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<br /> <br /> <br />Ms. Slabiak stated she loves her neighborhood and her community, but she believed there was a lack of <br />community. She believed the City could advertise events and activities more. She supported the City making <br />their registration process easier for residents. She suggested the City keep finding more and more ways to bring <br />people together. <br /> <br />Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas thanked Ms. Slabiak for coming in and applying for this position. She noted City <br />Clerk Spangrud would be in touch with further information on how the Council was moving forward. She <br />explained the next person to be interviewed was Cathy Forbes. <br /> <br />Councilmember Axberg asked Ms. Forbes to provide the Council with a brief history on how her personal and <br />professional experiences will help her be an effective commissioner, if appointed. <br /> <br />Ms. Forbes stated her professional background was that she worked as a dietician in the UK. She noted she <br />had to communicate complex information in a way that is easy to understand. She would hope to bring this into <br />her position. Having worked in health services, she learned the value of working as a team and working with <br />other people, also involving stakeholders. She noted she led a successful change project where she had to <br />receive stakeholder buy in. She commented on how important it was to measure progress and change. She <br />stated after moving to the US she took on a new role and learned about Medicare. She explained she was able <br />to learn something new, was able to listen to people’s thoughts. She commented as a parent, she saw how <br />important it was to improve what was out there and to safeguard what was already working well for the next <br />generation. She reported as an immigrant there was an experience of being different, having a different <br />background and culture. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen asked what motivated Ms. Forbes to serve on a City Commission. <br /> <br />Ms. Forbes stated she moved to New Brighton in November and she believed serving on a commission would <br />be a great opportunity to give back to the community. She indicated she previously lived in New Jersey where <br />she served on the historical society helping with their social media promotions, in order to assist in creating a <br />sense of community. She hoped to use her experiences in a positive way in New Brighton. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth stated each Commission is tasked with making recommendations to the City <br />Council that comply with policies, rules or ordinances already adopted by the City Council. She asked Ms. <br />Forbes what she would do if she disagreed with a policy or ordinance already in place. <br /> <br />Ms. Forbes explained the first thing would be to understand the background. She would want to review <br />minutes to understand why something came about. She would want to speak to the other commissioners and <br />after that, if there was still an issue, she would raise a question to an administrator or other person for further <br />discussion. <br /> <br />Councilmember Abdulle requested Ms. Forbes speak to the City’s biggest opportunity and biggest challenges <br />in New Brighton. <br /> <br />Ms. Forbes commented the fact that this City was so popular was a real opportunity for New Brighton, but this <br />also meant there was very little housing and a lot of pressure was being put on the City’s services. She believed <br />the City had to make sure it had the proper infrastructure in place to serve its residents. She understood the <br />community was engaged, which was both good and can be a concern at time. She believed the City had to <br />continue to find its own identity as a suburb of Minneapolis. She anticipated the City could also address <br />generational transitions and the priorities for the different generations in the community. She believed she was <br />a good listener and she would work to serve and improve the community.