Staff photo by Clay Schuldt City Council, Ward 4, candidates Andrea Boettger and Larry Mack take part in a pre-election forum in New Ulm on Monday.

NEW ULM — The New Ulm League of Women Voters held a candidate forum for New Ulm’s City Council, Fourth Ward, Monday.

The candidates for the Fourth Ward are incumbent City Councilor Larry Mack and challenger Andrea Boettger.

In his opening statement Mack said he has served as councilor for four years and was the vice-chair of the RENU Oversight Committee and vice-chair of the Planning Commission. (RENU stands for Reinvest in New Ulm, an effort to fund projects with a local sales tax.) Mack is a sixth-generation resident of New Ulm, a volunteer who served on several non-profit boards. For the past 19 years he was employed by 3M. He has owned and operated a flooring installation business and owns rental property in town. As a city council member he was involved in the start of the RENU projects. He is seeking re-election to see these projects completed, serve residents and keep New Ulm a destination community.

Boettger said she is running for the council seat for several reasons. She was motivated to run after reaching out to a city official about an opportunity to serve the city and receiving no follow-up response. She said it made her feel like she did not have a voice. As a councilor she promised to listen and respond to people with questions and input. The other reason for running was she was excited by the activity happening downtown in terms of young entrepreneurs filling spaces in the community. Boettger has worked in the banking, finance and hospitality industry for 15 years.

The first question was given to the candidates in advance. Moderator Ruth Ann Webster asked how they would determine which issues require specific public input before the council should finalize a decision.

Boettger said it was always important to look at the cost and scope of the project coming up, whether it was in the budget, and the impact to community. Any issue that stirs and ignites the public deserves attention.

Mack said many of the issues require a hearing before moving forward.

The candidates were asked about how they would work with city commissions and using their recommendations.

Mack said commissioners do a lot of the early research for the council and the council members are often commission members. Since the councilors are not all experts they need the recommendations of commissions.

Boettger said it was important to get to know the commissioners and weigh their knowledge regarding any recommendation.

“Our role is to weigh the solutions with the cost and community impact,” Boettger said. She promised to take recommendations seriously and make sure alternative solutions were explored.

The candidates were asked why they were the best person for the council position. Boettger said she had business and finance experience and currently manages a business in the for profit and non-profit sector. She also volunteered in the community through Heart of New Ulm, as Chair for the Grand Center of Arts and Culture and Vice-Chair of the Welcoming Committee.

Mack said he had experience as a councilor and served on several commissions. He also saw housing developments come to New Ulm through the council.

Succession planning was brought up twice during the forum. The recent announcement that City Manager Brian Gramentz was leaving his position means filling his position will be a key issue facing the council. The candidates were asked what efforts should be in place for addressing the retirement of key city employees.

Mack said bringing in the new assistant city manager was a major step in considering succession planning. He suggested further job shadowing with outgoing employees. Keeping the right people in place as department heads, the city can manage affairs as a contingency.

Boettger suggested looking into certain positions, specifically hard to fill positions, to ensure the city is not caught by surprise. She cited the difficulty with filling the PUC director position. She also approved of cross training. She also wanted to be proactive in keeping city employees and working with recruiters to find people willing to fill in.

On the proper use of economic development funds, Boettger promoted using funds to fix the infrastructure in the community to prevent further aging of current properties, but also expand housing.

Mack wants to bring back incentive programs to rehab old homes and review other grant and loan options.

The future of New Ulm’s downtown was a hot topic. Mack said downtown New Ulm is forever changing and if we’re not changing with it, we’re not moving forward. He was not opposed to any ideas to repurpose buildings, which included pop-up stores or seasonal stores. He also wanted to maintain New Ulm’s heritage and charm while adapting to the times.

Boettger wanted the city to keep partnering with resources already in town, including the Downtown Action Team, the New Ulm Business and Retail Association (NUBRA) and the assistant city manager tasked with Economic Development. She also supported pop-up shops and partnering with other communities to develop ideas. Boettger also wanted to see specific types of businesses downtown, such as a men’s clothing store, ice cream shop or grocery store. She said a store where you can get milk would be great for downtown, especially for those without access to transportation.

The candidates were asked if there were any specific areas the city should advocate on a state or federal level. Both candidates supported addressing the daycare crisis on a state level. Boettger said it was an issue affecting the whole state and reducing the state regulations was likely necessary to resolve the crisis.

Mack also cited the need for infrastructure improvements and helping the city with funding.

Boettger also wanted to push the state for Highway 14 funding.

On childcare as a whole, both candidates wanted to look to other communities for possible solutions. Mack mentioned the council has previously partnered with Sleepy Eye to seek answers on the daycare crisis, but he also supported recruitment.

Boettger suggested businesses hosting daycare on site, since the crisis was directly affecting the local workforce.

Recently individual communities have been raising the age limit for tobacco sales to 21. The candidates both supported raising the age limit to keep tobacco away from children.

On the topic of reducing New Ulm’s carbon footprint, the two candidates said they would work with the PUC to work out viable options. Boettger wanted to look into recycling programs used by city businesses. Mack said there was a possible future in establishing a solar garden.

In her closing statement Boettger said the most important issues over the next four years were the hiring of a city manager, RENU, Highway 14, the daycare crisis, housing solution and the holiday garlands. She had been learning about the challenges facing the community by speaking with citizens and former councilors on how to provide value to the community.

In his closing remarks, Mack said he wanted to finish the RENU projects and see the National Guard Armory completed. He also wanted to push for workforce housing.

Fourth Ward voters will get a chance to decide between Mack and Boettger on Tuesday, Nov. 6, during the General Election.