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

Centerville City Council Member At Large (Special Election) {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

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  • Candidate picture

    Anita Rios
    (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 am a 17-year resident of Centerville who wants to preserve the small-town charm of our city. In the last 7 months, I have been instrumental in starting a grassroots movement to support smart, thoughtful development in our downtown core. In the process, I have learned all I can about our city's priorities, planning documents, and zoning codes and have gone door-to-door to increase awareness among Centerville residents and learn what they want. I started a petition, wrote letters, spoke at public hearings, and have regularly attended city council meetings. My skills in communication and engagement efforts will be assets to the city in listening to Centerville citizens, advocating for them, and involving them in future planning efforts.
1) Rework Downtown Centerville Master Plan: My top priority will be to rework the outdated, failed downtown master plan and engage with residents to envision how we capitalize on Centerville's distinctive assets and preserve our small town's character. 2) Increase Opportunities for Citizen Engagement and Involve Residents in Decision Making, ensuring that citizen's voices are heard and respected. 3) Fiscal Responsibility/Accountability: I will prioritize keeping taxes as low as possible.
I would like to establish quarterly engagement sessions with citizens to get their input on issues the city faces, such as facilitated roundtable sessions, listening sessions, and town halls. I'm very interested in helping city leaders and citizens work together towards a common good, rather than in opposition. I'd like to change up some of the rules of engagement to make public hearings more approachable for residents who are vested in issues, but don't feel comfortable speaking in public.
I would increase communication methods to improve transparency and accountability. Oftentimes, residents are unaware of what decisions are being made because they missed it in the Quad Press or the city newsletter in their water/sewer bill. I am a fan of thinking about communication in a couple of ways. Who are my stakeholders? In other words, who will be impacted by this decision or issue? And, how do I communicate this 8 times, and 8 different ways to make sure those stakeholders are informed.
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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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