Denny Lauritsen joins race for city council in 2020
Lauritsen, who has lived in
During the midterm elections in 2018, Lauritsen worked as an election marshal and said he has thought about running for public office ever since.
Although Lauritsen currently works at
"I was living out a childhood dream, I think a dream of many people, and I was running the Zamboni," Lauritsen said.
But Lauritsen said he thinks working for the city also gives him a unique view of how the city as an organization works.
Lauritsen said he wasn't making decisions about policy, but working at the ice rink, he could see how money moved around to support different projects and how the goal was not to make a profit off residents but simply break even.
Lauritsen said as he sees the city,
And one of those issues is the minimum wage in
In his experience, Lauritsen said small businesses have difficult times dealing with mandates like a higher minimum wage whereas larger companies can absorb those costs without much problem.
At the same time, Lauritsen said he understands how important the wage increase is for many.
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Lauritsen said he also thinks it's important to protect open space and prevent sprawl because the open spaces and the environment are what attract tourists to
When looking at development, it is also important for residents to have access to that open space. As such, Lauritsen said he thinks the city should group high density buildings or apartments around public open space and parks.
"I think Sawmill is a great example, but without the open space, there's no real community area," Lauritsen said. "
Lauritsen said he believes structuring new development in that way may also help to alleviate traffic across the city.
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