educational to learn about what a new business is going to offer to our community and one of my favorite things to learn is what brought him here what made them come to Lakeville and most of them will state that it has to do with the quality of our staff helping them to come and build a business here thank you [51:21] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you Joshua [51:24] **Joshua Lee:** well first of all we have an incredibly strong business community that is supported by an amazing chamber um as a council member I've taken every opportunity to build those relationships with our business Community by taking advantage of groundbreaking ribbon cuttings chamber membership anniversaries those are the relationships that provide me with the perspective of what our needs demands and and growth that we have in the city and and what we what we need as part of that ecosystem in the in the city of Lakeville much of my work on the council has been prioritizing those needs of that ecosystem which requires adequate housing diversity a skilled Workforce as well as processes and resources that encourage new businesses to choose Lakeville more specifically supporting the visitors bureau Lakefield Works providing pandemic relief to businesses and improving new businesses to Lakeville are all ways that I have personally been a part of the business community but in addition to that I always make it a priority to attend workshops like the manufacturer's Workforce panel to ensure that I stay abreast of the upcoming Trends and concerns in our community so [52:50] while I do not own a business I did previously work as a Kate on as on the catering team at Crystal Lake Golf Course and I am a fierce promoter of our local businesses to my family friends and co-workers to their dismay probably but every day I can I I tell them that they need to dine and shop here in Lakeville so thank you [53:13] **Phil Rains:** all right and we definitely appreciate people promoting our business is here uh not that that's an endorsement of anything um only the businesses Abdi [53:26] **Abdi Abdullah:** yes first of all I want to put this out I am proud Shopper of our community members and so my dollars don't go outside Lakeville my grocer is done in Lakeville my dry cleaning done Lakeville so going back to the question is a great Community the relationship that I have in my professional level I have providers who live in Lakeville that I hire that come to me and I work with the relationship I have is the one I just said using the services that our great community business that we have I provide Consulting and services and other strategic planning with them I dream about having a business in Lakeville my wife and I Dreaming to open a Lakeville community store it is it is in the early [54:22] dream states we may come down to the road before our retirements so so that is that but other than that I don't have any membership with the chamber or any specific uh relationship with the comrades but I am a lake film member my family members work in the community I shop in the community we have relationship with the community and that's the relationship that I have which I am looking forward to in the future that our relationship will grow stronger and we'll build a Lakeville stronger Lakeville together [54:55] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you um just making a joke uh we have one that's promoting one that's shopping at them and Sham I think you own one so you're up next [55:18] **Sham:** you just uh I agree with everybody says something about the situation because it's all right and uh like I said uh uh as a chef in a restaurant in Lakeville I make my money here in Lakeville I spend my money here in Lakeville uh I shop in Lakeville so uh this is how you make like like the philosophy is as a as a city council member you know to to to work and live in Lakeville so uh uh I think everybody said the right decision tonight so I'm so grateful thank you [56:07] **Phil Rains:** thank you Richard [56:11] **Richard Henderson:** I operate a small business in Lakeville and I am a chamber of commerce member my business is in magazine publishing um I have a podcast and also a lot of e-commerce although my business has a national Focus I still rely on many other small businesses to support my business like most business owners I Outsource what I can our Chamber of Commerce is an integral part of the Lakefield Community has been a great place to network to meet other business owners and gain advice I value the many friends I have made through the chamber I've also had the chance to learn more about Lakeville business attending their breakfast lunch and and ribbon cuttings I can't deny that the local business Community is also a fun social network with many fun events sponsored by the chamber and other businesses a case in point we just had the rocktoberfest this last Friday and it was a lot of fun that was sponsored by the chamber I'm also a member of Lakeville rotary Club the community group I am most active in rotary participation brings me in contact with many other small owners of small businesses and others who work for larger local businesses through these connections over the years I learned the challenges that businesses face here and how the local community and government can work together as partners with the [57:27] business Community I consider myself a pro-business candidate I believe that we cannot have a thriving pro-lit family Lakeville without a thriving business Community this is also the best way to keep our taxes and our annual tax levy low while generating the revenue to fund the improvements that we need to keep Lakeville the high quality City that it is thank you [57:51] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you um we are on to our fifth question so this time I believe we start with Joshua and this is a question regarding staff support how will you support City staff in their efforts to Market Lakeville as a business friendly destination to potential new and relocating businesses Joshua [58:35] **Joshua Lee:** all right thank you for your patience so first I want to recognize the fact that we have an incredible staff here in Lakeville we have many award-winning teams and individuals that uh that are within our ranks that have worked diligently to uphold the vision and