Candidate Questionnaire – City of West St. Paul
Name: John Bellows
Public Office Sought: West St. Paul City Council Ward III
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651.238.4444
Address: 1925 Bidwell Street, West St. Paul, MN 55118
Campaign Website: pending
Twitter Handle:
Facebook Page: John Bellows for West St. Paul City Council- Ward III
1. Please provide a brief bio highlighting experience and accomplishments that qualify you for the
position you are seeking.
I was born and raised on the West Side; worked my way through the University of St. Thomas and
William Mitchell Law School. After serving in the U.S. Army I practiced law in the Twin Cities, primarily in
Ramsey and Dakota County for 40 years. My practice centered on representing individuals and small
businesses.
My wife Bonnie and I have been married for more than 45 years. We have two daughters and three
grandsons.
Over the years I have had extensive experience community, civic, church, professional and nor-profit
organizations including: Member and President of Parish Council St. Luke Catholic Church, now
Community of St. Thomas Moore; Ramsey County Bar Association Committees, including 12 years on
Bar Ethics Committee; West St. Paul Planning Commission, Environmental Committee, Robert Street
Public Advisory Committee, Director and Vice President of ARRL, a national association of amateur radio
with 160,000 plus members, Board Member Family Voices of MN.
2. Explain why you are running for public office.
As I became more and more involved in West St. Paul civic activities, particularly the Planning
Commission, the Robert Street PAC and the Environmental Committee I found I really enjoyed working
with other citizens of West St. Paul to address the issues and problems facing the city. My background
and experience, both professionally and in volunteer work was helpful in working on these issues. When
Councilman Dave Wright chose not to seek reelection I was encouraged to run and undertook the
opportunity to serve.
3. Please list any endorsements you have received.
Council-members Dave Wright, Dave Napier, Ed Iago and Jenny Halverson; Mayor John Zanmiller;
Dakota County Sheriff Candidate Tim Leslie, South Metro Firefighters Local Union 724.
4. What is the biggest challenge facing your local community and how would you address it?
West St. Paul is a mature city with street, roadways and municipal systems that are aging. The need to
revitalize Robert Street to reduce congestion and increase safety is one example. Infrastructure will
need to be need to repaired or replaced to keep the quality of life in our city and neighborhoods and
maintain the city services essential to our community and citizens. Finding cost effective solutions and
creative sources of additional revenue will be key to meeting the needs of our evolving community.
5. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
A. Maintaining a high level of city services - Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks and Recreation - while
keeping taxes affordable. This will require careful planning, and thoughtful prioritizing.
B. Completion of the Robert Street improvement project, on time and on budget, with the minimum
impact on the people of WSP and Robert Street businesses.
C. Evaluating capital projects such as City Hall renovation replacement in light of taxes Attracting new
business
6. How would you characterize the business climate in your local community? What, if anything,
would you do to improve it?
Based upon what I have seen on the Planning Council and my experience in working with small
businesses, West St. Paul has a reasonably good business climate. The Council needs to actively support
the efforts of the WSP Economic Development Authority to seek and work with businesses and
developers, while regularly reviewing our regulations and permitting requirements to make sure they
are reasonable and workable.
7. Should local government be actively involved in attracting and retaining jobs? Why or why not? If
so, please describe the role of local government in this process.
West St. Paul needs to actively work to attract development and new jobs if it is to maintain the
economic vitality of the community. The City and Council should continue to actively support the efforts
of its Economic Development Authority (EDA) to seek and encourage new businesses and those existing
businesses looking to expand in WSP.
8. What do you think should be the top transportation-related priority of Dakota County?
County wide questions such as this need to be determined by collaboration and cooperation between
the County and the Municipalities affected. From the viewpoint of West St. Paul the most pressing issue
is securing a safer, accessible Robert Street that we can be proud of and is completed on time and on
budget.
9. Many communities and government entities in the region collaborate to provide services to their
residents in an effort operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Do you believe there are additional
opportunities to deliver public services more efficiently in your community and if so, please explain?
West St. Paul already successfully participates in several multi-jurisdiction collaborations; South Metro
Fire Department, Northern Dakota County Cable Commission and the Dakota County Communications
Center are just a few examples. We need to continue to work with neighboring communities to look for
other opportunities to provide quality services on an efficient, cost effective basis. West St. Paul
currently operates the John V. Hoene Ice Arena. The arena is in need of substantial repairs if it is to meet
state standards and continue as a viable facility for years to come. 50 197 and the residents of Mendota
Heights are major users of the arena. The arena is a good example of a situation where the use of a
facility crosses city boundaries and where it is essential for other governmental entities will to work in
collaboration with West St. Paul if the arena is to remain viable in coming years.
10. Do you believe there are any services that are not currently provided by the city that should be
and, if so, what please describe the services?
West St. Paul provides a high level of service to our citizens. If additional services are needed I would see
if there opportunities to partner with other communities to reduce costs. A past example of this
partnering is the South Metro Fire Department which was created by combining WSP and SSP Fire
Departments.
11. Do you believe there are any services that are currently provided by the city that should be cut
back or eliminated and, if so, please explain?
City services need to be reviewed at least annually to determine if the level of services are appropriate
to current needs. At present I am not aware of any particular services that need to be cut back or
eliminated.
12. Describe your philosophy on balancing community needs versus the tax burden placed on
residents and businesses. How does your record reflect this philosophy?
The need and value of the project/activity must be carefully balanced against the benefit to taxpayers
and the existing tax burden. The hard fact is that the portion of state income taxes that used to be
shared with cities has steadily decreased in the past few years, shifting more of the cost of basic city
services to property taxes. Now, even more than in the past we will need to look for ways to more
efficiently and effectively deliver the basic city services we rely upon. The cost of any new project must
be carefully balanced against the need and the overall benefit to West St. Paul and its residents.
13. Please provide a letter grade (A, A-, B+, etc… F) of the current and collective set of elected officials
in your city for their overall performance. Explain the grade provided.
I believe the current Mayor and Council deserve a B+. They appear to work together well and do a good
job of representing the citizens of West St. Paul. As is true of all of us, there is always room for
improvement.
14. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I appreciate the opportunity to represent the citizens on West St. Paul Ward III and look forward to
working with them to make West St. Paul and even better place to live and work.