We have not always agreed. During our 20 years of combined mayoral service, the four of us have led North Oaks with different priorities, different styles, and at times sharply different views. But in this election, we speak with one voice because we share a concern for our city's future. North Oaks is at an important crossroads, and it calls for experienced, thoughtful leadership. That is why we endorse Fritz Johnson for Mayor and Andrew Gaspard and Riki Banerjee for City Council.

We are concerned that North Oaks is losing the fiscal discipline that has long been a hallmark of city leadership. From 2005 to 2023, despite strong household growth, our tax levy rose an average of just 5.2% per year and never more than 10%. Since Krista Wolter took office in 2023, we have had three years of double-digit increases, and she now proposes another 10.6%, for a total during her administration of almost 60%, four times the rate of inflation. These huge tax increases have led to record surpluses and reserves. The City has also added $1.8 million in debt. We are not advocating penny-pinching, but real value for every dollar, careful investment, and never taxing more than necessary.

Good government is also open government. Residents deserve meaningful input before decisions are made, not after, and North Oaks works best when the City and the North Oaks Homeowners Association are partners. Instead, the City has embarked on major projects, including an expansion of city sewer and water and a new city hall on NOHOA's soccer fields, without keeping either residents or NOHOA fully in the loop. The FAR candidates will listen, work with NOHOA, and build a shared vision rather than division.

Above all, this election is about preserving what makes North Oaks unique: the quiet, the dark skies full of stars, the natural landscape, and the idea that nature matters more than buildings. The Hill family laid out our narrow, winding roads to protect drainage and trees, not to carry traffic. Residents have consistently ranked nature and privacy as top priorities, and as former Mayor Bill Ecklund puts it, "You really can't truly have one without the other." North Oaks is not Edina. Too many on the current Council "can't see the forest for the trees."

Four former mayors, with different histories and viewpoints, stand united because the long-term wellbeing of North Oaks is at stake. We believe in fiscal responsibility, cooperation, and preserving North Oaks' character. We urge you to vote for Fritz Johnson for Mayor and Andrew Gaspard and Riki Banerjee for City Council.

Signed,

• Bill Ecklund, Mayor 1991-1994, Council 1989-1990

• Seth Colton, Mayor 1995-2000

• Tom Watson, Mayor 2001-2008, Council 1991-2000, 2021-2024

• Kara Ries, Mayor 2021-2022, Council 2019-2020