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the past 20 years. He indicated he was interested in serving on the Equity Commission given the background <br /> he has with the STMA school district. He noted he started his career in South Minneapolis then went to <br /> nRoseville and Forest Lake and now serves at STMA as the Principal at the alternative high school. <br /> Councilmember Abdulle asked what motivated Mr. Jansen to serve on a City Commission. <br /> Mr. Jansen stated it just came to him. He was at a bonfire with friends in New Brighton and the group was <br /> talking about it. He indicated he was at a point in his life where he can give back and this would be the first <br /> step for him to learn more about local government. He wanted to have a vested interest in the community. He <br /> believed he would be an asset when it came to the intersection between government and schools. <br /> Councilmember Dunsworth asked what are some specific goals Mr. Jansen hopes to accomplish by serving on <br /> a commission. <br /> Mr. Jansen commented he did not have any specific goals, but if he was chosen to do this he wanted to learn. <br /> He would want to share his personal and professional perspective on equity. He believed he would be an asset <br /> in this area. Mr. Jansen indicated that although he applied for either the Equity Commission or the Planning <br /> Commission, he is passionate about equity and wished to withdraw his name from consideration for the <br /> Planning Commission. In addition, he wanted to learn more about how local government works. <br /> Councilmember Allen requested Mr. Jansen speak to the City's biggest opportunity and biggest challenges in <br /> New Brighton. <br /> Mr. Jansen stated there was a number of new residential housing developments in the community and there <br /> riwas a large number of people moving into this new housing. He wanted to make sure these new residents <br /> would have a similar positive experience being residents in New Brighton as he has. He wondered what the <br /> City could do to make sure these new residents from varied backgrounds had a good experience in the <br /> community. <br /> Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas thanked Mr. Jansen 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 Sebastian Fallas. <br /> Councilmember Axberg asked Mr. Fallas to provide the Council with a brief history on how his personal and <br /> professional experiences will help him be an effective commissioner, if appointed. <br /> Mr. Fallas explained his major was in agricultural biosystem engineering and a majority of his career focused <br /> on flood modeling. He noted he participated in modeling in Costa Rica after a hurricane hit and killed many <br /> people. He reported the emergency commission asked the university to participate in this project and he was <br /> one of the engineers chosen to help with the models. At the end of the project, he built flood maps for the city <br /> to assist with future planning. He indicated he then moved and was now in the medical device industry and <br /> served as a quality engineer. He reported he has a combination of water resource and medical device <br /> background. He hoped to use his experience to help the City with his resources. <br /> Councilmember Abdulle asked what motivated Mr. Fallas to serve on a City Commission. <br /> Mr. Fallas commented he wanted to focus on people, for people to be safe in a healthy environment. He <br /> explained he works now in a heavily regulated industry that focuses on keeping people healthy. He stated he <br /> hoped to see the City making progress and be a part of this progress. He indicated he was new to the City, but <br /> he would like to see a better City in 30 to 40 years. He stated he enjoyed the outdoors and he runs along the <br />