Silver Bay Candidate Forum, Part 2

Due to an email misunderstanding, a late submission was received by candidate Alex Burcum after last week’s Silver Bay Candidate Forum arti­cle had gone to press. Following are his re­sponses to the ques­tions asked.

Please tell us what motivated you to run for office?

I believe in taking care of our neighbors and leaving things better than we found them. That’s why I am a volunteer firefight­er and why I am run­ning for city council. I see opportunities for the city government to work more directly with the local commu­nity through outreach and engagement with townspeople. Addi­tionally, I believe there is a chance to refocus on the residents and improve communi­cation about the city council’s day-to-day operations.

I moved to Silver Bay in June of last year from Cannon Falls. While I haven’t lived here my entire life, when I had the opportunity to choose anywhere in the world to settle down, I chose Silver Bay. I was drawn to this town be­cause of its tranquility, its proximity to nature, and its affordability. From a young age, I would come here for hiking and canoeing, finding solace and a chance to recenter myself. Deciding to live here was a natural choice.

Part of why I am running for office is because I don’t want to see Silver Bay be­come another town dominated by seasonal cabins or AirBnB rent­als filled with noisy bachelor parties from the cities and out of towners who turn their nose up at us. I want to see this small town grow organically, with local businesses that serve the residents. I aspire to create a com­munity that people want to move to, to start families.

Silver Bay should continue to be a town we can all be proud of, not just a place where we happen to live. I am committed to fostering a thriving, close-knit community that main­tains its unique charm and appeal.

If you are elected, what are your goals for the office you are seeking?

If elected, my first goal would be to estab­lish a community-led program to address blight. This initiative would be a volunteer operation led by the citizens of our town and supported by the city, rather than a government-enforced program. I drew in­spiration from my ex­perience volunteering with a program called Hearts and Hammers in the Twin Cities. This service assisted those in need who were un­able to maintain their yards or the exterior of their homes. Teams of 20-40 people would come together to clean, garden, paint, and repair homes, providing essential beautification. It was incredible to be part of this effort and witness neighbors working to­gether, alongside local businesses pitching in to help. Programs like these inspire my ap­proach to addressing sensitive issues such as blight and, in my opinion, help build a strong sense of com­munity.

If elected, my second goal would be to criti­cally examine ways to ease the financial bur­den of assessments on homeowners whose roads are being updat­ed. This could involve appealing directly to the state legislature or the IRRRB, as well as exploring the appropri­ation of city tax funds. I fully empathize with residents’ concerns and complaints about multi-thousand dollar special assessments. Most of us don’t have that kind of money to spare; if I did, I’d probably have bought a new truck by now.

I aim to refocus the council meetings, bud­get levies, and project choices to prioritize residents’ concerns and needs. There’s no point in fixing the roads if it means fi­nancially evicting peo­ple from their homes. Additionally, I want to emphasize the im­portance of commu­nicating these impacts to residents as far in advance as possible. Many people I’ve spo­ken with weren’t even aware of the assess­ments.

In today’s age, there are numerous com­munication channels available that the city can use to keep res­idents informed. I intend to explore ex­panding these chan­nels to ensure every­one is well-informed and can voice their concerns.

My third goal would be to investigate ex­panding our EMS services by not only increasing the number of trained staff but also enhancing our am­bulance capabilities. Recently, I assisted in an emergency fire call where a patient had to be airlifted from St. Mary’s parking lot because both of our town’s ambulances were already on calls. Scenarios like this oc­cur far too often for a town of our size, and it’s deeply concerning.

With my back­ground in healthcare and health insurance, I want to explore oppor­tunities for expanding emergency services within our town. One of the biggest chal­lenges we face is the commute time to Two Harbors. I believe we can collaborate with state and federal agen­cies, as well as nation­al providers, to restore and enhance the criti­cal services our town once had including emergency room ser­vices.

My goal is to ensure that our community has timely and reli­able emergency care, reducing the reliance on distant facilities and improving overall response times. By ad­dressing these issues, we can better protect the health and well-be­ing of our aging resi­dents.

What are the most pressing issues that Silver Bay residents are facing?

I’ve been going door to door, and while I still have a way to go, I have already met with many people in town. The overall consensus revolves around two main issues: commu­nication and afford­ability.

Nearly everyone I’ve spoken with feels that the city’s decisions are not prioritizing the residents. Many resi­dents have expressed difficulty in navigat­ing and finding meet­ing minutes or notes from various develop­ment board meetings. Additionally, there is confusion about how members are elected to these boards and the criteria for their selec­tion. This lack of trans­parency has resulted in a general sense of feeling left out and not being considered a top priority in city plan­ning decisions.

Affordability, par­ticularly concerning taxes, is another ma­jor concern. Many residents live on fixed incomes and are feel­ing the strain as home prices have skyrocket­ed and property taxes have increased to catch up over the years. This financial pressure is making it difficult for some to remain in the community.

Non-partisan effort on the part of elect­ed officials is import­ant for good gover­nance. What is your track record, working with people who do not share your per­spective? How will you build consensus among other elected officials and among all your constituents?

Fortunately, city council roles are non­partisan, so national politics aside, the fric­tion in this role boils down to differences in opinion and perspec­tive. Consensus must be built on common ground and mutual respect. I believe that anyone who brings comments or concerns to the discussion does so out of genuine care for our town, and that is something I deeply respect and empathize with.

In my work in healthcare, I often find myself debating the best care practic­es for patients due to the complexity of the field. While these dis­cussions can be com­plex and heated, I al­ways remain grounded because I know every­one involved is trying to do what’s best for our patients. Similar­ly, if elected, I would approach any heated debate or concerned lecture from citizens with an open ear and genuine respect and empathy. These opin­ions and perspectives are offered in good faith.

My role, if elected, would be to serve and represent the people of this town. Anything less than understand­ing, empathizing with, and having honest conversations with the residents would, in my opinion, be a derelic­tion of duty.