HANOVER CITY COUNCIL

Mike Amery

 Name: Mike Amery

Position you are seeking: Hanover City Council

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the city where you live, how long you have lived in the city, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

I was appointed to the Hanover City Council in February 2022 to fill a vacancy.  I live in the Crow River Heights neighborhood with my family.  I am a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Law and work as an attorney.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

Since joining the Hanover Council, I have worked with residents, business owners, my fellow council members and staff to keep our city one of the best places to live in Minnesota.  I have a long history of participating in local government in Minnesota including have worked for the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and having been elected to the Maple Grove City Council, serving 2001 – 2005.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for office.

Maintaining Hanover as a great place to live and do business are my goals.  Listening to my neighbors about issues facing our city, I know they view restaurants like River Inn and Big Bore BBQ as true community assets.  We need to help our current businesses thrive and support economic development that encourages new ones to join our community.  Quality of life is also a top priority.  We are fortunate to have a very safe community in terms of crime, low rates of property issues, and our fire department is first rate. I will vigorously support our city public services to keep our neighborhoods, parks and commercial areas safe, clean, and prosperous.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the city now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

Ensuring that the city develops in a common-sense manner and we provide current and new businesses the opportunity to prosper.  We are already facing extraordinary times in light of rapidly increasing inflation. I want to make sure that Hanover doesn’t add to this pressure and pledge to maintain, or even lower, city property tax rates.  Hanover is also very safe in terms of crime and has low incidents of property or quality of life issues.  Ensuring we keep on top of these issues is vital to maintaining the standing of Hanover as a great place to live.

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The economy, taxes and crime.  It isn’t hard to see the issues going on in cities east of Hanover.  High crime and tax rates crush the economy and sap the life out of families and communities.  There are long-term consequences for poor public policy decisions.  I will work hard to make sure the same mistakes aren’t made in Hanover.

Greg Zgutowicz

Name: Greg Zgutowicz

Position you are seeking: Hanover City Council

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the city where you live, how long you have lived in the city, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

My name is Greg Zgutowicz. I am 39, have been married to my wife Robin for 13 years, and have two boys, soon to be 11 and 13. We reside in the eastern part of Hanover, north of the Crow River. I am a graduate of the University of Minnesota with study in Business and work in Field Operations Support.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

I have worked in various management roles over the years and most recently in a highly cross functional management role. My growth and development over the years has allowed me to become a better listener, supporter, partner, and challenger to get to the right outcome. I believe this translates well working with the community brining projects/ideas/developments to life as you have to work with a wide range of viewpoints and beliefs with a goal of finding a common ground to move forward.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for office.

My family has lived in Hanover for 13 years and we are excited about the growth within our city well as around us. I believe there is a lot of excitement about growing while also balancing our ability to listen to our current residents and the needs of the community. We want to preserve the history of the city while also supporting the growing needs of the community.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the city now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

While I do recognize that there are many opportunities and challenges that face our district and state, my focus will be on the City Council position, to learn and grow, and support the City of Hanover.

I believe there will be a time and a place to acknowledge and work on said issues and when that time arises, we can begin to work together on tackling those issues.

MONTROSE CITY COUNCIL

Michelle Otto

Name: Michelle Otto

Position you are seeking: Montrose City Council

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the city where you live, how long you have lived in the city, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

My name is Michelle Otto and I am seeking a spot on the Montrose city council. I have lived in Montrose for 50 years, raised my 4 children here and I work as a Culinary director at a Senior facility in Medina.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

My qualifications for this position are I was on the city council from 2013 to 2017 then served as Mayor until 2020. Under my leadership we had a strong and active Park and Rec commission, fiscal responsibility, transparency and community involvement.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for office.

I have chosen to seek re-election to get back the fiscal responsibility, transparency that our residents deserve. In the past 2 years park and rec was disbanded as well as Montrose days; I felt it was important to the community to have both of these groups; we now have both back. I serve as a commission member on Park and Rec, and President on Celebrate Montrose (formerly  Montrose days).  Lots of tax dollars have been frivolously  spent and I feel it is important to keep the budget in line.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the city now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

A few important issues I see currently is lack of discussion within the council and keeping an eye on the budget. There is no communication at council meetings as to what is being spent and no discussion on how decisions are made. I feel it is important to be transparent with what is happening within the city to help keep residents informed.

Being on the city council is not about just attending meetings, it is about making sure the residents are getting what they deserve as tax payers. Keeping everyone informed, we need to continue to look at ways to bring businesses in town and support the ones we have.

