Four candidates are running for two seats on the Little Canada City Council this November.

General information about the Nov. 5 election is online at twincities.com/news/politics/elections including information on candidates for Ramsey, Dakota and Washington county races.

To find out what’s on your ballot, where to vote and other election information, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s elections page at sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting.

Dawn (Inman) Kulousek

(candidate information not provided)

Chris Kwapick (incumbent)

Chris Kwapick. (Courtesy of the candidate)

Age: 42

What would your top priorities be if elected? If elected to another term on the Council, my top priorities will be to work with state and local officials to continue to improve our infrastructure for greater public safety. The city has done a wonderful job in recent years to expand access to our parks and trails and I want to make sure that these amenities are available to every member of our community. I want to work to find solutions to fund a pedestrian bridge over I-35E to make it safer for folks to get from the east to west side of town, and vice versa. I also want to continue exploring the possibility of building an indoor community space. One of my favorite things about living in this community are the times when our neighbors get together, such as during Canadian Days or Night to Unite. But that becomes more difficult when our temperature turns cold. I would love to see more sustained community engagement all year round, and a community center would be a great start to enabling those opportunities. In order to accomplish these things, I would definitely want to work with our leaders at the state level to find multiple funding sources, possibly including bonding dollars.

What qualifies you to hold this position? I believe that community service is extremely important and if you want to make a positive impact, you have to be willing to step up. I have done so I as a youth baseball and basketball coach, as a member of the Little Canada Planning Commission for 7 years, and as a member of the Little Canada City Council for the past 18 months. I feel that a bring a strong presence of collaboration and cooperation to the Council which are both imprtant qualities. My professional experience in govenrment and public policy for the past 15 years have given me the tools to be a strong advocate for community voices and good governance. Finally, I feel that I am a strong empathetic listener and I always try to put myself in others shoes, even if we disagree.

What do you think is the primary role of government? The primary role of government is to provide services for its citizens, especially when the private sector is unable to do so. Services such as public safety, infrastructure maintenance, paks and trails, and organization of other services like trash collection should be a government’s top priority.

How do you work to understand, and then learn from, opinions that differ from your own and people who disagree with you? The mindset of collaboration is present in almost everything I do. The learning curve of a position like this is fairly steep, and I have come to rely upon the expertise of the mayor, other council members, and city staff to make informed decisions. The more you discuss and collaborate, I have found that find better solutions. I try to be as inquisitive as possible to better understand why the city does things the way they do and see if there are alternate paths as well. Also, being an empathetic listener is an important quality for this role. I try to put myself in other people’s shoes when they have a concern that I perhaps do not understand. That way we are more likely to find common values from where to start to seek common solutions.

Website or contact information: facebook.com/kwapick4lc

Angie Malone

(Information not provided)

Teresa Miller

Teresa Miller. (Courtesy of the candidate)

Age: 56

What would your top priorities be if elected? My top priorities are Accessory Dwelling Units, which I’ve heard most about from our residents in my term on the Council. I think that ADUs are critical for those who wish to age in place amidst their community, the growing trend toward multi-generational families living together, and as potential affordable housing stock in the future. I would also like to engage with our local businesses to enhance our Rice Street Commercial corridor, making it a more attractive and vibrant “city center” area with better pedestrian and biking accessibility and green space to support our existing businesses and attract new ones. I’m also very interested in seeing us have an indoor public gathering space in the not-too-distant future.

What qualifies you to hold this position? I was first elected to the position in 2020, and since that time I have brought a fresh perspective to Little Canada. During my tenure we have built more affordable housing units and continue to plan for more. We have also invested in redevelopment opportunities by purchasing some key properties that can eventually enhance our Rice Street commercial corridor, as well as other areas of the city. We are always actively seeking more energy-efficient and sustainable ways to combat climate issues. We are also beginning to actively engage with our very culturally and socially diverse community members to ensure their inclusion in all that we do. My re-election will allow me to continue this and other important work in Little Canada.

What do you think is the primary role of government? This question might be better suited to a dissertation, but I’ll give it a shot. I think the role of government varies slightly depending upon the unit of government, of course, but overall I see government as an overarching framework to avoid anarchy and to ensure that we: maintain a fair system of laws; have international relations and a national defense; have free and fair elections; strong public education systems; adequate public safety; safe and well-maintained roadways and sanitation systems, etc.; access to healthcare services; and generally ensure that our basic rights and liberties as individuals are upheld fairly and justly as we really are “all created equal.” I do not believe that it’s the government’s role to get involved in the minutiae of people’s personal life decisions.

How do you work to understand, and then learn from, opinions that differ from your own and people who disagree with you? I think that the key to this is to actively listen to and ask questions of people with whom we disagree. (Active listening being different from quietly formulating your next argument while they are still talking!) It is easy these days for all of us to be triggered by certain issues that set off our pressure sensors. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but I always try to take a step back and really hear what the other person is saying, and if it just doesn’t make sense to me, I ask clarifying questions – not belligerent questions. Oftentimes, I will then be able to see why a particular issue resonates so strongly with them and that is where we can find some common ground. Ultimately, we may never agree on the issue, but there is almost always a commonality from which we can focus that can lead to a different solution, or at least a redirection to a topic where we are not at a perpetual impasse. It’s not easy, but I think that we must try to remember that we are all human, and we should try to offer each other respect, patience, and grace.

Website or contact information: teresamillerlittlecanada.wordpress.com

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