Tracy Bertram

Tracy Bertram is running unopposed as Mayor of Becker. She is a financial underwriting consultant for United Health Care and she earned a business management degree from Bethel University. Besides Bertram’s role as mayor, she also served eight years on Becker City Council.

Growth: “Our ability to attract new business to Becker is currently strong. The business park is booming with development and I will continue to champion growth for Becker. When I started as a Council member in 2009, I quickly realized the need for additional water capacity. As our City grows so does the demand. The availability of water is important for both business and residential developments and for our safety by having water always available for our fire department.”

Budgeting: “I will continue to be fiscally responsible especially as we face the decommissioning of the Sherco Units one and two in a few years. As we transition from a coal-based economy, I will continue to be transparent and be accountable to spending within the City’s budget.”

Public Safety: “Public safety is always at the fore-front of my mind. I am very proud of our public safety personnel. We are extremely lucky to have a full-time police department here in Becker with officers who uphold national recognition. Our fire department is also well trained not only in firefighting but also in mitigating emergencies involving hazardous materials, confined spaces and emergency medical services. I will continue to proactively drive for the improvement and replacement of equipment for these departments.”

Zachary A. Corrigan

Zachary A. Corrigan  works for a local law enforcement agency. He has an A.A.S. in Law Enforcement for Alexandria Technical and Community College. Corrigan has lived his whole life in Sherburne County and has lived in Becker for five years.

Growth: “I look forward to bringing new opportunities to fill the void of Sherco Power Plant closure. The city of Becker has great opportunities of attracting new businesses into our wonderful community. I know when I first moved to Becker there were not many great choices for internet. I look forward to working with internet providers to make sure that everyone can get proper internet access at a reasonable price. One of my main goals is to get Becker a community splash pad. I know many surrounding communities have splash pads that save cities money by not having to provide city pools. I am not recommending that we close our community pool but continue to improve on what we already have and give families more opportunities in our great community.”

Public Safety: “There has been growing demand in the nation to defund local police departments and sheriff offices. I am against this new movement. By defunding the police, you are only hurting the community. I believe this is the time to act and to provide the officers with the support they need. I myself work in law enforcement and know that this is the time to better educate the community of what officers do in their community. I would like to personally invite community members to visit their local law enforcement agency and take a ride-along with one of the officers. These ride-alongs really give community members a firsthand experience of what law enforcement is all about.”

Public Outreach: “I fully support giving kids a proper education. I myself attended St. Cloud Tech High School where I was given a great education, but our school did not have the proper technology to enhance our learning abilities. I believe technology in classrooms will only continue to grow and we meet to be able to meet the needs of our children.”

Robin Dingmann

Robin Dingmann is married and has three adult children and five grandchildren. She works as a general contractor, and she has taken some college classes. She is currently serving on the council.

Budgeting: “I believe it is important that the city council develops a solid plan for Capital Improvements. We are essentially spending the money received from your property taxes and we need to assess and prioritize the needs of the entire community. It is important to monitor the budget throughout the fiscal period to stay within the budgeted allocation for both revenues and expenditures.”

Growth: “There are so many exciting projects happening in our business park! Our city staff has worked tirelessly to make sure our energy-rich business park is inviting and ready to host new businesses. It is great to see how many local businesses are growing and others who are relocating to Becker. We have many parks for our youth to play in and for local sports teams to utilize. We have a community center that provides child care, a pool, classes, meeting spaces, work out equipment and much more! We have a beautiful golf course that is seeing extraordinary play this year. We have a brand-new dog park. Great amenities attract more people to Becker, which results in more tax dollars coming into our community, which helps to fund new amenities and maintain our current offerings.

We have excellent restaurants in Becker and so many choices for a community of our size. Local businesses are often owned and operated by our neighbors who have invested in the well-being of the community and our future. These are the businesses that entice visitors to our town. They provide jobs for our neighbors and they are the gathering places for our community. They are rooted in Becker and they give back with their spirit and strength. Shop local!”

Public safety: “I am especially thankful to have such a friendly and effective police department, as well as a well- trained and responsive fire department in our town. Our community is lucky to have a dedicated and responsive police department. Our fire department certainly proved their worth in a very tough situation this spring. In this ever-evolving, diverse world we live in, it is important to know that police and firefighters are there when we need them.”

Michael J. Doering

Michael J. Doering, running for the board, served two terms as mayor in the 1980s. He and his wife, Susan, have a son, James, and a daughter, Michelle. He attended a vocational school after high school and is a retired auto mechanic.

Growth: “The city needs a water supply source on the east side of the river. Currently we pipe water across the river; this taxes current wells rather heavily, and we need to find a better solution. We also need to continue to recruit industry to come into the Industrial Park. The Park can not be expanded without infrastructure which includes water, sewer and streets.”

Taxes: “Sherco 2 will be shutting down in the new future. With this loss of revenue from Sherco, the City needs to plan their expansions and control spending to keep our tax levy as low as possible.”

Curtis Hed

Curtis Hed is running for Becker City Council. He has been married to Maria Hed for 32 years, and they have two sons, Brody and Nathaniel. He has been a motivational Speaker promoting reading and making wise choices to students for over 40 years, and he is still pursuing his education.

Community outreach: “I am running because I believe my unique way of looking at issues and opportunities will benefit our community. I am running simply to let you, my neighbors, know that I am willing to serve.”

Communication: “If you, as a voter, decide to elect me, I promise to work with the board in seeking out those best ways to govern, and to do so in ways that pull people into closer agreement with one another. But I want to make known that I appreciate the job being done by those currently serving, and if they get reelected I would have no complaints.”

Becky Olmscheid

Becky Olmscheid and her husband, Aaron, have two sons, Jackson and Bennett. She is a stylist and owner of Studio 5 Salon & Spa. She studied for two years at St Cloud Technical College, and graduated from the Aveda Institute of Minneapolis. She was appointed to Becker City Council 18 months ago.

Public Safety: “We are fortunate in Becker to have a dedicated police department and an exceptional on-call fire department. I will continue to ensure that both departments have the proper safety equipment and training to keep themselves, and all of us, safe and secure. I will also ensure that our union contract is fair and equitable.”

Growth: “Having a business park that is booming with activity is essential for the long-term stability of Becker, and I will continue to focus on retaining our current businesses and attracting new ones. This requires having an effective sales process that ensures we are easy to do business with and that clearly explains why things are Better in Becker. We have implemented a combined street and bike path plan to ensure safe and comfortable accessibility throughout our city for cars, bikers and walkers. Other areas of focus include park upgrades, consistent street repairs, improving the city park parking lot and the addition of a dog park.”

Community engagement: “I will continue to support our annual events including Freedom Days, Concert at the Creek, Barktober Fest, and help drive the development of new amenities that engage our families and strengthen our community (such as a pickleball court and splash pad). One of my biggest passions is to create more family friendly events because it is important that we gather together as a community.”

Budgeting: “The City of Becker will face challenges with the upcoming reduction in operations at the coal plant, and diligent fiscal planning will be required to ensure long-term financial stability.  As a city we will need to make some difficult decisions as our tax collections will be reduced, and we need to continue with transparent and accountable spending in all areas.”

Dennis Rzeszotarski

Dennis Rzeszotarski is a dad with two daughters and one son. He is retired from the military, and he has an associate degree from the community college of the Air Force.

Growth: “I hope to attract new business to the industrial park and to the Hwy. 10 corridor.”

Communication: “I will serve the community by being available, visible, and transparent.”

Taxes: “My goal is to reduce taxes for our citizens.”

Budget: “I will make sure the board always has a viable budget and is fiscally prudent.”