2018 Inver Grove Heights Mayoral Candidates

The following questions were developed and used from the 2018 Election Candidate Questionnaire and East Metro Voters Guide. 

Jonathan Weber

Bio: Reliable, honest, loyal and resourceful are defining characteristics of who I am.  With over 20 years of business experience, my passion originates from being an entrepreneur who is committed to creative problem solving and thoughtful leadership aiding me both personally and professionally to be the best father, son, husband, brother, friend, neighbor, business owner, and leader I can be.  I take great pride in all things I am involved in, specifically within my current role as an IGH Planning Commissioner serving our community these past two years. This experience has allowed me to expand my servant leadership philosophies, which enriches lives, builds better organizations, and ultimately contributes to the creation of a more just and caring community.

What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?

Development.  As a planning commissioner, I have seen the new developments coming into our city and one major thing they are missing is a park or trails to a park.  As Mayor, I would work with developers to create spaces for families to gather and play at. I feel this has been a major miss in our current developments.  When families are looking to move to our city we need to make sure the basics are there for them.

What would be your top three priorities if elected?

1. Residential and Business Development.
2. Safe Schools and Safe Environments for our citizens.
3. The Health of our city and its citizens.

Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?

I do not feel we have any services that the city provides that need to be cut back or eliminated.  I do see with new development that we will have lots of new opportunities and work together with neighboring cities to share services.

George Tourville

Bio: I grew up in South St. Paul and attended the University of Minnesota before being trained as a medic in the USAF. I worked as a Paramedic at Divine Redeemer and served on the IGH Fire Department for 26 years. I worked in the Telecom Area for 22 years and retired from Short Elliott Hendrickson in October 2017. I worked as a Sales Manager for most of that time interfacing with businesses large and small gaining valuable business experience. We have lived in IGH for 44 years serving on the City Council for 21 years and as Mayor for 14 years. I am a member of the River Heights Chamber of Commerce, Progress Plus and serve as Chair of the NDCTV Cable Commission, Dakota County 9-1-1 Board and Dakota County Broadband Board. I have served on numerous committees at LMC and Metro Cities in Transportation, General Government and Telecom. I am active in our Church (Good Shepherd), Neighbors Inc., grandchildren activities and youth sports programs. My wife, Barbara, and I have three adult children and 7 grandchildren all living in IGH. I am respectful, accountable, experienced, and involved in our City, I promise to work hard to make IGH a better place to live, work, play, and learn.

What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?

The biggest challenge facing Inver Grove Heights and all other cities is balancing revenues to our services and budget; now and into the future. We need to maintain and grow the City’s Tax Base, so we can support the services and programs our city needs and desires. IGH needs 5 to build on our economic and city strengths to support ongoing growth in housing, retail, commercial and industrial across the entire community. 

What would be your top three priorities if elected?

1. Strengthening city services through the responsible use of taxpayer dollars; while keeping taxes affordable in Inver Grove Heights. My highest priority is making sure our City Departments are well staffed, have the equipment and facilities they need and are well trained to serve the citizens and businesses of IGH. 
2.  Grow our Tax Base and add quality development and jobs. We can do this by using the strengths we have to promote new development in housing, commercial, industrial and retail. Helping existing businesses to grow, prosper and add jobs. Continue to work with Dakota County, CDA, MnDOT and private developers to plan, build and complete the transportation plans in our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). This will allow us to grow our Tax Base and add the services that citizens are looking for.  
3.  Increase communications with citizens and businesses by improving the Cities INSIGHTS Publication, better social media presence with Facebook and Twitter, continue to improve the city’s website and work with Town Square TV on good cable coverage and promotions.

 Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?

We review services, staffing and programs on an annual basis for additional efficiencies and cost savings. We also evaluate if shared services, partnerships and or additional Joint Powers Agreements could save money.