Politics & Government

Minnetonka City Council Candidate: Joel Olson

Patch Voters' Guide: Who will be the newest council member in Minnetonka?

Editor's note: This week we feature candidates running for the Minnetonka City Council in the . Four days this week, we will feature two of the eight candidates, according to alphabetical order of their last names.

 The election will fill the vacant City Council Member, At Large Seat B, left vacant when former Council Member Amber Greves resigned the position in December.

JOEL OLSON

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Minnetonka Patch: What qualifications do you have that will make you an effective Minnetonka City Council member?

Joel Olson: I want to start by saying that I grew up in Minnetonka, and it is such a beautiful city to live in. I love the open spaces and the ability to use them, the city provides access to many types of outdoor environments with bike and walking trails, boat and canoe launches, playgrounds and and athletic facilities. I use these many times. 

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I want to continue Minnetonka's hard work to connect its' people with their environment. There is a growing 55+ and 18 or younger population in our city, and I believe we need to update our current assets to better accommodate this changing population. I have analytic capabilities that would help provide better insight on solutions for this issue.

Patch: What is the biggest issue for the city of Minnetonka? Why?

Olson: One of the concerning issues I have is the transportation within the city of Minnetonka, in terms of public transit. Access to Minnetonka during the day is impossible due to no bus entering the city in the morning and, throughout the day, and no return bus service to Minneapolis later in the day. There is one exception to this, there are buses that routinely service Ridgedale Mall and Hopkins. A citizen also cannot currently trek to any part of the city via public transit from another point in the city without having to first stop in Minneapolis. This lack of access and mobility may impede our ability for growth in commerce, and it closes off the city for some citizens. 

Another growing concern for me is ever since the market crash and ever rising gas prices, people have been using their vehicles less and less everyday. This means more foot-powered traffic. The city does have a 33 mile loop trail system that connects the foot-powered citizens around the city, but many places are still not connected, in need of safety improvements or in need of maintenance.

Patch: What is current Minnetonka leadership doing well? What could be better?

Olson: There are many programs for all ages for leisure and activities throughout the city, and the leadership has been doing well with providing these services and information related to these services to its citizens and neighboring communities.

I did grow up in this city and had a fun-filled experience, but there was something missing. I noticed only the things available that were fun within my neighborhood, it didn't really branch out from that. I didn't really get to connect with other kids from other neighborhoods that were farther away, except when I was at school. There needed to be someplace where kids can meet and play with other kids, like a community room filled with games, a community center that rivaled Chaska's and Eden Prairie's. Recently, Minnetonka acquired Williston Center which is a step in the right direction, but there is room for more to be done.

Another leadership aspect that is being done well is the retainment of the large and small corporations and their headquarters here in Minnetonka which helps our economy stay balanced, those such as Cargil and Carlson Companies among others. The city could create a program to expand their efforts for business retention with a starter entrepreneur program to help aspiring business owners create a good business plan, develop marketing skills, and gain funds to start up their own office.

Patch: How will you get input from your constituents?

Olson: There are many publications that are currently being utilized around the area that I would use, the Minnetonka Memo is one, since it is a quarterly letter sent to just Minnetonka citizens. Minnetonka Patch is another, it reaches many age groups and in remote locations for the traveling Minnetonka resident.

Facebook is a great asset for input that I will use, and the Minnetonka website as well specifically for the events and projects posted there.

Patch: Give us a brief background of yourself. 

Olson: Hello everyone, my name, if you don't already know, is Joel Olson. I have been a resident of Minnetonka for 20 years. I have volunteered with many natural resources projects as well as construction projects in the area. I graduated from Dunwoody College of Technology with a 2 year AAS degree in Architectural Drafting and Estimating Technologies. I am currently a civil engineer's aid in Osseo. 

I have interests in the outdoors, art and sculpture, technology, as well as hobbies related to my interests. I have one brother, Kurt, and one sister, Kristi.  My brother is a sales associate and my sister is a recruiter. My mom, Denise, is a teacher in the Minneapolis Public School District. She has been teaching for over 20 years. My dad, Wayne, has done many things in his professional career, such with GE Fleet, Lifetouch, and Hennepin Park District (now Three Rivers Park District). 

We do many things together as a family such as holiday events. We have three dogs which we care for, Gus a black lab mix, Bear a black lab mix, and Hank an Australian cattle dog mix.


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