November is here

October 31, 2016

 Law Enforcement Celebration:

The celebration for Dodge County Law Enforcement personnel last week was a big success. The event was attended by many of our local area officers from Kasson, West Concord and the Sheriff department and we enjoyed the comedy of Mark Poolos. I would like to thank all of our Sponsors for this event, with out who support this event would not be possible.

v  Mantorville City Council member, Will Lambert

v  Mantorville Mayor, Chuck Bradford

v  The City of Mantorville

v  The Dodge County Republicans

v  Mark Hanson

v  Senator Dave Senjem

Thank you so much to each of our sponsors and more importantly thank you to all of our officers, clerks, bailiff, posse members and staff! The Citizens of Dodge County do appreciate all that you do for us!

Fifth Street Update:

The work on Fifth Street continues. The crew is installing new drainage under the road and is working the gravel down to be a firm base. Fifth Street between Bergmann Drive and Highway 57 is open and passable, however, the portion of Fifth Street past Bergmann Drive is still blocked. Once all the drainage is installed, the road surfaced leveled the new surface will be paved. Anticipate some road closures as the pavement is being laid down later this month.

The Election:

Next week we go to the voting booths. With political fireworks still going off at this late hour, this election season has been an interesting one to watch and participate in! I want everyone to remember that voting is one of the honors we have that separate us from the rest of the world, we all should take this responsibility seriously and vote for those candidates that will make our Nation, State and City stronger for our children and their children. While I am running UN-opposed, I would still ask for your support and vote next Tuesday. It has been my honor to serve my neighbors and I hope I will continue to earn your support for the next two years as well.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Prepared Remarks for LEO Party

When I was growing up I remember an officer that was killed in the line of duty. There was a county wide man-hunt to apprehend the perpetrator. Unfortunately he was apprehended alive. Later he was found guilty and sentenced. Just a few years ago they released him and the story was covered all over again. I remember thinking to myself “Why are you releasing him?” I remember this story because it was so unusual to hear about an officer that was killed in the line of duty, what I didn’t understand then was that there is a difference between “hearing about” and the real life events that take place within our community.

The National press has been brutal on the Law Enforcements Community lately. This adverse public exposure has had a detrimental effect on our officers and their families. This exposure has resulted in an even larger risk exposure for our officers in the area of embolden attacks and also on officer behavior. In Chicago last week we heard of a female officer refusing to fight back because she was worried about how the press would cover it, luckily she survived the attack, others have not been so luck. Does anybody here think, Enough is Enough already? Really?

The proud sponsors of this event wanted to take an opportunity to thank our officers in a meaningful and real way, and we wanted to change the narrative from “look what they messed up again” to “Look how lucky we are to have them”. This is the narrative we are starting tonight.

Just this week we heard of another officer involved shooting. The suspect is still on the run and the FBI is helping in the search for this individual.

So what type of person wants to be an officer?

Well lets look at one of the officers shot this week. He was shot in the foot, fell to the ground (because I’m sure getting shot in the foot stings just a little) regained his composure, stood up again and re-joined the firefight. That is the type of person who signs up to be an officer.

According to officer down memorial page

Gunfire related deaths are up an alarming 53% this year

Here in MN we have seen a member of the community take his own life partially due to job related stress.

In Minnesota

We have lost

Since 2000 MN has seen 22 duty related deaths and 3 K9 officer duty related deaths

Last 10 Years: 14

Last 25 years: 36

Last 50 years: 89

Last 100 years: 206

Last 200 years: 239

If you google the term “What not to say to an officer” several interesting hits come up. Most of the list say things like “Don’t say well done Barney, they don’t have a sense of humor”. Well, were going to challenge that assumption tonight. So to start us off I put a short list of to do and not to do if you’re a bad guy and are confronted by an officer.

