Shakopee City Council race revolves around growth, taxes and public safety

Concerns about growth, taxes and public safety are driving interest in Shakopee City Council races, where eight candidates are competing for just two spots.

“To have six others to run actually took me by surprise,” said Jesse Lara, one of two incumbents on the ballot this November.

The election comes at a crucial time for the Scott County city, which is home to Valleyfair, Canterbury Park and other attractions off Hwy. 169.

The city’s population has doubled over the past two decades, rising to about 45,000, and council candidates are presenting different proposals for how the city should manage that growth and pay for extra resources. They’re also charting the future of the city’s Fire Department, which has been undergoing an overhaul since consultants found glaring problems with its training, management and handling of gift offers.

The Minnesota Star Tribune contacted all eight candidates who will appear on the November ballot. One candidate, Mustafa Sandhu, didn’t respond.

Voters will pick two people for the at-large seats. Here’s information about the candidates and the issues they hope to tackle, if they’re elected:

Lara joined the City Council in 2023 and is seeking a second term.

“I learned that you truly can make a difference being on City Council,” Lara said. “We still want to drive the city in a good direction and that’s why I want to remain on.”

If elected again, Lara said he will be open to growth and would support efforts to further develop the Southbridge area and an innovation hub that would provide job training and postsecondary education opportunities.

Lara said he has been pleased with the changes made by new Fire Department leaders and is willing to give them “my full support.”

Luce, who is working in maintenance and rental property management, previously served on the Shakopee City Council and was censured for what his colleagues described as boorish behavior.

Asked about the censure, Luce said he thought his colleagues were jealous of his fundraising efforts for an inclusive playground. He said, “I was successful in doing what I did.”

He said he’s running now to continue boost support for inclusive playgrounds, which provide activities suitable for children with special needs. Luce said he also wants to “curtail all the tax-increment financing the city has given to the Canterbury project,” saying he supported efforts to kickstart it but doesn’t believe it should have ongoing support.

“Why should the citizens of town be paying for them to develop land?” he said. “They should pay for it themselves.”

Ludzack, who works in the printing industry, has lived in Shakopee for about 25 years and previously served on the local Transit Commission.

He said he believes the city is heading in a decent direction but has concerns about whether current leaders are managing the growth well. If elected, he said he wants to think critically about tax incentives and whether they’d provide enough benefits for residents before agreeing to them for new projects.

“Growth is inevitable. We’re too close to a metro area,” Ludzack said. “Can we grow in a way that honors the past but incorporates the future?”

McNew, an engineer who moved to Shakopee about three years ago, said he’s long been interested in local level politics, but “this is my first time stepping into this type of arena.”

If elected, McNew said he wants to improve communication with residents about taxing proposals and whether city projects are meeting their goals. He wants to look at boosting fire staffing after reforms take hold and to examine whether the city should provide hiring incentives for police officers as many approach retirement age.

McNew said he would support a $1 to $2 tax on event tickets to help offset some safety costs, noting that many officers’ interactions are with people coming to town for events.

“I think that would be really good middle ground,” he said.

Shafland, a veteran who works in IT for a financial institution, has lived in Shakopee for about 28 years.

He described himself as a fiscal conservative who wants to ensure the government provides residents with critical services like public safety but doesn’t spend unnecessarily.

“If we can cut spending and lower taxes, that is kind of what I’d like to do,” he said, though he added that it’s too early to say which particular cuts would be on the table.

Shafland said he would also like to look at whether it’s possible to provide the city’s public safety offices with more resources to help people with drug addictions or mental health problems.

Whiting, who works in safety for a printing company, has served on the Shakopee City Council for 13 years.

If re-elected, Whiting said he would be “really focused on making sure our new Fire Department gets a good footing and switches over to more of the professional dynamic,” providing 24-7 coverage and more full-time staffing.

He said he would continue to support economic development projects, including one aimed at stabilizing the riverfront and preserving cultural sites that were significant to both the Dakota people and European settlers.

“We want to have good things,” Whiting said. “I’m pretty fiscally conservative for being called the liberal that I am. But, if it makes sense, we’re going to do it.”

Yttreness, who has lived in Shakopee since 1998, spent years with the Fire Department, serving first as a volunteer. He worked most recently as assistant fire chief, a role he left earlier this year.

Yttreness declined to speak in detail about his management of the department, saying, “I’m no longer with them, so that’s the past.”

He said he is running to “get involved in trying to manage the city’s expenses more” and “give some guidance and support to our city employees, public works, police.” He said he believes his knowledge of city operations could be helpful and he wants to “try to do zero tax increases, if possible.”