direction of city council while providing top-notch service to our residents and businesses a reputation is a business friendly City and that hinges on a few factors but one of the most important ones is the accessibility and ease of working with City staff and I can't tell you how many times a business has come to city council to tell us how easy it was to work with the city ultimately though one of the best ways we can support such a high performing team is to maintain our role as a board of directors to point out potential pitfalls concerns to oversee the overall vision and Direction but not to micromanage the day-to-day operations of what's going on in City Hall and out in in the other functions of the city staff so that's how I believe you continue to build trust within your team and motivate them to do their best work [59:58] **Phil Rains:** all right I appreciate Abdi [1:00:07] **Abdi Abdullah:** thank you uh so in less than nine years I have been sitting on an on a chair hiding interviewing self-making selections but it looks like into this chair that it will look like kind of like obviously support consult and provide uh collaboration with others such as human resource team City administrators directors and the question of how do we uh interact business uh friendly you know promoting that it is a question that I think we need not only Lakeville we have that capacity but also reach out to help with the county officials because sometimes a big [1:00:52] company organization might ask a huge tax break which the very small budget that seat of Lakeville has even more than that so how do you kind of collaborate with those things so who do we turn for help who do we ask for help stay level county level Federal level so those are the things that we need to bring on the table those are the questions we need to ask ourselves and that is why I'm good at it I have been developing and building teams hiding putting working at board of directors helping and creating uh budgets and working with our budgets and often providing oversight I work with the directories board of directors and that is something I believe I have an experience and I have done that for the last nine years it is something that I [1:01:39] do daily and it's my professional level writing grants all those are the things that I think we need to look for uh support any partnership we can create whether the developers private and non-profit organizations so I believe we can attain recruit with the help of others and Partnerships thank you [1:02:11] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you I appreciate it Sham [1:02:16] **Sham:** I'm going to make a very short uh to support City staff and that offered to Mark legwell as a business's friendly decision is all about attitude a good added to bring businesses which I think most of the people work in Lakeville City have the good attire too and you know he beat your smile Mitchell was was give you a nice hope to make you you know attracted to to do something for the city and stuff like that and uh this is how you maintain good relation with a city staff and the residents and the business owners uh to keep going to get the city going thank you [1:03:00] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you good luck Richard [1:03:11] **Richard Henderson:** the most important first step for me was to have a clear assessment from Key City staff such as the economic development commission EDC and planning on what support they need for Effective marketing to new and relocating businesses I won't make assumptions ensure that these marketing resources are included into the annual budget and you know in the big scheme of a large city budget like Lakeville the resources needed for business marketing are very very small part of the financial pie for example the EDC distributes the Lakeville Thrive newsletter to highlight new business development there's also the chambers Lakeville Works to better communicate employee needs I will be supportive of these and other forms of communication and marketing to raise repute lakeville's reputation with new businesses for a larger business interested in Lakeville I will be [1:03:58] open-minded to rezoning and other Financial incentives that the business might require and would assist as a city leader in communicating with those businesses as requested the city of Lakeville has uh also has key Partners who assist with communication to business such as the Chamber of Commerce Planning Commission and downtown Business Association I would look at any options to strengthen this integration to make their Communications more effective future development also has a connection with keeping the city business friendly and highlights the importance of strategic development for example more affordable housing for workers key infrastructure improvements and development clusters of industrial or retail centers uh make Lakeville more business friendly this emphasizes the importance of having a long-term strategic focus on development and how this opens up more opportunities to Market Lakeville as a business friendly destination thank you [1:05:01] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you Michelle [1:05:04] **Michelle Volk:** thank you our Communications and economic development departments I think are doing a great job promoting Lakeville is a great place to live and work to start your business here or to relocate here on our website when you look on the economic development Tab and you look at the heading development toolbox it gives it outlines some opportunities such as tax increment financing the Minnesota job creation fund the Minnesota investment fund and then the open to Business program that's in conjunction with Dakota County these are great resources for businesses that are thinking about coming here the other thing that I think is wonderful is that it's a two-page you know front and back well actually it's just like a one page but front and back handout that outlines some of the data about our city and the fact that we have 63 percent of our population that is of working age and it includes data on building permits that have been issued industrial space that's under construction and and then you know land that's available for a business to purchase and and build new our website this is a um the interactive development