Things not to do

1)   Do not reach for your black wallet and pull it our fast

2)   When told to get down don’t complain about your new jeans your girl friend just gave you, just get down

3)   Do not strike an officer, no mater how justified you think you are this will not end well for you

4)   Don’t blame your stupidity on the officer

5)   If you threaten an officer with a weapon, don’t blame them when you get hurt

6)   No, you not going to be on an episode of COPs, don’t even try to break a records

I would like to turn the comedy over to a professional now.  Our sponsors wanted to share our featured entertainer as a token of the communities appreciation of our law enforcement community’s service and dedication. We also wanted to extend a thank you to the families of our law enforcement community. We know that when one member of the family puts on that badge and steps into the patrol car that the whole family has their future on the line and we wanted to tank all the family members for their support for our officers. Our featured act has been on Fox Comedy as well as appearing locally at some comedy clubs in Rochester. His act has open for Louis Anderson and his home city is Minneapolis MN. We are lucky to have him for tonight’s entertainment please help me welcome Mark Poolos.

Thank You Law Enforcement

October 24, 2016

Law Enforcement Celebration:

There is going to be a celebration for all of Dodge County Law Enforcement personnel at the Event Center in Kasson October 27 at 6:00pm. With all the negative publicity around law enforcement in the National News, I thought it was time to change the narrative. I felt best way to change the narrative was by starting local. When I was at the Republican National Convention this last summer I meet an office ,Chris, who was a veteran on the Cleveland police force for over twenty five years and he told me that he has never had anyone just thank him for a job well done. I though about that for quite awhile and it just didn’t make sense to me. These are the brave men and women who are our first line of defense between lawlessness and order, how is it possible that we don’t thank them? I knew after that conversation that I wanted to do something in a meaningful way to say “Thank You” to our local law enforcement. After I mentioned the idea to some of my friends we thought the best way to say thank you was to host an event where we could get to meet these men and women and just say thank you in person. I would like to thank all of our Sponsors for this event, with out who support this event would not be possible.

• Mantorville City Council member, Will Lambert
• Mantorville Mayor, Chuck Bradford
• The City of Mantorville
• The Dodge County Republicans
• Mark Hanson
• Senator Dave Senjem
• Six Mile Grove
• The Event Center

Thank you so much to each of our sponsors and more importantly thank you to all of our officers, clerks, bailiff, posse members and staff! The Citizens of Dodge County do appreciate all that you do for us!

Dennison Park Equipment:

Many volunteers helped the park board install the reclaimed playground equipment in Dennison Park. The equipment was part of the old school and when the school property was put on the market by a private individual, the City was able to secure the old playground equipment for re-use within a City park. The Park Board has been planning the new home for the equipment since the donation was made and the committee finally determined that the corner of Dennison field would be the best location. Many volunteers made this installation a success. I wanted to say thank you to everyone that donated food, equipment or pitched in with the hard work. I know this will be a great opportunity for our younger citizens because there were several bikes circling while the installation was underway.

Fifth Street Update:

I am updating my blog with the fifth street project current status. I have updates regarding the start and expected completion, the affect of the project on the mail routes and even some pictures of the progress on my blog located at MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com. The project is well underway and the City Engineer thought we might be able to establish a one-lane path through the construction area. If we are able to do this I will update my blog with that information.

Waste Water Treatment Plant:

The city has secured temporary financing for the start of our WWTP project. The State Legislature still has not determined its final allocation for project money and therefore the City of Kasson and City of Mantorville were required to establish some gap financing so that each of our projects could move forward. The project is due to start next week with work closer to Kasson and possibly some work going under the river. Any significant updates with this project will be posted to my blog as well.

Yours in service, 

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville 

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com 

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

5th Street Begins

The long awaited 5th street project will begin (ive been told) on Thursday Oct 20th, The E-Mail from the City Clerk to the council members is below. I will post pictures of the progress

All, Please pass this along to anyone you know that lives out along 5th Street East. The first phase of the 5th Street East construction project is expected to begin on Thursday (10/20) of this week. The first phase involves that area that is currently tore up (not the entire 5th Street). The contractor will start on that area from Bergmann Drive to the West (about middle of the first curve). That part of the road will be completely closed and ALL traffic from Bergmann Drive to the East will be rerouted to go around. Expect at least 1 week for this, weather permitting. Once they finish that first section, the area from Bergmann Drive to the East will then be completed. Anyone that lives beyond 5th Street East (City limits) can expect road closures until the project is complete – middle of November. Please watch for road signs and don’t hesitate to call City Hall. Updates will be given on the city website also.  Thank you for your patience during this time. Cami Camille C. Reber |City Clerk Treasurer City of Mantorville 21 5th Street East |PO Box 188|Mantorville, MN 55955 P (507) 635-5170 |F (507) 635-5300|www.mantorville.com

