receiving a special show-ing of our current home that was not officially on the market at that time.  After we drove up the driveway of the home, we both knew we had finally found the location we wanted to live in.  We made an offer that evening and moved in two months later.
3) Origin/attraction.  Both my hus-band and I are lifelong Minnesotans.  My husband grew up on a farm outside of Wells, and I grew up in Minneapolis.  When we married, we bought our first homes in Richfield.  From there we need-ed more room and garage space for our family, which led us to Minnetonka.  While living in Minnetonka, we began our regular visits to Carver Park, which led to our desire to move to Victoria.
) Short haul/long haul.  My family and I plan to be residents of Victoria for many years to come.  As the city of lakes and parks, Victoria provides the natural amenities that are of significant value to us.  Being able to help shape the future of the community as it grows over the next several years is very important to me.
5) Education/background.  I hold an MBA from the University of St. Thomas Executive MBA program, which I earned in 2001.  I also hold a Master of Arts degree in Public Affairs and Political Science from the University of Minnesota.  I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, also from the University of Minnesota.
6) Occupation.  I currently serve as Vice President of Public Affairs and Pro-gramming for Time Warner Cable, MN Division.  I am responsible for planning, developing, and directing all government relations and communication plans to ensure regulatory compliance. 
I also oversee the local programming function for the company, which includes meeting public access and local origina-tion video programming requirements for several MN cities.  I am also responsible for managing interaction with the news media and developing marketing and in-ternal communication plans as well as directing outside legal and public relations for the company. 
7) Family/fun.  Jerry and I have been married for 23 years and have one adult son, Eric, who works for IBM in Concord, California.  Our family also includes our Kerry blue terrier, Max, who is a frequent visitor to the park with us.
My husband is Superintendent for John A. Dalsin and Son, a commercial roofing and sheet metal company that has served MN since 1912.  Jerry's projects have included the recent re-roofing of the St. Paul Cathedral -- a job that took nearly two years to complete -- the Ford Plant, and the Mall of America.
For fun we enjoy almost any sport.  We play a lot of golf in the summer to-gether and cross country ski in the winter.  We enjoy visiting Eric in California.  We enjoy biking in Carver Park.
8) City gov't in your life.  My service on the Planning Commission is a major part of my public service commitment to the community.  With all of the develop-ment going in our community, I have had the opportunity to be involved with just about everything going on in Victoria.
My favorite activity was taking an open-air truck tour with the City Council, Planning Commission, and city staff to view the 1,000-acre Master Plan area in the southern part of the community.
I think the city staff do a great job of helping guide our growth and activity on a daily basis.  We are lucky to have such a great leadership and staff serving the residents.
9) Spending $10 million.  Before making any decisions to spend the money, I would want to visit with residents, edu-cators, business leaders, elected and ap-pointed officials, and other in the commu-nity to hear from them what they thought our most important needs were -- whether it be funding for more police or fire pro-tection, additional recreational equipment, fire trucks, or other city resources.
One idea that might be worth consid-ering is to invest that $10 million into a community foundation whereby only the annual investment earnings would be spent each year.  Other businesses and residents could also contribute to it.  This could become an important funding vehicle for future community needs. 
10) Cutting $200,000.  Again, I would want to hear from key stakeholders before making such recommendations.  As a growing community we have many infrastructure needs as well as demands for city services.  It would be important to have as much data and accurate informa-tion and input before making the final funding reduction decisions.

Richard Tieden
8433 Spruce Point
Victoria, MN 55386
Ph:  952-443-3191
Rick.Tieden@co.hennepin.mn.us
1) Why running?  I ran for my City Council position four years ago because I felt our city government was not as respectful, responsive, representative, and accountable to the residents and business-es of Victoria as it should be.  I ran because I felt I could make a difference.  I still believe that I can make a difference, that there is a lot of work yet to be done.  I've worked hard for our city over the last four years.  I've learned from residents, businesses, councilmembers, city staff, and many, many more.  There's a lot to learn.  I believe my gained knowledge is a strong asset in seeking reelection.
2) Length of residency.  I moved to Victoria in April of 1997.  I've been a resident for 7 ½ years.
3) Origin/attraction.  My family and I lived in St. Louis Park for 18 ½ years un-til we more than outgrew our home.  We always loved Victoria and were forever driving out looking for an opportunity to move here.  We love the beauty of the countryside, the lakes, the quality of life, and the charm of the little city.  We love the slower lifestyle that Victoria offers.  After moving here we received an added bonus -- all the friendly people.
4) Education/background.  I graduat-ed from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  I served in the United States Army with a duty station of Vietnam.  I was a Combat Medic and later was promoted to Psychology/Social Work Specialist.  In this position I developed the first ever drug treatment program the U.S. Armed Forces.  I was awarded two Bronze Star medals for my work.  Upon return from Vietnam I was hired by the Department of Defense as a Consultant and was instrumental in establishing three more drug treatment programs stateside for returning Vietnam Veterans.

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