map is something that I would highly suggest even to our residents but for businesses it lets them know you know where all the businesses are that are coming in what developments are taking place but for our residents when you're driving by some place and you're like oh what are they building there go on our website look at the interactive develop map and that will answer your question so I think overall I think that both departments do a great job promoting Lakeville thank you [1:07:22] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you uh we've got some time so uh if we're good we're gotta got at least one more question here for you I think we're starting with Abdi this time all right stuck to my hand so this must be the right one this is regarding business retention how would you characterize the business climate in Lakeville what do you feel should be done if anything to attract and retain business in Lakeville all right Abdi [1:07:55] **Abdi Abdullah:** retention and attracting the uh so this sentences I think Lakeville has a potential when it comes to attractive businesses whether it's a large cooperation or a small business what we need to do is that do we have the capacity to hold what it takes to support these businesses I have seen uh organization is that for example we order small permits and contractors will take 30 days around so what is the capacity of city of Lakeville for turnaround to support organizations if the small contractors are getting that time so we need to look back and see the city [1:08:41] capacity we need to create a department not the comrades and the support of that but Department that is uh set up to support and come up intensive is to attract small businesses as well as a large business and what would that look like do we have the money to support small businesses and to give them a taxi breaks and do we have a land to donate do we have what are those other questions do we have the residents or if we have to support that so all those the questions and it goes back to the question of what how can we provide the tools and services in a timely manner so I believe retention on planning can be done with the state administrators with the other side of City councils with the support collaboration and consultation thank you [1:09:47] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Sham [1:10:04] **Sham:** oh to attract and retain business especially small businesses in Lakeville taxes we need to lower taxes especially robbery taxes 10 years ago like the backboard we used to be like three thousand dollar property tax now will be a nine nine thousand dollar property tax jump high and this is uh is the ghost in other business the same thing you need to load the cost of the I don't know why why it's always voting uh just raise the property tax raise the probability tax it's going like nuts and then in the main thing you need to to to find cheap housing for the workers to come to Lakeville and maintain live and leg will so we can have a Workforce to help open this business and keep it going because for last few months there is no everywhere I go I see a sign help wanted wanted because we didn't have no Workforce in Lakeville and this is going to affect the small businesses too so in order to to to keep the businesses open uh like I said cheap housing and uh the second option is uh to keep it going thanks [1:11:15] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Richard [1:11:18] **Richard Henderson:** as someone who feels connected to the business community and operates a local business I think the business climate in Lakeville is good the city and Chamber of Commerce communicate effectively the message Lakeville is open for business Lakeville has been blessed with the assets that attract new businesses this includes location on an interstate highway and close to an international airport and large metro area we have a rail line major road arteries a midsize airport and Industrial Park and a great most of all a great Workforce within Lakeville so when attracting new business to us to our city as the old saying goes don't mess up a good thing to exploit these competitive advantages and bring in the highest quality new businesses I will build upon the strong relationship between the Chamber of Commerce and key City staff such as the economic development center for new businesses entered interested in locating the Lakeville we can be flexible with special needs they might have such as with infrastructure to keep Lakeville an attractive location for larger industrial businesses I still think again there's a strategic connection to improving downtown Lakeville as a cultural and entertainment destination to make that more attractive for them for keeping businesses in Lakeville that might be con relocating to expand we need good human Intelligence on the ground to pick up early on issues that could drive a business to relocate City officials to then take the lead to to negotiate with that business for smaller retail businesses that have challenges is keeping their doors open we can be flexible with fees to help them stay viable finally we can Leverage The Partnerships with local colleges be aware of the changing skills that local businesses need and align those skills with colleges such as Dakota County Technical College thank you [1:13:25] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Michelle [1:13:27] **Michelle Volk:** thanks so I decided to give a rating and what the business climate is and and I agree it's good um but currently I would probably give it a 7 out of 10. um only because of the challenges that our businesses are having to face at this time um while we've had small um some strong growth over the last couple of years it seems to be slowing down and some of those factors that are out of control of the you know the city doesn't have control over this um our supply chain issues so people are I mean they're not being able to get building materials to be able to build they're having to forecast out way out whether or not to build and um lately in the last couple of months we have seen interest rates go up time and time again and this is going to have a detrimental effect on our business community I know that we've been talking about jobs and how to get new employees however I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here