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.
  • Build your ballot before voting. Print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.

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Voter Guide

Osseo City Council Member {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

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.mn.gov/) to find specific candidate contact information.Watch a candidate forum for this race recorded on October 5, 2026.

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

    Margaret Dunbar
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Sara J. Gries
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Aj Mansour
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Floyd Seres
    (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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elect Elect 2
Campaign Website http://www.margaretforosseo.com
Campaign Email mdunbar@margaretforosseo.com
I’m running because I see opportunities to grow Osseo while staying true to our small-town roots, and I bring a wealth of experience, skills, and passion:

I’m a builder – I’ve spent 15+ years in corporate leadership, building marketing and business strategy based on practical solutions, sound research, and great teams;

I’m a good financial steward – I’ve run $10+ million-dollar budgets generating hundreds of millions in opportunity revenue, and I know my budgets line by line;

I’m a creative communicator – I’ve spent 25 years crafting messages that influence legislation, create business growth, and keep people informed;

I’m a passionate person – I engage in causes, such as educational opportunities, leadership mentoring, and clean water.
My vision for our future is simple: to help Osseo continue to thrive, to remain affordable, and to be known as a hidden gem.

To make this happen, I’m focused on three areas where our city could use more polish and shine:

Capital – Managing and Growing Our Resources Responsibly;

Communication – Informing and Engaging Residents in Our Work;

Community – Building Trust and Bringing Residents Together.

Learn more about my priorities: https://margaretforosseo.com/key-priorities/
I will serve Osseo residents the same way I’m running my campaign: on the promise that my door is open to residents, to listen and to ask for feedback.

My approach is founded on integrity, honesty, accountability and respect for fellow residents, and my job as council member is to make the best decisions for our city. That means I represent ALL residents. We may have different perspectives, and we won’t always agree. But I am committed to open discussion and to keeping residents informed.
As part of a good foundation for transparency and accountability, I envision clear communications, proper audits of third-party relationships, and regular reporting – be it financial, departmental, etc. – as cornerstones of the city council’s strategy. I will seek to ensure city processes and actions are easy to understand, that communications provide the right level of detail for residents, and that the council’s decisions and the “why” behind those decisions are explained and readily available
elect Elect 2
Campaign Website http://www.OsseoSara.com
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592504078374
Campaign Email OsseoSara@gmail.com
What I have to offer is over two decades of experience as a Research & Development Engineer in the medical device industry. That has made me a researcher, a builder, a data analyst. I’ve successfully lead multi-disciplinary teams for projects that range from simple disposable devices to cardiac implants for premature infants. I’ve worked with national & international government agencies to do my part to get devices approved for worldwide sale. I’ve been audited, & I’ve done auditing. I have a natural curiosity that has been honed by an engineering mindset. Other candidates may indeed make data-driven decisions, but I’m the candidate who creates, gathers, & analyzes the data through research & continuous testing against assumptions.
FINANCE. It’s important to understand the details when it comes to the budget before taking action; fiscal responsibility is paramount. COMMUNICATION. Good communication is integral to good governance & true representation; understanding community needs & wants requires communication. RISK MANAGEMENT. It's critical to my career & industry because patients’ lives are on the line. I feel the same care & attention should be applied to mitigating risks in government planning & projects.
Engagement starts with understanding how residents want to communicate with the city & how they want the city to communicate with them. It's up to the city to meet those needs: use online surveys, postcard surveys, door-knocking surveys, townhalls, or any combination of tools to engage residents. Representation means allowing residents to have a voice in what the city does & how the community moves forward, and it means taking those voices into consideration during work sessions & meetings.
I think some people get tripped up by conflating transparency with communication. They’re not the same. Transparency is simple; communication is not. Transparency requires us to follow the law; communication requires effort. Following the law is mandatory, & accountability is ensured by laws & elections. But proper communication is a choice. Transparency without communication is virtually meaningless, so I would focus on getting meaningful info to residents above & beyond just meeting minutes.
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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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