Dear Minot:
The list of candidates is set for the upcoming election to fill three seats on the Minot City Council.
We have seven candidates running for the spots, including incumbents Scott Burlingame and Stephen Podrygula and newcomers Mike Blessum, Rob Fuller, Mike Gietzen, Scott Samuelson, and Leif Snyder.
Having multiple candidates to choose from is good for the voters – it’s how the process works best. All of the candidates have gathered the required signatures and submitted the mandatory paperwork.
Now the real work begins, and believe it or not, the clock is already ticking. The June 11 election will be here before we know it.
I’ve been through campaigns when I ran for City Council and when I ran for mayor. I have some advice for all of the candidates.
-Be an active participant in the campaign process. And by that I don’t mean conducting your entire campaign from behind a computer screen. Maybe that means meeting with local coffee groups, or speaking to service clubs. Maybe it means walking neighborhoods to visit with residents on their turf. As a candidate for public office, your visibility and accessibility to the public matters.
-Get out and meet the voters. Speaking from experience, I’ve learned so much from our residents by meeting with them face-to-face whenever possible. At meet-and-greets. At public events, or public meetings. Or at the grocery store. Any time you can spend speaking with a potential voter one-on-one is time well-spent. I encourage you to talk to the members of our community. You won’t always like what they have to say, but you’ll always learn something of value.
-One of the first major issues those who are elected will face is the 2025 City budget. There are several public tours where Council members and anyone else who wants to join will tour City departments and speak with department heads and others about what to expect for the 2025 budget. I highly suggest everyone running for Council attend as many of those budget tours as you can. You’ll gather a ton of information first-hand from those employees who are creating and working within the parameters of the City budget.
-Listen and learn. No one, not even incumbents, knows every detail about how an organization as large as the City of Minot operates. It’s imperative that you listen to department heads as they tell you and show you what they’re doing with the funds in their 2024 budget, and what their plans are for future budgets. Our department heads are likely planning much further into the future than you realize. City Engineer Lance Meyer, for example, is no doubt already working to secure state and/or federal funding for projects in 2025, 2026, and beyond. So is Traffic Engineer Stephen Joersz, and a host of others.
-Ask questions. As important as the budget tours can be, you might find sitting down with a department head one-on-one to be even more valuable. You have questions about the City’s water treatment facility, or the City’s snow removal plan? Sit down with the appropriate department head and ask your questions. If you’re willing to listen, I guarantee you’ll come away more educated and up to speed than before your visit.
-Be prepared to answer questions about your stance on issues that are important to Minot voters. Whether it’s the budget, construction projects, traffic signal timing, or recycling, I guarantee that residents will be more than willing to share their opinions with you, and many of them will expect you to agree with them. Be honest in your answers, even if it means disagreeing with someone else’s opinion.
-Understand and realize that you’ll never make everyone happy. It’s impossible. Whoever is elected will be tasked with making difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. It’s part of the job. Embrace differing opinions, do your own research, and make your own decisions, and then be prepared to defend your decisions and your votes.
You can find information about the City budget and a schedule of the upcoming budget tours on the City’s website at minotnd.gov. I encourage everyone, not just the City Council candidates, to check out the information to help better understand how the City’s budget is created.
Serving on the City Council and as mayor is an honor and a privilege. Even during contentious discussions and difficult decisions, I’ve enjoyed every moment. To those running, I say thank you for stepping up to potentially serve your community. To those who will be elected, I look forward to serving with you. Enjoy the campaign.
You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.