Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

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Voter Guide

Northfield City Council Member Ward 2

As local legislators who sometimes have executive power, council members can propose ordinances, set administrative policy, and authorize the budget proposed by the mayor. They oversee all city activities, including city services, programs, licensing, and public safety. Mayoral appointments to city government typically require council approval.Voting in local elections is important - learn more here: Why Vote for City CouncilA forum for the candidates in this race was held on June 27, 2024 at 7:05pm at Viking Theater, St. Olaf College - watch the recording here. (The city council forum was held immediately following the mayoral forum, which is at the beginning of this recording - the city council race begins at approximately the 1-hour mark.)

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  • Candidate picture

    Chad M. Beumer
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Emy Farley
    (NP)

Biographical Information

What are the boundaries or constraints regarding the matters that can be addressed by this particular level of government?

How will you ensure that voices from all constituents will be heard/accessible?

How would you effectively communicate the purpose of property taxes, prioritize their use, and address community concerns about rising property taxes?

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Contact Phone 651-356-9620
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552438345308&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Campaign Email cb4cc24@gmail.com
We elect state and federal officials to make decisions at those levels. My first priority is to the City of Northfield and its residents. Maintaining local infrastructure and community services is one of my main priorities.
Community engagement cannot be just listening but must include hearing and acting upon what you hear by providing accurate and meaningful responses. I intend to host quarterly or biannual (twice a year) meetings with the people of my Ward to hear what they have to say and take back to the council the opinions of the people in my ward. Petitions from my constituents will not be ignored by me and will be taken seriously.
Again, the first priority of tax expenditures is for maintaining our infrastructure such as streets, water and sewer. We also need to financially support our first responders, police, firefighters and paramedics. We must also maintain our current debt obligations. I will approach new tax expenditures with common sense decision making by focusing on the “needed” vs. the”wanted”. Any and all “wanted” projects will need to be accompanied by a thorough financial and return of investment analysis.
City Councils are representative bodies who help carry out a city's vision. We live in these communities and make decisions for and about our neighbors and ourselves. We work on city budgets, taxation, economic development, and day-to-day issues that citizens face as a resident of the city. In a city like Northfield, we operate according to our city's Charter, and so must be sure that we are in alignment with that document as well as with State and Federal guidelines. We are positioned to have a huge impact on the lives of our neighbors, and we need to do so as transparently, responsibly, carefully, and equitably as we are able.
Hearing from constituents starts with having good outward communication. People get their news and information from a variety of sources, so it's important to be creative and wide-ranging with getting news out and soliciting feedback. This gives people a chance to be heard. I welcome voices that agree with me and those that don't; listening to really hear what people are saying is the foundation of trust. When people trust you, they'll talk to you and listen to you in return.
By being honest about the wide variety of needs and wants that are covered by property taxes, being transparent about where those funds come from, and the criteria we use in deciding how we put those funds back into the community. Prioritizing wants vs needs requires a thorough understanding of the requests and the resources you have available, then making decisions about which things need to happen now and which can be saved for later.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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