Special Election for Two Harbors At-Large City Counselor

Laura Osbakken Goutermont and Donna Heil are each run­ning for a seat on the Two Har­bors City Council. The election will be held on August 12th and the candidate chosen by the voters will serve as the at-large member of the council.

We asked each candidate to talk about what has motivated them to serve on the council and to share their vision for the city and its residents. Each can­didate was asked to respond to the following questions. Their answers appear below and are presented in their own words.

Each candidate was asked to respond to the following ques­tions:

1. What has motivated you to run for City Council?

2. Tell us about your vision for Two Harbors. What are you most excited about when it comes to addressing challenges and improving the quality of life for Two Harbors res­idents?

3. What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges we face moving forward and how will you try to address those challenges?

4. Are there any initiatives of your own that you hope to see implemented in the fu­ture?

5. How do you plan to in­volve residents in the de­cision making process and how can constituents con­tact you?

6. Anything else you want voters to know?

Laura Osbakken Goutermont had this to say:

1. I am running because I be­lieve the city needs a cata­lyst to help move forward on important issues. My ability to make the tough decisions will be an asset to the city.

2. A vibrant and well rounded community that provides opportunities for all. Most excited to work with the county and developers to improve housing from en­try level housing to our se­niors.

3. Infrastructure is the biggest challenge. I will work hard to lobby for State and Fed­eral funding to enhance the city’s contribution to repair the infrastructure.

4. To provide warehouse space for local businesses that badly need it. To assist in making a business plan for rehabilitation of vacant buildings downtown.

5. To be available and ap­proachable to talk to the constituents. Continue to be out and about in the community and participate in local events. To support our local businesses by shopping locally and get­ting to know the business owners and see what chal­lenges they face. My email will be available and I plan to respond to all email.

6. Our residents are the glue to this community. I would like the residents to step up to the plate and make their opinions known so city councilors can make deci­sions for the majority vs a select few.

Donna Heil shared the following:

1. With so much happening in the country and world I felt the need to try to care for people in my own com­munity. Change begins at the grassroots level. I am a caregiver. I am a decision maker. I like to see prog­ress.

2. I own a business down­town and want to be an advocate for revitalizing the downtown community. I am excited about plans for the waterfront at Ag­ate Bay. I am interested in brainstorming ideas for the housing issues. There cur­rently is more demand than there is supply for housing. I think there are creative ways we can ease the situ­ation.

3. Housing is one of three main issues I feel are most important. Now that the county HRA and the city HRA have joined forces, we can use all our resourc­es to push ahead with de­velopment and construc­tion of not only market rate homes, but also homes for the elderly and disabled, and low-income housing. There are exciting plans for all of this, but it takes time and resources. Mov­ing these plans forward is my intention. The second challenge is how to make Two Harbors a destina­tion. Making Agate Bay a useable space is important for the downtown commu­nity. This will encourage more shops and businesses to locate here. This brings an increased tax base, en­courages tourism and em­ployment. Tourism is not our only industry. We also need to encourage more manufacturing in our town. And that brings us to the third challenge. Our streets need repair. Street repair takes time and money too. We may be able to increase our tax base, but we can’t make the season longer. I’m relieved to know that the city does have a plan and are doing what they can to address this.

4. I’d like to suggest ways to draw manufacturing here. We need to work on our housing supply. Increase our tax base by encourag­ing growth.

We live in a beautiful com­munity. It can and should be a vibrant, welcoming place for families to thrive.

5. My goal is to empower people to come forward with their concerns, ques­tions and ideas. I think folks need to know best how to be heard.

The councils and com­missions, the task forces, and committees are open to them because they are the community, they are the people who are being served. I want to commu­nicate to my constituents that these organizations not only want to hear from you but would love for you to be involved. Studies show that those who have less time on social media and more time for real social involvement are healthier and happier. We can do all these things together.

6. I would like voters to feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions. The best ideas come from them. I am here to listen, and I would love to hear from them. Togeth­er we can do great things for our town.

The politics that impacts us the most directly is our own local politics and your participation, as residents of Two Harbors, is important. Make sure to visit the polls on August 12th!