TIM AMUNDSEN
tjammo@aol.com
767 Woodland Hills Blvd.
Victoria, MN 55386

*A Victoria resident since 1987.
*Wife Wendy, three sons - Tim, Michael,  and Thomas.
*Occupation/Job.  Director for a  pharmaceutical manufacturer.
*Bachelor of Science from Saint John's   University.
*Previously served 5+ years on the  Victoria City Council.

1a) Why attracted to this community?  and 1b) Roots.  I was raised in Blooming-ton but have been coming out to this area for most of my life.  My family owned the Norseman Restaurants for a number of years.  When my wife and I were looking for a place to live, we found a great home in Katy Hills.  We moved twice since then but stayed in Victoria as we came to love and appreciate Victoria and its residents.
2a) Reason for running.  The first time I was on the council, I found it to be a unique experience that allows you to give back to the community.  I believe that local city government must be one of the last areas that remain true to Abra-ham Lincoln's quote ... "government of the people, by the people, for the people."  Citizen involvement at all levels is critical to this process.
2b) Payback.  The payback you receive from giving is often the most important.  Seeing results is also very important to me.  City government must be results oriented, not process oriented.
3) Good candidate.  My experience with the position provides me insight into the vision set by earlier councils.  I can "hit the ground running" and maintain some continuity of effort.  I am very focused on limiting operational loss and spending while achieving results through the efforts of council and staff.  The city may need to have less emphasis on out-side consultation.
4) Government functions.  I feel the following quote from some government websites sums it up very appropriately:  "City governments are typically responsi-ble for services that are most particular to the interests of specific communities, such as public safety, land use regulation, infra-structure maintenance, parks and recrea-tion, local social services, and garbage collection/recycling."
This responsibility also includes working with other cities, townships, counties, state and federal government to serve the local community.  It involves working with the school districts.  I want Victoria to remain a city where people have a say in their community.
5) Overstepping.  A potential area of concern is the issue of personal property rights.  Of particular interests are the use of eminent domain and the overreaction to misinterpretation of the recent Supreme Court decision.  This issue will require constant review and thoughtful consider-ation by city, county, and state officials.
6) City's direction.  Victoria has tre-mendous potential for continued growth over the next years.  This direction is pretty clear and presents many challenges.
The most significant challenge is working with the inevitable growth while maintaining control on taxes and spend-ing.  The city needs to work hard on posi-tive relationships with other municipali-ties, developers, and schools to ensure the pace is logically planned and does not unfairly burden residents or businesses.
7) Next four years.  I would love to see more small businesses and industry move into Victoria.  That does not neces-sarily mean in the "old downtown" area.  Increasing our base of business could provide a variety of benefits ranging from jobs to tax relief.  I also want us to be a respectful partner with other communities, in particular Laketown Township, as we move forward and implement the orderly annexation process.
8) Vision.  To make sure that Victoria remains a unique community and desir-able place to live.  That includes a safe and healthy economy and environment for all ages and cultures.  I would also love to see Victoria work with the school district and county in an effort to lower the over-all tax burden on the citizens.
9a) Like to be known for.  Results ori-ented, efficient, effective governing that fairly represented the people of Victoria.
9b) Personal goals.  First and fore-most:  To be a good husband and father.  After that I want to continue to improve myself and my ability to serve others.
10) Favorite reads.  Interesting ques-tion.  I enjoy Vince Flynn novels and those in that genre.  I recently re-read Thinking in Time (Neustadt and May) and On Becoming a Leader (Warren Bennis). 

JIM PAULSEN
jpaul773@gmail.com
8629 South Fairway Point
Victoria, MN 55386

*A Victoria resident since 1992.
*Wife Kathy works in Public Health Divi- sion of Carver County.  Daughter  Jenny is married, lives in Denver, and  just had our first grandchild.  Ryan is  an options trader on the CBOE and  remains the Ever Ready battery.  We  are blessed that both married equally  wonderful spouses.

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