Dodge County Independant Questions

10/07/16

The Dodge County Independent had a two section questionnaire that was sent to the area candidates. Below are those questions and my answers to them

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 Part 1:

•    What party you represent :
Mayor is a non-partisan position; however, I am active in the Republican Party
•    Which office you are running for
Mayor, City of Mantorville
•    Whether you are an incumbent, and if so, how many terms served
I am currently running for my third term (2 year term) as mayor
•    Your email address where people can contact you MantorvilleMayor@GMail.com

Part 2:
1.    Why do you feel you are the best candidate for this position? I am a computer engineer by trade and I have learned how to apply critical thinking and analytical problem solving to complex situations. My experience as a project lead as well as my exposure to the political process gives me a broad experience level on which to examine new situations.

2.    Which is the main issue that you hope to change or retain during your upcoming term should you be elected? My first priority would be the completion of the WWTP. This plant is past its design life expectancy and Mantorville needs to switch over to our new system as soon as possible.

My second priority will be to continue our focus on lowering or freezing taxes. Housing values are finally starting to come back up, and our current plan is to grow revenue organically with the natural housing value increases, and not by raising rates.

3.    How are you going to get things done in a political climate of red tape and gridlock? The climate of red tape has slowed the WWTP down. The EPA and the MPCA were looking for different criteria in our connection plan. All parties are now on the same page and the permit has been grated. We break grown next summer.

4.    What do you want to accomplish in your term of office? A)    The city is still working with the Dodge County Trails Association to establish a trail through the city connection to a regional trail between Rochester and Owatonna.
B)    The City need to complete the construction of the new Waste Water Treatment project.
C)    Get finalized grant funding to help with the WWTP project.
D)    Establish a pattern of lower taxes and rate freezes.

5.    Why are you running for this particular position? I want to make my community better, position Mantorville in a strong position for survival and to leave a better world for my son Spencer than which I was raised in.

6.    Anything else you would like to add? I feel very blessed to have served as Mantorville’s Mayor for the past four years. The community has made significant progress since I was first elected to the City Council and we could not have accomplished this without the cooperation of the Citizens of Mantorville and the rest of the City Council members. I would like to thank all those individuals over the last four years that have helped the community either on the council, helped organize events like Marigold Days or served on one of our many sub-committees. Thank you all! I would also like to thank all those citizens that took time to come to a council meeting, write a letter or just picked up the phone to share a thought or concern we value your input as well. Remember the election is November 8th so please get out there and vote.

Star Herald Canidate Questions

10/07/2016

Name: Chuck Bradford
Age: 51
Occupation: Firmware Engineer

Government Experience:

Elected	National Alternate Delegate	2016
Elected	Mayor, City of Mantorville	2012,14
Elected	Mantorville Councilman	2008
Elected	Dodge County Republicans Chair	2005
Elected	Deputy Chair First Congressional District	2009
Appointed	Park Board Commissioner	2011
Appointed	Acting Mayor for the City of Mantorville	2011
Appointed	Personnel Committee	2010
Appointed	Committee on Budget and Finance	2010
Appointed	Mantorville Historic Dam Committee	2010
Appointed	City infrastructure Committee	2010
Appointed	Mantorville Planning and Zoning Commissioner	2009
Appointed	Mantorville Economic Development Commissioner	2009
Appointed	Mantorville Liaison for Fire Dept and City Council	2009

Please give a brief Bio (200 words or less)
Family: Chuck and Abby have been married for over 25 years. They have a beautiful 8 year old son named Spencer. One of Chuck's driving motivations for running for office is his desire to leave an even better State for his son Spencer than the one in which he was raised. Chuck has leveraged this passion to fight for the citizens of Mantorville.

