Q&A with mayoral candidate Dennis Egan

Bio:

Name: Dennis P Egan

Age: 47

Residence: Red Wing

Family: Married to Susan Egan for 18 years and have two daughters Maresa and Makaela

Public involvement: Co-Chair Red Wing's Blue Ribbon Panel on Economic Development, Advisor for Red Wing's YMCA Youth in Government, Board member Red Wing's Girls Softball Association, Member Red Wing's Booster Club, River City's Days, Past President of the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce, Past Board member, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Past Chairman Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Executives, Past Chairman of the Southeast Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Executives, US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program, Blandin Community Leadership Program, Committee member Minnesota Chamber Leadership Program, Past President and Board Member Minnesota Paint Horse Association, Committee member Red Wing Broadband Taskforce, Committee member Blandin Broadband Taskforce, Chair, Equine Committee Minnesota Farm Bureau, Policy Committee Minnesota Farm Bureau, Committee member Animal Husbandry working group, State legislature.

Education: College of St. Thomas, Public Relations degree

Work: Egan Public Affairs, and owner of Epitome Energy, LLC

1.Both candidates have said they would like to see greater participation among residents in creating public policy. What are some specific ways you, as mayor, would invite or promote resident participation?

We have to take government to the people, whether it is going to coffee shops, visiting businesses, or Internet blogs. We need to do everything we can to encourage a vibrant public discussion of the issues. We cannot succeed as a healthy community without public participation.

The public needs to know that their voices matter.

2.Describe your view of the mayor's office - the mayor's roles, duties, powers and how it can best be utilized.

According to the city charter the mayor is charged with the duty and responsibility of investigations and financial oversight.

I see my role as getting out in the community and engaging the public by going to where they live, and work. Going to our employers such as Red Wing Shoe, Excel Energy, Bic, Treasure Island, and Hydratight, to name a few, to talk to the employees about their concerns and ideas. We need to know what their ideas and suggestions are for city government.

I promise the taxpayers that I will be a watchdog on city spending.

3.List three things you would do to promote economic development in Red Wing.

As co-chair of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Economic Development, we brought in outside developers, and asked for their perception of Red Wing.

What we heard was Red Wing is perceived as anti-business, has too many regulations, and local government is not sensitive to business needs.

We must streamline the permitting process. All city agencies must be in sync and work together to ensure that businesses get the timely response they deserve. The Port Authority has to take the lead in these areas.

Education is also a vital part of economic development, not only our K-12, but also our college, to ensure that our graduates are ready and prepared to enter the workforce.

4.How would you propose Red Wing best invest in the city's aging infrastructure given its revenues are declining.

I am adamant that we have to consider the long term implications of our financial decisions. Case in point is the incinerator; we are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year operating our own incinerator, when we could accomplish the same incineration with private business.

The best way to invest in our infrastructure is eliminate unnecessary spending.

We need to look at the total city budget, and differentiate between what we want versus what we need.

City government needs to live within our means.

5.Why should the people of Red Wing trust you as a leader and to be their spokesperson?

One definition of Leadership is the ability to listen to all sides of an issue and the courage to speak out for what is right. I have a proven track record in leadership positions at both the local and state level and I have demonstrated the ability to bring organizations together in an effort to find a solution. As a community leader you need the ability to present our community vision in a positive straightforward manner.

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