A vote for Patrick Vescio is a vote for our Community.

As I knock doors, make phone calls, and chat with residents at meet and greets, I keep hearing the same thing - you want your voices to be heard and respected in City Hall. 

Your input matters when your tax dollars are being spent. This means that public work groups need to include members from every part of our community, regardless of their income, the type of home they live in, the language they speak, or where and how they worship. You are a valuable part of this community and your voice should be heard. 

I will work to implement a new commission called the “Community Engagement Commission.” This group of Fridley residents will serve as ambassadors - connecting the city with each neighborhood. They will help with the flow of information in BOTH directions, ensuring the council hears the community and is responsive and respectful. 

As your council member I will continue to have open office hours at times and locations that work best for you. I will be accessible, transparent, and work in full partnership with you. It’s important for me to say that whether or not we agree on an issue, I think you deserve to be heard. You deserve respect and I’ll ensure that we put the “friendly” back in “friendly Fridley” again!

A strong community is a community that invests in itself. We have to ensure that this is done intentionally and efficiently. I’ve heard your frustrations with TIFs given to multifamily developers who build apartments in Fridley. I will do more to create smart economic development that grows our community wisely. 

TIF stands for tax increment financing. It is extended to developers/property owners in the form of a tax rebate for a set amount of years. TIFs can extend as long as 25 years in the City of Fridley. 

Multifamily dwelling owners that have the benefit of TIF are not paying for the resources their residents experience and pay for through their monthly rent (i.e. public safety, roads, parks, code enforcement, administrative services like utility billing and rental property management.) When property owners receive TIFs, the tax burden is higher for property owners that do not benefit from TIFs.

We have a high level of income restricted housing comprising single family, multi family and apartment dwellings within the city of Fridley. Many of these property owners benefit from  TIFs in this city. Creative economic development that will intentionally and efficiently build a stronger community would be a meaningful pivot for our businesses and residents.

One of the things that has kept our family in Fridley is our amazing public safety department. They are responsive, caring, and dedicated to their jobs. We’re lucky that we have officers that have grown up in Fridley and who attended Fridley Schools. They know us and their passion for the community is evident. I’ll continue to ensure that the relationship between our public safety department and the community it serves is strong, healthy, and positive. The community deserves respectful and caring public safety and that public safety deserves our collaboration and support. This means supporting our police chief in his quest for grants that bring innovative programs to Fridley, protecting funding at the state level for public safety, and ensuring that the chief has what he needs to recruit and retain the best officers possible. 

Schools: We’re a great community. It’s vital that the City Council works closely with the four school districts and two private schools in Fridley to ensure that the decisions made are inclusive and forward thinking. Schools and the city both have the ability to levy taxes and ask voters to pass referendums. The City and its schools must work together to ensure that all tax money is raised and used in a responsible, collaborative way that cuts waste and has the largest impact possible while protecting your family’s budget. Strong schools ARE strong communities.  

Other levels of government: I have worked hard to build a relationship with our county and state level leaders. The City Council doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Decisions at the County and State level impact Fridley residents every day. In some cases, the City must implement decisions made at the state or county level. It’s vital that we keep in close communication in order to work together as one team for Fridley.

With residents: The City can’t be successful without your input and authentic partnership. I’ll continue to be open to meet with you whenever you have questions or concerns. I’ll work to ensure that community work groups are truly representative of the community - every voice regardless of income, faith, origin, age, orientation, or color deserves to be heard.

Fridley residents have a long history of advocating for their environment and fighting for better health related to environmental stressors. We have come together to stand up for our health, that’s part of why I love this city so much. 

My wife is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma skin cancer. No family should have to go through that. We need a plan to go green and protect against forever chemicals in our water, lead and asbestos in our homes, and toxics in our air. These chemicals are making our children sick. 

Fridley is lucky to be situated on the Mississippi River. We have wonderful green spaces and we value our natural environment. We are also close to many busy highways - which can have a negative health impact on our residents (for example, high asthma rates). 

Fridley ranks high on superfund proximity, hazardous waste proximity, RMP facility proximity, lead paint, traffic proximity, toxic releases to air, diesel particulate matter, and Nitrogen Dioxide. This means that our community is more at risk for negative health impacts from environmental factors. This history of being home to a superfund site has been linked to a cancer cluster. 

I will work hard to ensure that Fridley is an environmentally safe community to raise families. I am confident that we can reduce waste, reduce toxic chemical exposure, and increase the quality of our air, water, and soil for future generations.

When it comes to the environment, we have to be proactive rather than reactive. Fridley needs to prepare for how recent drinking water standards passed by the Environmental Protection Agency will impact our drinking water. Non-hereditary cancer has impacted many members of my family who have lived in Fridley since 1971. The environmental crisis is linked to infertility, rare cancers, low birth rate, low IQ in children, asthma, and so much more.

Currently, Fridley has 20 contaminants in its water and seven of them exceed NGO guidelines. 

As your council member at large I’ll work with the environmental planner, the Fridley Environmental Quality and Energy Commission, our state elected officials, and NGOs to ensure that Fridley has a solid plan to fight pollution, promote sustainability, and protect your health.
As an environmental justice community, we need to ensure we are advocating for ourselves to secure the funding we need to remediate lead paint in homes and lead pipes serving our water. We must educate families regarding water quality testing, filter installation, and health monitoring if exposure to toxic chemicals has been high. 

This includes PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” that are found in everything from arctic ice to dental floss. Learn more about PFAS here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8qGtEVh7oQ 

Minnesota is home to the most comprehensive ban on PFAS in consumer products in the world. Also, recently the EPA came out with a Drinking Water Standard for PFAS at 4 parts per trillion (4ppt). One type of PFA, PFHXS, was found to be 11x recommended NGO guidelines.  

I also have extensive training regarding lead and asbestos in homes. I understand the threat these chemicals pose and the expense involved in remediation. We must help our neighbors rid lead and asbestos from their homes. Beyond the awful health implications associated with exposure, these chemicals impact property values and can affect resale. 

As your council member I’ll ensure you receive the information and education you deserve while advocating for the resources needed to protect you and your family.

Transportation connects us to each other, our work, our healthcare providers, and our schools. Just like other issues, transportation is an issue that impacts every level of government and not just Fridley. Whether a road is a county road, city road, or state highway, Fridley must ensure your voice is front and center when conversations around construction and safety are taking place. 

A transportation system that works for Fridley means access to public transit,including stop sites that are safe, clean, and accessible, safe and secure roads, and walkways that are safe and accessible. We must address transit concerns with the long term in mind. In other words, quick and cheap fixes are just that - we need to ensure the updates and spending we’re doing for our transportation system lead to long term and meaningful improvements that won’t cost more money in the long run