Meet Council Candidate Arlo Kroening
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Official Bio:
I was born in Wabasha, Mn in 1976. We moved from various place from Hammond to Elgin until I was in 9th grade. I then moved to Rochester and graduated from Mayo high school. I've been a hard worker since I was 13 and spent most of my career (23 years) at Roscoe's BBQ. 18 of those years in management and ultimately the General Manager. While I am still involved with Roscoes, I am now a proud Painter For Sorensen and Sorensen Painting and Decorating. I have a wonderful wife Anita (18 years married) and a beautiful 16-year-old daughter that attends John Marshall High School. Our family lives in the NW part of Rochester in a great neighborhood.
Your key platforms
Education- I believe we need to continue to improve our future generations of children by giving them the educational tools they need to succeed. We also have to work on providing these kids with more individual Attention as our schools grow.
Growth- We need to continue to expand as a community both in residential and Commercial aspects. But we also have to maintain what we have already developed and built.
Government- It is very exciting with all of the development happening in Rochester right now. But we can't forget about the factors that influence how our city will evolve in the future. These include our policemen and women, firefighters, teachers, and established local businesses.
Why should your ward vote for you?
First of all, I'm not a politician. I would like to represent my Ward 3 in the city council as their voices. All decisions made by a council of 6 impact the whole city of Rochester. I do believe that it's easy for some council members to get very comfortable in the way they vote each time. This can form biases which I don't think is fair to our city. I honestly have a lot to learn about how the political system works but that's where support from my neighbors in Ward 3 will help. I am excited to share new ideas and opinions with the council that will help keep growth continuing but sensibility intact.
What do you envision for the future of Rochester?
The future is bright for Rochester. If a person steps back and looks at all the future plans that are already in the 'works', it's mind-boggling. I see our city Expanding in every direction. This meaning from residential suburbs to tall buildings downtown. It's all going to happen faster than we think. But we have to treat the city like a puzzle in the works. As we continue to grow we also have to maintain and improve what we already have.
What are your connections to The Mayo Clinic? How do you plan to work with The Mayo Clinic?
I have no direct connections with The Mayo Clinic on any boards or decision making except through my city council representative. I currently do work on The Mayo Clinic Campus as a Contractor for Sorensen and Sorensen Painting and Decorating. I also do have family and friends that love working for The Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic is a wonderful business and a great place to get health care. I am excited to work with them in the future and help their future visions become realities as long as it makes sense for our city.
What are your connections to the DMC? How do you plan to work with the DMC?
I currently have no role with decisions being made for the DMC projects except through my city council representative. I do see the impact of these projects in the aspect that I am in the construction industry. I look forward to helping guide the decisions to be made with all the DMC projects so they make sense for our city.
How would you address the concerns of citizens about the loss of some of the city's older and potentially historic buildings to new development?
We do need to preserve our historic buildings. I actually repainted the Chateau Theatre Sign. All historic buildings should have a chance to be deemed ' historic' but common sense is that not all will receive that title. We need to continue growth but also keep our history!
Favorite Rochester Moment?
This is the hardest question I've had so far! I have so many memories in this great city over the last 25 years. Including getting married and seeing the birth of our daughter here. So I'll give a more recent moment. Our family recently participated on a walk to support Ovarian Cancer. It was emotionally overwhelming how many people of every age showed up and supported this cause. It was also personally satisfying to see how much work the city has put into the path we walked on behind Mayo High School. It shows that we are not neglecting the upkeep of our parks and green space while resurrecting buildings.
What’s one thing you want the Rochester community to know about you?
I've always tried to be nice to people I've met and never asked anybody to do something I would not do myself if I could.
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