Politics & Government

Golden Valley City Council Candidate: Chris Miller

Patch talks with the candidates running for office in the 2013 Golden Valley City Council election.

There are 11 candidates running for three Golden Valley Council seats this year. Two seats are for two four-year terms and one seat is a special election to fill the two-year term seat. 

Below you will find the candidate biography for Chris Miller running for one of the four-year term seats. (All candidates were contacted by Patch via email and given the chance to answer the same questions.)

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What previous political experience do you have (including other governmental positions you’ve held, whether elected, appointed or volunteer)?

My background has been in business over the last 20 years since graduating from St. Mary’s College in Winona.  My degree was in Public Administration because I have always had a strong interest in city business.  Previously I have not held any elected office or had any political role. Locally I have been a volunteer at the Courage Center, American Legion, Second Harvest and the Lilac Planting.

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What other relevant experience do you have?

1.     This is an interesting question because the relevant experience needed to be on the city council is that you are a resident in good standing.  Residents with all types of backgrounds can be a valuable member of the city council. I believe it is good to have a mix of backgrounds on the council and I value differing opinions.

Since graduating from college I have been working in the Information Technology field.  The experiences that I have had and the skills I have fostered have helped prepare me for the city council in a number of ways including: negotiations, relationship building, problem solving and budgeting.  I have demonstrated success in these areas and feel that this experience is relevant to being able to be a contributing member of the council.  

What is your occupation?
Information Technology Sales Professional    

Where did you go to school? 

Cretin-Derham Hall (1990) and St. Mary’s College in Winona (1994)

How old are you? 

I am 42 and have had my home in Golden Valley since 2004.    

Do you have a spouse, children or any other family members you’d like to tell voters about? 

I come from a large family but do not have any children of my own.  There are eleven nieces and nephews that I get to be the fun uncle for.  I have a partner of eight years.    

What are your campaign goals?

My goal is to win.  I want to earn one of the two four year positions.  To do this I have to get my name out there as much as possible and meet people by getting out and knocking on doors.  Getting more people interested in city government is also a goal.  

What issues are you most focused on?

Golden Valley is a great city to live in and we have to make sure that we protect that way of life.  Key issues for me revolve around making sure that we protect private property rights.  Private property rights include property taxes in my mind because rising taxes can force people to give up their property and move to another city where taxes are lower.  I know several families that have left Golden Valley in the last 10 years because of this.  Just next door in Minneapolis some people have seen a 200+ percentage increase in property taxes.  That can happen here if our budgets continue to creep up.  Light Rail will also impact property taxes for all of us in Hennepin County and I want to make sure Golden Valley doesn’t add to the upcoming rise in property taxes.  We should cap the city levy which is what we can control.  I have found it interesting to hear some candidates support Light Rail but also say they want lower property taxes.  Those two things don’t go together.   

Another issue that is coming up again is the idea of a single-hauler for residential trash removal in Golden Valley.  There are currently four companies that provide this service.  It is my opinion that we should not limit the choice of our residents by going to a single-hauler.  If we remove the competition we will see our costs go up while the quality of the service declines.  Also, the smaller companies that serve Golden Valley could be forced out of business and we would be stuck with one of the national providers.  I have spoken to one of the business owners and he said his company would have a hard time surviving if they lost the business in Golden Valley.  Last point on this topic, it is my observation that the small company trucks are the ones that are not speeding up and down our streets - those trucks belong to the national providers.

Development:  There are not many areas for new development in Golden Valley so the issue is really about re-development.  When considering projects we have to protect existing residents and not be swayed by developers or political parties when being asked to rezone residential areas.

Why should voters choose you?

It has been a fun opportunity to be running for the city council in Golden Valley; we are lucky to have nine people running for these two spots.  It is my belief that most of the voters will know one of the people running so I want to earn that second vote of yours on November 5th.  

You should consider voting for me because my commitment is to the residents of Golden Valley.  I am committed to keeping partisan politics out of our city hall and I will always ask what is best for Golden Valley when making decisions and taking votes.  If elected, I will continue to get out into the neighborhoods and hear directly from the people that are impacted by the issues brought to the council.  I have the time and ability to make sure that I am able to fulfill the duties of a council member.  If elected I will seek input from the previous council members because they have left the incoming council a very good situation.  Their experience and knowledge should not be lost as they move on to new opportunities. 

Golden Valley is in great shape as a city and we can’t let that slip by making long term commitments that grow our debt and raise our property taxes.  If elected I will be a responsible city leader that will have a laser focus on doing what is best for the city and residents of Golden Valley.  I would be honored to have your vote.


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