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.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Plymouth City Council Member At Large

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. Learn more here: https://www.lwv.org/blog/voting-local-matters-why-vote-city-councilUse the MN Secretary of State’s Candidate Filing page (https://candidates.sos.state.mn.us/) to find specific candidate contact information.A candidate forum for this race is available at https://youtu.be/np29j00YWak?si=lRBKqwA8_dVOkvp2. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Armetha Pihlstrom
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Joel Spoonheim
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Kraig Urquhart
    (NP)

Biographical Information

Why are you the best candidate for this position? (750 characters)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (500 characters)

How do you plan to engage with and represent all members of our diverse community?(500 characters)

What steps will you take to ensure transparency and accountability in city government? (500 characters)

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I have more than 25 years of community leadership experience, including years volunteering on the Plymouth Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Environmental Quality Committee. I was appointed to these positions based on my professional experience and proven work to listen and engage with community members. Professionally, I bring more than 15 years of business leadership and 10 years serving as a city planner and economic development director. I want to keep the City running well and believe I am the candidate with the most experience navigating public processes, collaborating with businesses, and engaging residents.
My priorities come from resident and employer input: 1) To recruit more local businesses and restaurants, 2) to build more housing affordable for seniors and young adults, and 3) to simplify development regulations so businesses can invest with confidence. We can do this while also maintaining a low tax rate, keeping neighborhoods safe, preserving our parks, and sustaining a welcoming and civil culture.
To represent all members of our community, a council member needs to meet, listen to, and understand the concerns of people. Both as a parent with kids in public schools and as an active community volunteer, I have built a wide network of relationships that represent diverse needs. As your council member I will seek and accept invitations to attend gatherings to hear input, share information, and champion changes needed.
I am committed to providing time at every public meeting to hear from citizens, taking a moment to address questions and offer clarity, and to ensure that each person hears back from the appropriate person in government. I also support the live streaming and recording of meetings so people can observe the conversation when convenient. These practices foster trust and the opportunity for citizens to see why and how decisions are made.
Campaign Website http://kraigforplymouth.com
Contact Phone 6126167358
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565598272950
Campaign Email kraigforplymouth@gmail.com
I am the best candidate for this position for several reasons. The first being I have lived in and around Plymouth nearly my entire life. For that reason I have a very strong sense of what our goals are here and how they should be achieved. Whether it be volunteering, coaching, or higher education advocacy, I have dedicated much of my time and passion for the betterment of our community. My goal as your next city councilor is to make Plymouth the best community in the state to live, work, and raise a family. I have worked tirelessly listening to thousands of neighbors and working to earn your vote. As your next city councilor, I will bring that same work ethic to make Plymouth more exceptional every day I am given the opportunity.
Plymouth is an exceptional city and we have a lot to protect. My first priority is to enhance public safety. Without safety there is no quality of life. To achieve this we must support our Police, Fire and EMS. My second priority is to ensure fiscal responsibility by not overtaxing and not overspending. I will focus on our core competencies such infrastructure, schools and parks. Third, we have beautiful parks, trails and green spaces in Plymouth. I will expand and maintain these spaces.
Our community is becoming increasingly diverse in our culture, philosophy and values. The best way to represent all members of our community is by listening. From the thousands of residents I've spoken to, I believe everyones goal in Plymouth is to have a safe place to live, work and raise a family. This will be achieved by understanding the goals of our community members and adapting to our ever-changing landscape to add quality to life.
Other than public safety, there is no objective more important to me than increasing transparency and accountability to our city government. My main objective in increasing accountability is using extreme caution when spending our tax dollars. There are 3 questions that should be asked with every decision. Will this make us more or less safe? Are we being fiscally responsible? Are we adding quality to life? These answers should be communicated to our residents with every major decision made.
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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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