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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Council Worksession <br />April 28, 2020 <br />5:00 pm <br /> <br />Present: Mayor Valerie Johnson <br /> Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br /> Councilmember Paul Jacobsen <br />Absent: Councilmember Mary Burg <br /> <br />Staff in Attendance: Devin Massopust, Sarah Sonsalla <br /> <br />Guests in Attendance: Pam Axberg, Nasreen Fynewever <br /> <br />Interviews with Applicants for City Council Vacancy <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson welcomed Pam Axberg to the Zoom meeting. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen asked what motivated Ms. Axberg to apply to become a City Councilmember. <br /> <br />Ms. Axberg stated she received a call from someone telling her to think about this. She explained she had <br />made a decision several years ago to become more involved in the City of New Brighton and this caused her to <br />join the Park and Rec Board. She indicated her children had participated in many activities and she enjoyed <br />giving back to the community. She commented this positive experience led her to wonder what else she could <br />learn or how else she could serve. She stated she spoke with a few people and learned what was happening on <br />the Council, what was working well and it seems like a great opportunity to test the waters to see what else she <br />can do. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen stated one of the most important actions the City Council does was approve the <br />annual budget. He asked what Ms. Axberg’s philosophy would be when it comes to developing and approving <br />the annual budget. <br /> <br />Ms. Axberg stated the development of the budget was mostly done by staff. She indicated her involvement <br />would be the thoughtful discussion as to what assumptions were put into the budget. She explained she <br />worked at a fortune 5 company where she ran large budgets. She found that budgets were only as good as the <br />assumptions. She indicated she liked balanced budgets and would make sure that the items funded aligned <br />with the priorities of the City. She noted she was an analytic and fact based person and this was how she <br />would approach a City budget. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen stated besides COVID-19, what issues does the City need to address in the near <br />term. <br /> <br />Ms. Axberg commented her perspective as a citizen was the City was doing a good job addressing some of the <br />bigger issues, such as being debt free. She was pleased the City had completed a strategic parks plan and <br />would be implementing this after the pandemic was over. She explained as a byproduct of the upcoming <br />recession, she believed there would be an opportunity for the City to lead and set opportunities for its residents.