Nicole Brasfield, Joan Hawbaker, Isaiah Keller, L. John MacMartin, Stephan Podrygula and David Wiley fielded questions about their views on how the government should operate.

“What I would suggest is we focus on the basics as a city,” Podrygula said. “We focus on public safety. We focus on infrastructure. We focus on working with the other entities like the schools and the parks to improve our quality of life. I think if we could do a good job with the basics, the rest will flow from there.

“We need to look at public-private partnerships to facilitate economic development and growth. But I think there’s a risk that at some point we depart from that basic mission,” he added. “So, acting more as a catalyst, as a facilitator of these other parts of government and of private enterprise, I think, is the role I’d like us to play.”

Wiley agreed.

Joan Hawbaker, right, speaks at a Minot City Council candidate forum on Wednesday, April 15. At left is Nicole Brasfield.

“Too much frosting, not enough cake. We’ve got to get back to the basics and then maybe we can build from there,” he said. “We need to get back to the simple things. Clean up our water. Fix our streets. Lower people’s property taxes. That’s how we help the economy.”

MacMartin stressed the need for a prudent approach to the budget.

“The question that we keep asking is ‘How can we cut taxes?’ And I think that’s the wrong question to ask,” MacMartin said. “The questions to be asking are ‘What are the services you want? What are the services that are near and dear to your hearts? What are important to your families?’ And then we figure out a way to pay for those, because if we just willy-nilly cut taxes, reduce our reserves, we’re going to be out of money, and there aren’t going to be any services there to provide.”

Brasfield stressed a focus on economic development to balance the budget.

“Everybody wants the services but they don’t want to pay for the services,” Brasfield said. “In order to take that burden off of the property taxes, we have to grow, because then we’re getting the bigger pie. We’re splitting the cost, and then we can have those services grow and improve all of them.

Minot City Council candidates Isaiah Keller, left, and L. John MacMartin, right, participate in a forum in Minot City Hall Wednesday, April 15.

“That not only helps you with your wallets but that also helps you with a better community to live in,” she added.

Hawbaker said the budget needs to be examined line by line to identify needed changes.

“I think I have some common sense that I can bring to the table in the way of finances. I would like to look at our budget the way I would look at my budget at home. If I can’t afford something, I don’t buy it. If I really need something – new windows, whatever – I can save up for it,” she said.

Keller said lowering the property tax would be his focus. He suggested cutting less essential positions in government and using that funding to improve roads and fully fund the police and fire departments.

“I also support reducing the size of our government,” said Keller, who noted about 120 new positions have been added within the last 10-15 years. “The growth of Minot hasn’t been in respect to that. … It’s time to become more efficient. Technological advances have been a huge help.”

On flood control, Keller called the flood protection project over-engineered but necessary to finish.

“We need to do it within budget, but I also think that we need to maybe consider a third party to assess what is being done. I would like more transparency with a lot of these decisions that are being made,” he said.

Wiley called for moving the flood project to a public vote.

“I’m really torn on this issue,” Wiley said, indicating the need to make good on the investment already made while also considering information that the 2011 flood control may have been mismanaged by the Corps of Engineers.

“If it was mismanaged, then they should be held responsible. I don’t think the taxpayer should have been punished for that,” he said.

MacMartin spoke of the 2011 flood impacting his and neighbors’ homes due to Mother Nature.

“We’ve had several engineering firms design something that will provide solid flood protection with a free board. So, if Mother Nature tries to trick us again, we’ll have some flood protection, but we need to stay the course,” he said. “Nobody is going to be able to afford the flood insurance if we don’t complete the flood protection.”

Podrygula agreed.

“Stay the course. Keep funding it as best as we can from the sales tax and lobby as aggressively as we can with our state Legislature and with the people in Congress so we get that support. We can’t afford this on our own,” he said.

“Flood protection is fairly high up in my priority,” Hawbaker said. “We do need to fund it. We do need to finish it.”

Brasfield warned of plummeting housing values if higher flood insurance rates apply to the valley.

“Flood insurance is going to make it almost unaffordable for you to even live there, because your lenders on those houses will require you to have that insurance, regardless if it is tens of thousands of dollars,” she said.

Candidates also listed various other priorities.

Hawbaker said property taxes need to be addressed, along with economic development, roads and other infrastructure, and transparency and accountability within the city.

Wiley said the roads are a public priority and a challenge.

“Of course, public safety is important, but I don’t see that in a state of despair right now. We’ve had some challenges, but I don’t see a huge lack in our police department, our fire department,” he said.

He also spoke of cleaning up the city’s water supply and removing fluoride.

Brasfield said her top priorities are public safety and roads.

“My third one is our economic growth. We need a bigger pie,” she said. “Another priority is listening to what our people have to say, including the employees – what do you want to see from the city?”

Podrygula named public safety as a top priority, which includes bolstering police and fire personnel. His second priority is roads and other infrastructure and the third is improving the effectiveness and efficiency of city services by empowering staff and giving them more leadership training and autonomy.

“The final priority will be continuing the progress we’ve made to economic development,” he said. “Wages will rise and it gives the average citizen, again, more choices in terms of a broader range of goods and services. That improves the quality of life for everyone.”

For MacMartin, continuing economic development, maintaining Task Force 21 and using citizen input on services to drive the budget are priorities.

Keller supported reviving a city committee to look at support for addiction services and encouraging community greenhouses. He called for a strategic plan to address the money sitting in the MAGIC Fund.

“I’d like to look into that and re-examine what we can do as a city, and perhaps that’s economic development, perhaps that’s tax relief,” he said.

The seventh candidate, Eric Locken, was unable to attend due to another commitment but submitted a statement.

“I’m running to be a voice for the citizens of our community,” he wrote. “I’m an active community member in all the ways I can think of, whether you find me at a local sporting event, farmers market, flea market, craft show or volunteering wherever I’m needed or asked to be.

“Minot is not only our hometown to me. It’s part of the identity of who I strive to be as a person – strong, resilient and built to last,” he added. “I want to work with the City of Minot and its residents to see this city continue to grow by welcoming in new people and businesses who see Minot as the gem that I truly believe it is.”