Two of Victoria's current city coun-cilmembers are not up for reelection at this time.  Mary Thun and Terry Bishop get to keep the doors swinging between us and them, and they get to keep their seats warm as the winds blow during this election season.
When we step into the voting booth on Tuesday, November 2nd, we are opening our doors to people who will step into our lives and make decisions that will affect us and our families today and in the months and years that lie ahead.  Their decisions will come to affect our health, safety, and welfare, not to mention a myriad of other things that government has come to be in our lives.  Theirs is a heavy responsibility.  So is ours.

Jerry Bohn
8809 Ridge Ponds Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
Ph:  952-443-3327
jkbohn@earthlink.net
1) Why running?  I have been on the Victoria City Council for the past eight years, the last two as mayor.  This involvement in city government has been a rewarding experience.  I am running for re-election as mayor because I want to continue to serve the residents of Victoria.
In eight years I have gained a wealth of knowledge of city government that will help me be an effective mayor for Vic-toria.  I am retired so I can make the significant time commitment that being mayor entails.
2) Length of residency.  9 ½ years.
3) Origin/attraction.  We lived in Minnetonka for 22 years while our child-ren were growing up.  We were attracted to Victoria because of all its natural amenities such as lakes, wetlands, wood-lands, Carver Park, and the Arboretum.
4) Education/background.  I gradu-ated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
5) Short haul/ long haul.  We have no plans to ever leave Victoria.
6) Occupation.  I have always worked in high tech companies, first as an engi-eer and later as a manager.  I spent the last 20 years of my career in management, the first nine as general manager of a division of the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, and the last 11 as the owner of my own manufac-turing firm.  I retired in 2001.
7) Family/fun.  I have been married to Marlene for 37 years.  We have three grown children, all are married, and we have four grandchildren.  We're fortunate enough to have them all living in the metro area.  For fun, we bike and walk local trails, spend time with our grand-children, and travel.
8) City gov't in your life.  We have seen many changes in our 9 ½ years in Victoria.  The population has doubled, but the property tax rate has remained stable, indicating to me that city government has effectively managed the rapid  growth we have experienced.
We have seen new recreational amen-ities provided, including walking trails, the field house, and Diethelm Park, with-out having to approve a referendum to fund these enhancements.
Finally, the city recently completed a major reconstruction project downtown so it is attractive, pedestrian friendly, and is attracting new businesses to Victoria.
9) Spending $10 million.  The first thing I would do is survey our residents to see how they would like the city council to spend it.  We recently completed a survey concerning desired recreational amenities.  A swimming pool was men-tioned most often, but I suspect if we broadened the scope of the survey, other items would probably be added to the list for consideration.
10) Cutting $200,000.  Basically, we have been forced to make cuts, or forego increases, for the past two years because of state mandated levy limits and loss of state aid.  We didn't focus on one depart-ment or service but spread the pain around.
We did not hire new people as needed and this affected our responsiveness, pri-marily to new housing developers, but residents also noticed a difference.
If we had to make an additional $200,000 cut in the budget, I would not focus on a single department or service.  For example, by making additional cuts, developers would probably have to wait longer for review, your roads might take longer to plow, recreation programs might be reduced, and road reconstruction would be delayed.

Troy Walsh
8042 Victoria Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
Ph:  952-443-0144
twalshfire984@yahoo.com
1) Why running?  There are many reasons for running.  The most important part of my running is that growing up in this community, lots of things have changed and not always for the better. 
In the past the community developed a plan of action and usually stuck with it.  In the last few years this action plan has fallen apart because of budget cuts and buildings that the community does not always need for the growth of the city.
The city leaders need to develop a plan and stick with it.  As an example, if you build a new development, that means there are more streets to plow when the snow falls.  There are going to be more potholes to maintain, more parks to mow, more equipment needed to maintain all of these properties, and the employees to do so.
The City Council members are the representatives of the citizens.  That is how they got that position, and that is what they should do -- represent us and what is best for us as a community!!
2) Length of residency.  I was born and raised in Victoria, and in October of 2002 I became a Victoria homeowner.
3) Origin/attraction.  I have always lived in this community
4) Education/background.  Graduat-ed Chaska High School with the Class of 1999.  Going to school part time for a Fire Science Degree at Hennepin Techni-cal College.
5) Short haul/long haul?  .  I was raised in this community and watched it grow to what it is now, and would like to see the growth continue into what it will be.
6) Occupation.  I have been employed with the City of Victoria Public Works Department for five years.  I am also a firefighter with the Victoria Fire Department for over six years.

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