Attend an Open House to learn more about the proposed Southwest Light Rail Project and to see growth plans for the areas around light rail stations.

August 18: Open house at St. Louis Park City Hall
6:30 to 8:00 PM*.
5005 Minnetonka Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55416

* A presentation on the Southwest LRT Station Area Planning will be held at 7:00 PM to present concept plans for future land use and development around the proposed station areas.
See more info at www.southwesttransitway.org

http://www.stlouispark.org/budget.htm

For full article:  http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2009/06/11/news/sl11election.txt

Excerpt:

“One resident has already announced her candidacy for the Ward 2 council seat. Anne Mavity noted in a statement announcing she will run for Basill’s seat that she has experience as a St. Louis Park Housing Authority commissioner, as board president of St. Louis Park-based nonprofit Wayside House and as a member of the St. Louis Park Community Foundation Board.

Mavity said she supports thoughtful and measured planning and transparent decision-making in addressing the ward’s redevelopment. She said she supports “human-scale development” that encourages walking and biking. She also said fiscal responsibility would be another priority for her but also said any increases in service costs or reductions in services should not disproportionably impact vulnerable community members.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAVITY TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL SEAT;
Service-minded resident poised to add key skills

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. —- (May 29, 2009) Anne Mavity, a resident of St. Louis Park since 1998, will run for the City Council seat in Ward 2 being vacated by John Basill.

Mavity has over 20 years of experience in strengthening communities locally, nationally, and internationally.  As a 12-year resident of St. Louis Park, Mavity has worked to strengthen the schools as an elected Site Council representative, promoted quality, life-cycle housing options for individuals and families at every stage of life as a St. Louis Park Housing Authority Commissioner, and has been an active community leader including a soccer coach, the Board President of a St. Louis Park-based nonprofit organization (Wayside House), and more recently, a member of the St. Louis Park Community Foundation Board.

“St. Louis Park is absolutely the greatest city in which to live, to work, to go to school and to retire.  It’s why I chose to raise my family here.  I want to use my skills and expertise to make sure we continue and expand on this success, even while we navigate the tremendous fiscal challenges that we as a community face in the coming years,” said Mavity.  “I am excited to work with my neighbors and other community leaders to shape and create St. Louis Park’s future,” she added,

“Anne has the leadership and collaboration skills to bring this community together around the challenges and opportunities we will face in the coming years,” said Gail Dorfman, Hennepin County commissioner and former mayor of St. Louis Park.   “She has the expertise and energy to help lead our community and to keep us vibrant for the next generation,” she added.

“While the Park is a fully developed community, both housing and business redevelopment continue at a fast pace in our city, and especially in Ward 2,” said Mavity.  “Managing this growth will require thoughtful and measured planning, as well as transparent decision-making that engages residents in the issues that impact their lives,” she added.   Mavity believes that the Park needs to have smart, human-scale development that is in line with the character of our neighborhoods and which encourages walking and biking.  Maintaining a fiscally responsible approach to city finances is another priority for Mavity.  She pointed out that the City of St. Louis Park maintains a AAA bond rating, despite facing the same economic and fiscal consequences that other Minnesota communities also face.  “This means that the city saves tens of thousands of dollars in the normal course of financing basic city services.  We need to sustain this long-range financial discipline to ensure our ability to continue to deliver high quality city services that residents expect from their city,” Mavity said.

“At the same time,” Mavity added, “as the City makes hard decisions about how to allocate declining revenue, it’s important that any increases in service costs or reductions in services overall do not disproportionately impact our most vulnerable community members, such as retirees, disabled individuals and families already living on the edge,” said Mavity.

Prior to running for City Council, Mavity gained leadership and policy experience as a neighborhood-based nonprofit leader, and as a policymaker with the U.S. Congress (House of Representative’s Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (based in Moscow, Russia).  She has facilitated numerous collaborations between funders, governmental partners and nonprofit organizations – a skill she believes will add value to the work of the City Council. Mavity has a Bachelor’s degree (double major) in Government, and Slavic languages and literature from Lawrence University; and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.