There are four candidates vying for two seats on the Chanhassen City Council — Paul Haik, Denny Laufenburger, Bryan Litsey, and Kyle O’Neill.

Each candidate in contested races was asked the same set of questions by the Patriot, and were asked to limit their responses to each question to 100 words or less. Unedited responses from Haik, Laufenburger, Litsey, and O’Neill can be found below.

In-person early voting in Minnesota opened on Sept. 18; while the start of general early voting is Oct. 16. Election Day is Nov. 3. Find your local polling place online at pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Question 1: What prompted you seek election (or re-election) to office?

Paul Haik: Citizens encouraged me to run. For the past four years, I have with engaged Carver County Commissioners regarding local governance (available online through Carver County) regarding electoral changes, government structure, and administrative powers. After 40 years of observing state, regional, county, and municipal governance, I believe I can help rebalance decisions affecting citizens, their freedoms, and their opportunity prosper.

Denny Laufenburger: After serving in the City of Chanhassen government for 11 years including Council Member and Mayor, I felt it was time for me to continue my civic leadership. I’m healthy and live an active lifestyle that keeps me engaged in the city. I also feel that there are significant initiatives underway in the city that need to continue with proper guidance and not be derailed by advocates for change, for change sake!

Bryan Litsey: Having called Chanhassen home for 27 years, my drive to serve comes from a deep commitment to our community’s safety, stability and future. As a former Police Chief and past City Council member, I bring decades of public safety experience and municipal leadership to the table. I am running to ensure smart infrastructure management, support our local first responders and maintain fiscal responsibility while preserving the exceptional quality of life that makes Chanhassen special. My independent, self-funded and nonpartisan campaign puts residents first, focusing on building consensus and rallying around common-sense solutions.

Kyle O’Neill: I decided to run because I love Chanhassen and want to help ensure it remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family. I’ve called this community home for more than two decades, and my family and I have a real stake in its future. My career has given me experience advocating for working families and bringing people together to solve problems. I want to bring that experience to City Hall, listen to residents, spend taxpayer dollars responsibly, and help make thoughtful decisions about Chanhassen’s future.

Question 2: What is your long-term vision for the community?

Haik: Chanhassen grew rapidly in density and distinct from traditional housing and land use over the previous 50 years, and with aging within traditional communities, economic burdens are growing. I envision a rebalanced community focusing on restored skills in citizen governance, rebalancing fiscal priorities considering entirety of tax impacts looking at the breadth of property taxation whether State, Regional, Special, County, School, or Municipal. Rebalancing must consider cumulative burdens and prioritize essential services and complement those outside that focus by restoring citizen leadership and attendant citizen values.

Laufenburger: I envision Chanhassen being a population of about 35,000 in the next 30 — 40 years. We will continue to be a community that values goodness in our churches, neighborhoods, schools and civic organizations. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our citizens and businesses. We will protect our green spaces, while managing commercial, industrial and residential development that contributes to the character of the community. We will continue to be an attraction for visitors to our community parks, our lakes and our landmark institutions; Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Landscape Arboretum and Paisley Park.

Litsey: My long-term vision for Chanhassen is a safe, vibrant and fiscally sound community where families and businesses thrive for generations. To achieve this, we must deliver responsive public safety, maintain high-quality infrastructure and right-of-way management and practice disciplined financial stewardship. Equally vital is protecting our cherished parks, open spaces and local character to ensure Chanhassen lives up to its motto as a “Community For Life.” By leading with transparent governance and truly listening to our residents, we can ensure Chanhassen remains a welcoming place to live, work and raise a family.

O’Neill: Chanhassen should remain a welcoming, thriving community where families can put down roots and businesses can succeed. I want Chanhassen to grow without losing the character and quality of life that make it special. Most importantly, I want residents to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape the city’s future.

Question 3: How do local governments meet resident and operating needs in the face of rising concerns about local property taxes and state/federal funding challenges?

Haik: There are several aspects. First, municipal policies should transparently articulate timing and coordinating of all forms of taxation. Second, planning processes should be more thoroughly disclosed and considered to afford citizens meaningful participation and anticipate unavoidable burdens. Though complex, examining and disclosing diverse legal duties imposed by the Administrative Procedures Act, the Public Employment Labor Relations Act, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, and similar obligations are part of doing so. Third, considering timing of expenditures. Fourth, reporting borrowing burdens and long-term liabilities flowing from spending.

Laufenburger: It’s a simple answer to a complex question. The costs of services that citizens want in the community are continuing to rise. You pay for these services from local taxes on commercial and residential properties. You find a balance by either reducing the services that citizens want (which is a very unpopular position) or you increase property tax revenue from more development or from higher taxes on citizens and businesses. Somewhere, the prioritization of services needs to be addressed if the citizens truly want lower property taxes.

Litsey: Chanhassen must prioritize core services, practice disciplined budgeting and seek operational efficiencies without shifting undue burdens onto property owners. Addressing tight budgets means focusing on essential priorities, such as public safety and critical infrastructure, while aggressively exploring regional partnerships, shared services and competitive grant opportunities to stretch local tax dollars. Proactive maintenance of our roads, utilities and public spaces prevents expensive emergency repairs down the road, while transparent capital planning ensures every tax dollar is spent wisely. By actively listening to resident priorities, Chanhassen’s leadership can provide exceptional community services while keeping our city more affordable for residents.

O’Neill: Local governments need to prioritize essential services, carefully manage budgets and make every taxpayer dollar count. We should regularly evaluate spending, and go after available state and federal funding before asking residents for more. We need to be honest about the costs of maintaining roads, infrastructure, public safety, and other core services. My goal is to balance fiscal responsibility with maintaining the quality of services residents expect, while keeping property-tax increases as low as possible.

Question 4: What approach should local governments take toward the development of data centers, and what factors — such as economic development, tax revenue, infrastructure, energy and water use, land use and impacts on nearby residents — should guide decisions about future projects?

Haik: Futur