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New Brighton prior to his son starting kindergarten. He stated he grew up in White Bear Lake, went to college <br />in Duluth and has lived in the same general area since that time. <br />Councilmember Allen asked why he had decided to apply to serve on a City Commission. <br />Mr. Santi stated he plays baseball, softball and broomball. He competes in these sports in different cities and <br />knows a lot about the different leagues. He explained he seeks out new parks with his kids and likes to try <br />them out. He stated he likes to be involved in recreational sports. <br />Councilmember Burg asked why he would be a good person to represent the community and advise the City <br />Council. <br />Mr. Santi stated he wants to be more involved in the community and understand how things work. He stated he <br />ran his own business and had flexible works hours. <br />Councilmember Jacobsen asked what the three most important responsibilities a commission member had to <br />the community. <br />Mr. Santi stated getting the publics opinion and finding out what others want was important, while also seeing <br />what other communities are doing. He stated for parks and recs specifically, it would be important to <br />understand what kids want and how we can serve these needs. <br />Mayor Johnson asked how he would respond if a member of the community were to contact him expressing <br />opposition to an item being addressed by your commission. <br />Mr. Santi stated he would hear them out and find out where they were at. He explained he would address the <br />concern, but rather would allow them to express their concern in order to bring it up the chain of command. <br />Mayor Johnson asked if these actions would change if it was a lifelong friend. <br />Mr. Santi stated this would not change his actions. <br />Councilmember Dunsworth reported each commission is tasked with making recommendations to the City <br />Council. She asked how Mr. Santi would respond if he disagreed with a policy or Ordinance. <br />Mr. Santi stated he would want to learn more about it to find out why a policy was in place. He explained he <br />would ask to address this at a future meeting in order to gain further understanding. <br />Councilmember Allen asked what the City's biggest challenges were. <br />Mr. Santi stated there were park areas that could be better utilized. Also, he believed the public could be made <br />aware of the City's park amenities. <br />Councilmember Burg asked if he was interested in land uses and variances; diversity and accessibility; <br />economic programs, retention and development; the impact of recreation on the community; or the impacts of <br />public safety. <br />Mr. Santi stated he was most interested in park and rec or economic development due to the fact he was a <br />business owner. <br />