Dean Goldberg and Jennifer Rauner were the top two voter getters and will join the city council in January 2018.
In 2017, residents of Circle Pines will elect a two city council members to serve four-year terms. To watch a debate featuring the candidates running for Circle Pines City Council click here.
About: Dean Goldberg is a retired pharmacist. He attended the University of Minnesota where he received his Doctor of Pharmacy. His career included teaching at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, serving as the Assistant Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Vice President of Clinical Pharmacy Management at UnitedHealthcare, and working in Research & Development at GlaxoSmithKline in the areas of metabolic and cardiovascular disease.
Dean retired in 2014 to spend more time working on his passion for caring for others. He travels to Honduras to provide medical care to Hondurans in need and he has worked hard to address the problem of homelessness throughout Minnesota.
Dean loves living in Circle Pines and wants to serve on City Council to give back the community he has lived in since 1989. As a volunteer and leader, he knows the importance of meeting people face to face to understand their needs. Dean is a high-energy person who knows the importance of taking action and he will work hard to assure our city continues to be a great place to live.
Dean has been married to Barb for 31 years and they have three adult daughters, Alison, Missy, and Andrea.
Important Issues: Dean believes all Circle Pines neighborhoods should thrive and benefit from careful, fiscally responsible investments in our city. He wants to see the completion of ongoing infrastructure projects addressing street, sewer, and utilities repairs. The service delivered by our Centennial Lakes Police and the Centennial Fire departments is outstanding, they are vitally important components of our community, and Dean believes they should remain local and that their services should not be contracted to a vendor. Also, Dean knows how important our beautiful parks and trails are. He is a frequent user of them and he supports their continued maintenance and development.
By walking door to door throughout Circle Pines, Dean has heard loud and clear that people feel as he does, that Circle Pines is a really great city to live in. Dean will work hard on the three issues above, and on others, to keep it that way.
Goals If Elected: Dean’s goal is to continue building the amenities and public safety we now enjoy and to strengthen the community of Circle Pines. Dean believes smart investments in our community deliver paybacks in the long run. He also supports maintaining a balance in annual budgets, avoiding large swings that impact resident taxes.
As a leader, Dean understands that while an individual can accomplish a specific goal, our community can achieve substantially more by joining hands and working together. Dean will work hand in hand with police and fire departments, Parks board, Public Works, Centennial schools and utilities, city employees, and most importantly with residents, to find ways to continue improving the quality of life for all Circle Pines residents. Dean believes cities are strongest when residents get involved. He will encourage residents to participate in the governance of Circle Pines through communication and rapid responses to fellow citizens.
Endorsements: City Council is a non-partisan race and thus, candidates seeking this position do not seek endorsements. This is one of the things that Dean most likes about the opportunity to participate in Circle Pines government.
About: Jennifer Rauner has lived with her husband, Matthew, in Circle Pines for 14 years. They have two girls, Abigail, 7 and Meredith 4. She has been the wedding coordinator at Our Saviors Lutheran Church for the past 9 years.
She works full time in Information Technology at an adhesives company. Her and her family enjoy camping and hiking which allows her to enjoy her photography hobby.
Important Issues: Jennifer is passionate about the outdoors. She and her family enjoy many of the parks and trails that the city of Circle Pines has to offer. Keeping the trail systems maintained and updating the many parks around the city is important to her.
Public safety is also an important issue. With her husband on the Centennial Fire Department, she understands the importance of a well-balanced relationship between Fire and Police. Keeping our local fire and police departments is a top priority.
Goals if elected: Jennifer understands the value of proper budget planning, in her career and family life. She knows that being smart with our tax dollars is going to benefit our city. Making sure we are spending wisely while maintaining the quality of life in Circle Pines is her goal.
Endorsements: No endorsements sought by the candidate.
About: Mark Ziemer, a 14-year resident of Circle Pines, is an electrical engineer with a leading civil and environmental engineering firm based in Bloomington. Registered as a Professional Engineer in Minnesota and several other states, he has extensive experience in electrical systems design of various kinds of municipal facilities such as water treatment plants, lift stations, water towers, and fire stations. He has been married to Susie for 20 years, and they have four children ranging in age from 16 to 26. He is an active member of Way of the Lord church in Blaine. His family has hosted a Japanese student three times in past five years for a local three-week intercultural program, the St. Paul Intercultural Institute. With family, friends, and neighbors he enjoys the many amenities and green spaces that Circle Pines has to offer.
Important Issues: Circle Pines is a wonderful city with so many natural spaces, parks and small-town friendly feel within the metro. Since it is mainly a residential community with a limited commercial tax base, it is important that the City of Circle Pines be judicious in budgeting and spending while retaining the quality of its services and infrastructure. I am a fiscal conservative committed to stability in property taxes, funding of infrastructure needs, and supporting cost saving alliances with the county and nearby cities wherever it makes sense.
Goals if Elected: I have professional expertise regarding utilities infrastructure and will “hit the deck running” on numerous city decisions involving street improvement plans, vital infrastructure such as water supply, sewer, lighting, construction planning and costs, and city planning. My goals: Keep our basic city services well-maintained and competitively-priced; Keep our city-owned gas utility efficient and competitive; Build only what we can afford to maintain; Work closely with the mayor and council to produce a 5-year and 10-year plan that manages major cost drivers and accommodates the city’s needs; Seek shared services and joint powers arrangements with our neighboring cities and/or the county to benefit taxpayers.
Endorsements: None listed.