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

Finlayson City Council Member (Special Election)

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.

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

    Jeffrey Flaws
    (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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Campaign Email jeff@L3TS.com
I have lived in Minnesota since 1989, been a resident of Finlayson since February 2022, and served on the Finlayson City Council for the past 18 months. Growing up in a rural area outside Chicago that later became heavily developed has given me a strong appreciation for the value of preserving Finlayson’s small-town, rural character. I welcome the opportunity to continue serving the residents of Finlayson with further commitment to our city government.
(1) Encouraging organic growth for local businesses and family housing. (2) Infrastructure is a top priority. Finlayson’s aging water and sanitary systems require ongoing maintenance and investment. The planned State Highway 18 reconstruction around 2032 intersects these systems directly; careful coordination among city, county, and state work will deliver the best results for our constituents. (3) Forward-looking thought leadership on city services and responsibilities.
Finlayson’s vibrant small-town nature lends itself to openness and availability. I have always been directly reachable and welcome conversations with all of our constituents. I appreciate every opportunity to hear individual opinions and discuss them in the context of our community as a whole.
Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law provides a strict framework for the City Council’s decision-making process. All City Council meetings are public, with rare exceptions defined in that law (for example, when private individual information is involved). City books are open, audited, and published through the State Auditor’s Office. I am committed to maintaining full compliance with these standards.
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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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