Meet the Candidate: Dave Wahlstedt

Editor's Note: Patch is running bios on the candidates for Hennepin County 6th District Commissioner seats. These races will be decided during the General Election on Nov. 6. Today, we look at challenger Dave Wahlstedt. On Friday, we'll look at Jan Callison, the incumbent in this race.

Dave Wahlstedt

District: Hennepin County 6th District

Political Experience: None himself, but he worked on Ron Paul's campaign. Wahlstedt's campaign kick-off is July 4 at Excelsior fireworks.

Occupation: An engineer for 25 years and has owned and operated  for 10 years.

Education: University of Minnesota

Home: Excelsior, moved from Minneapolis in September 2011.

Age: 46

Family: A wife and two children, ages 7 and 5.

Campaign Points/Goals:

• Wahlstedt is concerned about the county purchasing a big office building that he says is twice the expected value and "clearly big enough that it signals their intent to grow Hennepin County government."
• He said he's looking for government to decrease. "We should head back the other way and start to roll back the easiest things and not take on new things," he said.
• Wahlstedt said he'd bring his people skills, analysis and problem-solving to the table as a county commissioner.
• According to Wahlstedt, one huge problem with Hennepin County government is that nearly two-thirds of the budget is not at the discretion of the board to change. "I really feel like it's a fairly complex interaction between state, federal and county funds," he said. "It's not something commissioners can just change, but it's an important issue to advocate for." 
• He said the county board needs to cut the $1.65 bilion dollar budget, starting with commissioner pay which has grown to be one of the highest of all elected officials in Minnesota.