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Mr. Yigsaw stated New Brighton was not in a vacuum and noted this community has faced pressure from the <br /> pandemic, especially when it comes to affordable housing and rising costs. He believed the City should be <br /> investing in affordable housing as well as a livable community. He wanted to see people being able to get <br /> where they needed to go if they live in New Brighton. <br /> Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas thanked Mr. Yigsaw 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 Jon Dummer. <br /> Councilmember Axberg asked Mr. Dummer to provide the Council with a brief history on how his personal <br /> and professional experiences will help him be an effective commissioner, if appointed. <br /> Mr. Dummer thanked the Council for the opportunity. He stated he grew up in a small town, Cambridge, <br /> Minnesota and both of his teacher were school teachers, so the public education system was extremely <br /> important to him. He reported professionally he has moved around to Texas, Wisconsin and was now back in <br /> Minneapolis. He stated he has done commodities trading and was now in logistics. He indicated he was in <br /> constant communication with hundreds if not thousands of people every day. He believed he was good at <br /> speaking to people, building relationships, networking, and having difficult conversations. He stated he also <br /> had a small online e-commerce business where he resells golf balls from golf courses. He commented he just <br /> moved to New Brighton about a year ago and he doesn't know a great deal about the community, but he was <br /> the next generation that would be planting roots in the community. He hoped to be the voice that would <br /> connect with the younger generation moving forward. <br /> Councilmember Abdulle asked what motivated Mr. Dummer to serve on a City Commission. <br /> 11 Mr. Dummer indicated he always wanted to be a part of something bigger and get involved in the community. <br /> He stated he just bought a house on 7th Street about a year ago. Previously, he didn't feel rooted in the <br /> communities he lived in, but now that he owned a home, he hoped to eventually have a family here and now <br /> was the time to get started to being involved in the community. <br /> Councilmember Dunsworth asked what are some specific goals Mr. Dummer hopes to accomplish by serving <br /> on a commission. <br /> Mr. Dummer stated he would be interested in any commission. He noted he studied agricultural economics at <br /> NDSU. He indicated he was a big cyclist and he loved the outdoors. His biggest goal or what he has the most <br /> passion for was the park and rec side of things. He explained he really appreciates the parks in New Brighton <br /> but believed they were a little difficult to navigate by way of public transit or by bike. His personal goal would <br /> be to get local public transit and trails better connected. He wanted to shift away from being a car centric <br /> community to an open transit system. He stated he also wanted to get a younger crowd being active and <br /> engaged in City politics or the City as a whole. He reported his girlfriend works in the governors office and he <br /> saw the need for bringing younger people into civic engagement. <br /> Councilmember Allen requested Mr. Dummer speak to the City's biggest opportunity and biggest challenges <br /> in New Brighton. <br /> nMr. Dummer commented he has only been in the community for a year. He believed it would be unfair for him <br /> to say what was wrong. He didn't know 100% and stated he would be open to learning more about New <br /> Brighton while serving on a community. He stated he would be bringing fresh eyes to a commission and noted <br /> he has no biases. He indicated public transit and shifting away from a car centric community would be a huge <br /> goal for any community. He explained New Brighton was very close to Minneapolis and St. Paul but he <br />