01-09-23-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – JANUARY 9, 2023 7 regretting his vote for each of them. He guaranteed that Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Rousseau would not be receiving his vote in the next election. He stated in regard to the JDA, what harm would there be in allowing Mayor Grant to continue as the representative. He reported Mayor Grant brings years of knowledge and experience to this position that was valuable and this would be missing if new Councilmembers were appointed to both positions. He hoped the Council would continue to be able to work together to continue to make Arden Hills a great place to live and a place he was proud to call home. Doug VanderHeiden, 1660 Oak Avenue, explained he agreed with almost everything Jordan stated. He reported he and his wife voted a mixed ticket with the sole purpose of having the Council come together to compromise, not to have a power struggle or coup. He hoped new ideas would come forward and encouraged the Council to come together. Steve Freimuth, 1200 Ingerson Road, stated he has lived in Arden Hills for almost 40 years. He indicated elections have consequences. He congratulated everyone who was elected. He reported over 20 years ago he ran for City government and he lost. He explained during the Vento years he volunteered to serve on the TCAAP committee. He understood the congressman had his agenda, but not a lot of the facts. He discussed how he worked to provide facts to the politicians in hopes of them making good decisions for the community. He stated he was old and older people did not really like change. He indicated he had mixed feelings regarding TCAAP given his history with the development. He reported he cared about people and discussed the immigrants that have lived in his home over the years. He supported TCAAP having low income housing. He recommended TCAAP be dense but not too dense. He discussed how COVID changed jobs, interest rates and transportations requirements. He encouraged the Council to work together. He stated he was very disappointed by Councilmember Fabel’s actions, especially considering this was done before he was even sworn in. He encouraged the new Councilmembers to try and learn from the incumbents. He stated the actions of Councilmember Fabel have created an adversarial situation. He asked if now was the right time to be bringing this action forward. He believed the City of Arden Hills was better than this. He urged the Council to work together and respect one another, even when they don’t agree with one another. Chris Sears, 3815 New Brighton Road, commented that the group was a political party, as Councilmember Fabel admitted, as the three new individuals colluded together prior to becoming Councilmembers. He stated he was frustrated by this situation. He commented on how these Councilmembers placed something in his mailbox, which was a violation of 5083.1.3 of the Domestic Mail Manual. He reported this was a federal law that was broken by the Advance Arden Hills group members. He explained the flyers from this group did not have a postmark and asked the three new Councilmembers to admit to this. He went on to say he was a big supporter of TCAAP. He believed the City had a great plan for this property as of last March. He understood Ramsey County and the Met Council have not shown up to meet with the City. He stated he appreciated the efforts of the City and the developer. He was curious which organization supported Advance Arden Hills, which he suspected was Ramsey County and the Met Council. He explained this was speculation, but he spent a number of years in military intelligence and the last 20 years investigating cyber security. He encouraged the Council to table action on Councilmember Fabel’s motions and that the Council hear the voices of the public.