Community:
Chuck continues to be involved with his local community. He has been a member of ad-hoc community organizations that are formed to better the community environment and in more formal groups. As a member of the Kasson-Mantorville Lions club, Chuck has served his community as a volunteer by raising money and working on community improvement projects. Chuck's volunteerism has served both Dodge and Olmsted counties promoting tourism, local projects and local policy issues. Chuck also volunteers on the Welch Village Ski Patrol where he helps provide emergency medical assistance to injured skiers. Chuck understands that serving, as an elected official is the highest form of community service.

Education:
Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University.
Area of Study, Electrical Engineering with a undeclared minor in Mathematics.

What office are you running for?
Mayor

What would you say your accomplishments have been during your last term in office?
We have been working on the plans for the new Waste Water Treatment Plant for several years now. We were able to find a mutual agreement with the City of Kasson for a joint effort on a combined treatment system. Both cities approached the State Legislature and were identified as recipients for grant dollars for each of our projects. The City of Mantorville has been finally granted a permit for the construction of our phase of the project and we are looking at a summer of ’17 ground breaking.

The City of Mantorville has also been able maintain a reasonable tax rate and we have even reduced the tax rate a few times over the last few years. The overall tax burden placed on the citizens is a significant item when residents consider a new community. We have increased the attractiveness of Mantorville to new residents by placing taxation as a primary focus.

We have been able to work on infrastructure needs as well and have several new street projects either planned or in process. These investments in our community will serve Mantorville well into the next several decades.

The City was able to update the City Hall and Fire Hall. We were able to replace the siding on the building, replace some weakened wood and replace some of the lighting with L.E.D. lighting.

The City is continuing to work with the Safe Routes to School program as well as the Dodge County Trails Association to identify, secure and build a new trail system connecting Rochester and Owatonna.

What issues do you anticipate facing if you are elected?
The ongoing focus will be balancing the budget and addressing project needs. The largest project for next year that is sure to present challenges is the completion of the Waste Water Treatment Plant.

What will be your top five priorities if you are elected? (Please explain why)
1,2 & 3. The Waster Water Treatment plant is finally getting close to a start date. The City of Mantorville’s current plant is well past its design life expectancy and we will need to do something to meet future needs of the city.

4. The cities taxes rate will continue to be a focus area that will be reviewed and scrutinized over the next few years. The current plan is to have city revenue grow no faster than the housing values within the community. This will place more money into the private sector, increase Mantorville’s marketability and reduce financial stress on our residents.

5. The cities Infrastructure will need to be a continued focus. Some the roads in town are in bad need of repairs/replacement and this needs to be addressed so that our citizens have viable roadways to utilize within the city.

What is the most important problem facing your city today, and how would you work to solve it?
The aging Waste Water Treatment Plant is the single largest issue for the City. Mantorville recently found out that our permit has finally cleared both the EPA and the MPCA evaluation criteria and we are able to proceed with our connection to Kasson. We are planning on breaking ground next summer.

Affordable housing is a growing issue in Dodge/Mower/Olmsted County how would you try to help combat the problem in your city?
The City is already working on addressing this need. We have been working with developers, realtors and the township focusing on new sub divisions, planning of mixed housing types and expanding the cities available housing.

Anything else that you would like to add?
Mantorville has a great potential to be a tourism destination. The city will need to develop this while continuing to meet the communities’ infrastructure needs and maintain a reasonable tax rate.
This summer we were able to celebrate the reopening of the historic courthouse. This reopening marks the continued commitment of the county to work with the community of Mantorville for the next several decades. It has been an honor and privilege to serve my neighbors as your Mayor and to work with the State Legislature on behalf of the citizens of Mantorville. With your support we will continue to grow our community together. Please vote November 8th.

MPCA Permit and Temp Finance

The Mantorville City Council last Friday was informed that the MPCA as well as the EPA have both agreed to the request for the new Waste Water Treatment Plant permit. The permit was the last open item that needed to be completed prior to beginning construction on the new pipe system to go over to Kasson. The Kasson plant is still behind schedule; however, we have been given the ok to do concurrent construction and will break ground some time next summer. The City Council also ok temporary financing for the project since the Governor did not call a special session to take care of the budget. The City already had a repayment authorization resolution in place that will allow us to pay our selves back if we are awarded a grant for part of this project.