but because of these interest rates the companies are going to start slowing down in hiring and they are not going to want to um how do I want to say they're going to want to be very conservative in how they move forward and and doing their business I'm concerned that um that we're heading toward a recession so as City Council Members we need to really keep an eye on this trend and make choices here in the next couple years to be able to help out our business Community thank you [1:15:30] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you Joshua [1:15:37] **Joshua Lee:** well view a recording of our most recent state of the city and you will find easy evidence to the fact that we have no problem attracting businesses and retaining businesses to expand here in Lakeville so to the the long and short of it is that we're already doing that I think there is an opportunity though to figure out a way to help diversify the businesses that are coming into Lakeville look at some research regarding bringing in more minority and and women-owned businesses and it not only makes economic sense but it'll help meet some of the needs that we have as our community population diversifies as well so do you think there is uh Financial incentive to do that but I also believe that it will bring some sense of belonging for folks who are are looking for different cultural menus shops stores that that'll bring that sense of comfort and so I it would be great to start a dialogue about how we can attract those businesses to our city um but again we are a very healthy business Community we're already attracting uh folks to to build and expand here so um we're doing something right and so um I think the initiative I just talked about would just be taking it to the next level [1:17:11] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate that all right this one's going to be a short one this is the uh moderator's Choice here we're starting with sham uh I don't expect too many answers on this please if it were your last meal on Earth give me your lineup I I'm I'm personally going to be a steak medium rare with a potato with trimmings uh and a nice glass of red wine but I want to hear from each of you Sham can you repeat again the cushions the LA the your last meal on Earth tomorrow done tell me what would be your meal [1:17:51] **Sham:** oh unlike Italian Basta with muscles and red sauce and this is my best meal I'm with Ophelia [1:18:07] **Richard Henderson:** Richard Lobster and Mick Golden Light great in another way so [1:18:18] **Michelle Volk:** well obviously I like to eat um you know I think one of my favorite foods is salmon so I would probably go with a Cajun salmon and some broccoli and uh um I don't drink but that was um and uh probably um I'd have to probably go to one of our local restaurants that makes this most fantastic um Coffee espresso coffee um and give a shout out okay but it's a better half restaurant they make they just make a fantastic um I there's a term for it and I don't remember what the actual term is but I always order it and it's a very expensive little cup of coffee but it makes puts a smile on my face amen [1:19:02] **Phil Rains:** I'm with you Joshua [1:19:07] **Joshua Lee:** I choose cinnamon roll French toast with a side of crispy buttery hash browns and cheesy scrambled eggs welcome to the bug borders fantastic [1:19:28] **Abdi Abdullah:** this is where the uh American problem comes and kicked it in so do we have to be a kosher halal and Halal so what what dish are we talking about so when we create this kind of question it puts that apart so this guy moved to Italy and this guy moved in American and French and that so who are we going to represent the Lakeville or around the globe then that's the question I need to answer for it before I give it to my answer it is what you would like what I would like okay and with the kosher the kosher it's your last meal so you better usually not offensive to my wife and she's a great cook and she's sitting here but I'll I will go with a salmon dish [1:20:18] **Phil Rains:** all right fantastic well thank you all uh that brings us to the end of the question round um appreciate uh all your responses appreciate it uh all your patience with me and everything else here tonight so uh we're going to start off with Richard and we're going to give your uh this is your opportunity to do your closing statement of 90 seconds thank you [1:20:41] **Richard Henderson:** I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for hosting tonight's forum and thank you citizens for tuning in I also want to extend best voices to my fellow candidates I think that you all have the best interests of Lakeville at heart to recap my top priorities I will focus on achieving quality and sustainable growth and work to keep Lakeville business friendly family friendly smartly governed and safe I support a local government that is accountable transparent and tolerant everyone's voice should be heard I hope that I have communicated Common Sense positions on the issues we have discussed this evening I can assure you that I don't have all the answers but I do know how to start asking the right questions I can also assure you that I have no agendas from any special interests and that I will govern in a manner that is nonpartisan non-polarizing and independent if fortunate enough to be granted the privilege to serve on city council I will spend the time needed to get up to speed and apply my judgment without prejudice if you like what I stand for appreciates yard signs and you can find sign up for those online and get more information on the campaign at vote Richard henderson.com and so I will see you out door knocking on the campaign trail riding on my new latest technology stand-up electric scooter so who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks thank you and I ask for the privilege of your vote [1:22:12] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Michelle [1:22:14] **Michelle Volk:** well I would like to also thank the chamber for hosting this event it's a great resource for the citizens of our community to get to know each of these candidates and the skill sets that you each bring to the table so that they can make an informed vote as a council member I will probably bring a different perspective to the table as a small birth