Description
2018 Woodbury City Council Candidate Forum
Register now to attend a Woodbury City Council Candidate Forum over the lunch hour. Woodbury residents will elect two councilpersons from the candidates listed below. This is a great opportunity to hear from the candidates, gain a better understanding of the candidates' platform, and ask questions before Election Day. The event is open to Chamber members and the public. Pre--registration is required by October 4.
Woodbury City Council Candidates
Beau Bieniek--Withdrew from race.
Bill Braun—Bill became a fire fighter/EMT for the City of Woodbury in 2005 and took thousands of 911 calls helping people when it was needed most. In this role he also gained unique insights to how the city works and its issues. Bill recognized a void in fire prevention information and earned an award from the City of Woodbury for innovation and leadership by developing free classes for the public through his non-profit organization FirePrevented.org. Bill is intimately aware of the challenges facing small business. He earned his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is a MENSA member and small business owner with an office in Woodbury. He is also devoted husband and father of five beautiful children ranging in age from 7 to 20. Bill’s ties to Woodbury date back to 1957 when his grandfather, a pastor, purchased a home in the area. Bill purchased that home and has lived in it since 1995.
Amanda Hemmingsen Jaeger—Amanda first became passionate about civic engagement in middle school when she was student representative for the school’s referendum committee. She continued that passion for advocacy and engagement throughout high school and college. In her professional life, Amanda is a crime lab forensic scientist and has discovered that public service is where she belongs. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s of Science from Iowa State University, and a Master’s of Science in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Amanda has extensive volunteer experience working with her union, the Minnesota Association for Professional Employees, including lobbying at the state legislature. She is also passionate about her family--husband and two bright and energetic daughters.
Kelsey Kawohi—No response to bio request.
Jodell Miller— Jodell is a teacher, mother, and community leader. She earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s degree from St. Thomas. She taught in public schools for ten years and her proudest moments are reaching students, from remedial to gifted abilities, in their struggles to find their voice. She partnered to scaffold and achieve results, collaboratively built on strengths and changed frustration into a love of reading. Sixteen years ago, she and her husband Tom moved their family to Woodbury. Jodell chose to stay home with their four children, including bonus twins, and became a small business owner of a licensed daycare. She volunteered at schools and her faith community, led 4-H programs, and served as Cub Scout Packmaster for Pack #601. As her parents age, she helps them live with dignity. Jodell enjoys playing sports, including golf and YMCA classes, and walking her dog along Woodbury’s many trails where she enjoys meeting new neighbors.
Steve Morris-- Steve grew up in North St. Paul where his mom still resides and now lives in Woodbury with his fiancé and their dog Stella. Steve has spent 22 years with SuperAmerica stores, starting as a cashier, followed by store manager and district manager. He is currently Director of Marketing and oversees strategy, planning and daily operations of all SuperAmerica locations. He has managed large and complex budgets as well as worked with communities and city governments from across the state. Steve serves on the Woodbury Planning commission, the Gold Line Corridor Management Committee and is Co-Chair of the Community and Business Advisory Committee for Metro transit’s Gold-line. Steve volunteers on his community’s HOA board and is an advisory board member for United Heroes League, a non-profit with a mission towards helping military families stay active and healthy. Steve has been an adult ASA/USA softball umpire for over ten-years and is nationally certified with several Softball World Series tournaments.
Jennifer Santini—Jennifer is a transplant to the community of Woodbury but has deep roots in Minnesota given her family ties to Henry Hastings Sibley – the first governor of Minnesota. She attended high school in Vermont, college in Maine, law school in Boston and a semester at William Mitchell (now Mitchell Hamline) before moving to Woodbury in 2009. She and her husband chose Woodbury to raise their family and they have two energetic little boys. Jennifer worked full-time while in law school at two different investment management companies. She started her law firm, Sykora & Santini, in 2010 which focuses on estate planning, estate administration and general business law. For the past eight years, Jennifer has served on the City’s Economic Development Commission (and previously the Business Development Committee) and most recently chaired the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Task Force. She is a volunteer for Wills for Heroes and serves as a board member for the East Side Learning Center.
Roger Splinter—Roger has been a resident of Woodbury for over 30 years; he and his wife raised their family in the city and his family history in the area goes back to the late 1800’s. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Hamline University and both a M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. His professional background includes research chemist at Shell Oil Company, Vice President of Laboratory Services/Quality Assurance at Pace Analytical Environmental Services, Professor and Chemistry Dept. Chair at Missouri State University, Adjunct Professor in Schools of Medicine and Engineering at University of Iowa, Associate Director Iowa at State of Iowa Environmental Laboratory, and Quality Assurance Auditor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since retiring, Roger enjoys working around his home, volunteering with the City of Woodbury, and golfing. His volunteer work includes Chair of Environmental Advisory Commission advising City Council on sustainability and environmental issues; Co-Chair of Parks and Natural Resource Commission advising City Council on sustainability, parks and trails and transportation issues; and Vice-Chair of 2040 Comprehensive Plan Task Force that is creating a future plan for the City based on growth and associated issues.
Kim Wilson—Kim graduated from Woodbury High School in 1985 and returned to the community in 1993 to raise her family. She has watched Woodbury grow from a drive-through city to a destination hot spot for people from the metro area and Western Wisconsin. Kim and her husband Greg have been married for 21 years. When their family started to grow, they made the decision to put her career as a court reporter on hold and she stayed home with the kids. Nineteen years and five kids later, Kim is active in the community and a homeschooling mom. She has served Woodbury in numerous roles including the Woodbury Hockey Board as Squirt Director and Bantam/16U Director, WAA baseball and soccer coach, Lion’s Garage Sale Directory sales coordinator, National Archery in the Schools (NASP) coach, and an active volunteer at her church. For the past three years, Kim has attended the council workshops and meetings to better understand how local government works.