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

Moorhead City Council Member Ward 1

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 Council

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  • Candidate picture

    Matt Gilbertson
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Nicole Mattson
    (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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My wife and I are life long residents of Moorhead and have spent the last 27 years living in Ward 1. We have raised 3 adult children through the Moorhead Public School's. I started and am the past president for both the Scott Tobolt Foundation and the Moorhead Lacrosse Booster Club. I started. I partially own and operate 2 business in Moorhead. The Clubhouse Indoor Golf Lounge at 805 S 30th Ave, Moorhead and Downtown Chiropractic in the MCM. DT Chiropractic is constructing the first building in the downtown redevelopment project. In the process, I have a firm understanding on how the City can complete the 10 year project and make it a success. My council, personal experiences and business acumen, make me a strong candidate for another term
Public Safety: We need to increase recruitment and retention strategies by offering competitive salaries and benefits. Partner with State and local leaders, educational institutions to develop comprehensive training programs right here in Moorhead. Housing shortage: Elected officials need to gather community input, collaborate with developers and non profits to address their needs. We need to work with our local and federal officials to help secure funding for affordable housing. Grow tax base
Active Listening: Prioritizing open channels for communication through public email and phone number where everyone feels heard. Inclusive Representation: Ensuring that decision-making bodies reflect the community's diversity. This could involve recruiting members from various backgrounds for city boards and commissions. These are 2 ways that I can create a more inclusive environment that values and uplifts every member of the community.
Clear Communication Channels: Ensuring that there are accessible ways for citizens to ask me questions and report issues, through email, social media or by phone. City Council Forums: Encouraging citizens to provide feedback on government services and performance, and making sure that this feedback is reviewed and acted upon. Through listening and being available, I can foster a culture of transparency and accountability that strengthens community trust and engagement.
Campaign Website http://www.mattsonformoorhead.com
Contact Phone 2185054344
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/mattsonformoorhead/
Campaign Email mattsonformoorhead@gmail.com
I’ve lived in Moorhead for 17 years with my husband and two kids. For seven years, I’ve served on the Moorhead Planning Commission, including three terms as chair. I’m a dedicated community volunteer, serving in roles from nonprofit board member to community organizer to MoorHeart Award committee member. I spent about ten years self-employed, and have recently returned to a full-time job at NDSU. That diversity of experiences has given me a broad perspective on the needs of our city.

Moorhead is growing, and the growth is expected to continue for many years to come. As we grow, we need to make sure we’re focused not only on today’s problems, but we’re also looking forward and so that we can build a vibrant, inclusive city for tomorrow.
Smart growth: Increase our property tax base; add more affordable housing units; support our small local businesses when they are impacted by construction projects like the new underpass. Public safety: bring a law enforcement skills training center to Moorhead; add other positions to our public safety forces, like outreach workers. Communication and participation: stream city council and commission meetings on all the city's social platforms; make city government more open and accessible to all
Due to my work in the community and as a consultant, I have long-standing relationships with people from lots of different backgrounds and life experiences. My friends and colleagues include New Americans, small business owners, union members, and seniors. I will maintain those connections to make sure I’m hearing from people across our community as I make decisions.
As Planning Commission Chair, I make a point to explain what we are doing while we’re doing it, so that people can follow along and understand. I also do my best to try to make sure that Moorhead residents leave our meetings feeling heard, even if we are not the right venue for them to have their problems addressed. I will continue those practices if elected to city council. I will also commit to attending Ward 1 coffee with the mayor and city council member events.
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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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