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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – JANUARY 9, 2023 11 nature of the campaign that occurred. He feared there was a lot of misinformation or misleading information that was provided to the public. He indicated he listened to the three hour meeting that was held last week by the Council. He stated he was pleased with what he heard until the last thirty minutes when the new Councilmembers went back in to party mode and that they would be making several new demands on the City, nullifying the privileges of the Mayor to lead the City. He believed it was early for this type of vindictive style of politics. He encouraged the new Councilmembers to wait several months prior to going down this avenue. He stated in the past Councilmembers ran as individuals and not as a slate of members. He reported he reviewed the campaign contributions for the new Councilmembers and he understood the new members pulled in $24,000 from outside the City and State. He understood there was no law against this, but he had hoped his City leaders would be influenced by City residents. He spoke regarding TCAAP noting the County walked away from this project in order to focus on their own redevelopment projects, one being in downtown St. Paul called the Rivers Edge. He indicated he was surprised this project did not include affordable housing, especially considering this was a major sticking point for the TCAAP project. He discussed a recent article on the Pioneer Press which focused on the Rivers Edge noting the County was trying to secure additional funding from the State, but that there had been no visible movement on that project. He questioned if the blame for this should fall on the Arden Hills City Council. He reported he was deeply disappointed in the letter that came out that demanded the changes to the Council. He explained if the City ever gets back in session with the County, the City needed its best and brightest people to represent the City on the JDA. He did not believe this person was Gregg Larson. He understood Gregg Larson followed the three new Councilmembers beliefs, but he feared this was too close to nepotism. He discussed how Brian Holmes interviewed and was appointed to the JDA. He noted Mr. Holmes presided over one meeting before the County decided to quit working with the City. He encouraged the Council to work together, and not in an arrogant or vindictive manner. Greg Rubenstein, 1911 Noble Road, thanked the Council for allowing the public to speak at this meeting. He explained he keeps hearing how the Advance Arden Hills Councilmembers believe they have a mandate for change. He reported not everyone voted for the Advance Arden Hills candidates. He stated he did not, but he did vote to reelect Mayor Grant. He indicated he wanted to see a balance on the City Council. He believed Arden Hills was on a pretty good trajectory. He feared how the City would be impacted if it were to throw out all of the Mayor’s knowledge and encouraged the Council to not proceed in this manner. He reiterated that the public voted and they opted to not have Gregg Larson as its leader. He questioned why Mr. Larson would be appointed to the TCAAP JDA as Chair. He believed this would be rewarding Mr. Larson with a position that he did not earn. He recommended Mayor Grant be allowed to serve on the JDA because he has the required knowledge and experience to represent the City’s interests. Kathy Sukke, 1286 Karth Lake Circle, corrected a few statements that have been made. She discussed the traffic problems in the community and commented on how 305 additional units on the North Heights property would impact Arden Hills. She reported the TCAAP development would only have access to Highway 96 which would further the traffic problems in this area of the City. She questioned why the County had not provided additional access points to Highway 10 in this area of the City. She discussed the meaning of her last name, which was to sigh. She noted she has been sighing for quite some time now. She questioned why there were imbecilic governments in place that allowed their cities to burn. She commented on how crime has been spiking while cuts are being made to law enforcement. She noted inflation was spiking and noted