business person I understand how policies can in fact impact and affect our local businesses as a former School Board member I understand the relationship between our building and what it's going to do to the school district Etc or how some of our policies could actually affect our school districts My Philosophy on public service first and foremost means serving the public and not myself I believe in open communication I'm always willing to meet and talk with residents on their issues but mostly I believe in listening and hearing what it is that you have as an idea in your perspective I will ask the hard questions I will listen to both sides of an issue but I am not a rubber stamp council member residents care deeply about our City's well-being and I will work hard to have your voice heard so please consider voting for me on November 8th thank you [1:23:51] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Joshua [1:23:55] **Joshua Lee:** well when I moved here and started as a police Reserve I certainly didn't think I'd be sitting in a council member seat but when you're driving at 2 A.M in the Around Lakeville you start to get a sense of responsibility and ownership to step up to the plate and serve your community um if elected to a second term my priorities are going to be safety and well-being sustainable growth and a sense of community and through my time on city council there are certain there have certainly been times where people did not necessarily agree with my opinion uh or stance but at the end of the day what the important part is and the reputation that I have uh attained over this time is that I listen I care and I take it into consideration with a deep respect for their perspective we all are what make this a diverse enriching place to live work and play and there there is no one uh perspective that overrides the other um I'm seeking re-election because I believe in Lakeville I believe that there are many wonderful opportunities here and I want the future residents and business owners to experience that sense of community that I feel so thank you for your time I appreciate the chamber for putting this on [1:25:17] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you appreciate it Abdi [1:25:23] **Abdi Abdullah:** yeah thank you for invitation to be part of this from tonight I appreciate it and I am glad to be part of this uh this from with the college candidates thank you for giving me this opportunity I understand the need and the wants of the residents and taxpayers I will be a strong advocate for all Lakeville resident taxi barriers that needs to be and this that needs to be heard in the city hall if I get elected I will make sure that the needs and wants of all residents and taxpayers to be heard and to be responded in timely manner throughout my extensive experience in a community services and administration executive decision making is the levels I believe I have what it takes to help and guide the city hall from the crisis to a positive resolution area as an effective leaders has a vision mission purpose and a theory that greater than day-to-day activity a leader plays a vital role in influencing the institutional status a leader must recognize that an address they need and consent within us within the community I have I have the educational background executive executive office experience and a great deal of experience with the diverse population I have worked with the Community Partners both private and non-profit organizations I have created Managed IT a 5 billion plus budget I have I've known a balanced and worked with line by line I hope to earn your vote I'm AMD Abdullah and thanks for your support [1:27:12] **Phil Rains:** all right thank you very much appreciate that Sham [1:27:18] **Sham:** once again uh thanks Chamber of Commerce hoses event tonight uh if I got voted in I will make sure to discuss with my colleagues to the managers and uh rental buildings owners to do not ask people for base stops no more to rent apartment or house because this is we're gonna lose a Workforce we need to attract Workforce we need them to come to work on the better end and live like everybody else to control like I said before we gonna rent one apartment for one thousand three hundred fifty dollars one bedroom so you need to make like at least forty dollars an hour to pass that and which wouldn't have forty dollars an hour in Lakeville uh we needed to to do that so uh the secondly if I got voted in I make sure we have a low property tax raw we're gonna drop it a little bit because our seniors living in uh housing apartments uh pension is not High Enough to make and live in the rest of the month after the better rent this is for our seniors the second thing and the last thing if a government I work my heart off to build a swimming ball and our parks to be able to enjoy it after a tough day a work and families and they will also bring Revenue to the city uh I was thanks everybody and you could go sham for citycouncil.com to vote sham thank you [1:29:05] **Phil Rains:** all right fantastic thank you uh on behalf of the businesses and residents of Lakeville and the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce I gotta again thank everyone for running I worked with candidates many times gone out and beat doors and I know how much work goes into this for you guys and I really do appreciate everyone that goes and puts their name out there it's very hard work to do and I think we all all should give a round of applause to them thank you [1:29:43] **Phil Rains:** all right as a quick reminder uh Lakeville chamber is hosting three candidate forums this year this one uh the one for school board and also a joint form for the Senate District 57 and house districts 57a and B uh forums are being conducted and broadcast live with read broadcast on LG TV Channel 180 on Charter and on the city of Lakeville and Lakeville Chambers YouTube channels you may contact the chamber at 952-469-2020 for the link uh just as a reminder the Lakeville chamber has not and will not endorse any candidates in any election this year but on behalf of the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce I want to thank you all for watching and please remember to vote on November 8th thank you all very much and good night thank you [Applause] [1:30:56] **Phil Rains:** thank you