I am very involved with our school, Wright County Sheriff’s Department, and fellow leaders within the county to keep our residents informed as to what is going on within the city as well as our surrounding communities.

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

We have to remember to keep our own personal beliefs to ourselves and do what is best for all residents, as a council member you have to be open to all discussion and listen to what the people have to say.

I hope to have your support on November 8, 2022.

David G. Paradeise

Name: Davie G. Paradeise

Position you are seeking: Montrose City Council

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the city where you live, how long you have lived in the city, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

I am from Apple Valley, MN and graduated from Eastview High in 2004. My wife Aubrey and I moved to Montrose in August of 2020 from Richfield, MN. We chose Montrose as the place to begin our family and become involved within the community. On top of serving as a City Councilman since February 2021, I also joined the Montrose Fire Department as a way to take care of my community. I am currently the Regional Sales Manager for Surly Brewing Company.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

In my career I have spent many years leading sales teams and working with and for many different personalities. My strengths and qualifications to be your Councilman are being able to hear all sides of a problem, working with all involved to find the best possible solution and being able to take any personal ego out of a situation and do what is best for my community. We have a growing community here and we need to work together to ensure that everyone has a voice and we are making the right progress.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for office.

I am running for City Council because I care about community here in Montrose. I want to ensure we are working towards building a Water Treatment Facility and bringing our now high manganese levels back down to the levels the State of Minnesota deems acceptable. I want to see our steady growth continue in Montrose and become a place for others to visit.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the city now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The two most important issues facing the City of Montrose would be the high levels of manganese in our water and the need for continued infrastructure for the city. The manganese issue will take time to get the proper funding for as we will need to build a Water Treatment Facility, but it is something we need to continue to work towards and with the help of the State, I hope we can make this problem something our citizens do not have to worry about. The continued building of our infrastructure goes with the Water Facility but also ensuring the new developments that come into town can happen.

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The three biggest issues facing our state are the high Crime Rate, Education and Taxes. With the crime rate we need to rehab the broken relationship between police and citizens. We cannot entertain the radical ideas of defunding the police, we need to invest in them and give them the resources to ensure the safety of everyone in the state. With Education, we need to make sure we know where every dollar is being spent and why. It is our jobs to ensure that the future generations are given the best education here in Minnesota. Lastly, we are in trying times coming out of the pandemic, but to have over $9 billion in surplus is something that needs to change. People in our community need their money in their pockets, not with the State.

Andrew Rasmussen

Montrose City Council candidate Andrew Rasmussen, did not submit his profile article by this week’s deadline.

Tami Suprenant

Name: Tami Suprenant

Position you are seeking: Montrose City Council

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the city where you live, how long you have lived in the city, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

Before graduating from high school, I joined the US Air Force under the delayed enlistment program and was Honorably discharged while pregnant with my oldest son.  Although being the mother of six children was my most important roll, I attended the College of Lake County in Illinois. However, I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up. I have spent most of my career in hospitality and food service and am now designing kitchens at Menards.  After owning two small catering businesses, my sister and I opened Catie’s Café in Buffalo, MN.  Recently, I have also been staging homes. My husband Greg and I moved to the north side of Montrose four years ago.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

I have always made it a point to serve in the communities where I have lived.  I was Co-President of the PTO and a volunteer for Boy Scout of America while my children attended school. Through my involvement with the church, I organized humanitarian aid and Feed My Starving Children projects and led the Young Women’s organization. I have also organized fundraisers for Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for office.

I am running for City Council, and I blame it almost entirely on my husband, Greg. Being frustrated with the political climate in Minnesota the past two years, we decided to get involved. We became Delegates to the State Convention and attended local and county political meetings. Through that we have met many wonderful people. Members of the City Council began to encourage me to run for an empty seat.   I am confident that my experience will be a valuable addition to the City Council.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the city now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

Being a homeowner, I have a vested interest in the growth and development of Montrose.  Keeping a balance of small-town community values and the commercial needs of residents is a vital issue.  Listening to the concerns of the residents is but the first step in addressing them. Responsible use of city finances to address the overburdened water treatment facility is critical to our future. 

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

Statewide rise in crime, the state our education system, and the economy are just a few of the issues facing Minnesota today. Re-establishing the conservative and common-sense values that once represented Minnesotans is the only way to take back our state and realign our policies with our values.  Funding and supporting law enforcement, holding school boards accountable to parents, and giving local communities and families greater control of their own economic decisions are a starting point. I see these as the basic rights of Minnesotans. They have been stripped away, little by little, and it’s time to get involved.