Kim Larson realizes he's an unknown, but is excited about the grassroots level of government. He said he can bring enthusiasm, a fresh face, a background in business and knowledge of how things operate to the city council.

Paul Withers has the time to serve the city and wants to be involved in issues. He wants to see County Road 18 realigned to bypass downtown as part of the Highway 371 expansion for a better downtown that doesn't have diagonal parking.

"I want to see a nice traffic pattern so people can come in and park, drop a hundred dollars and be happy about it," he said.

The three city council candidates spoke at the Oct. 17 Nisswa Candidates Forum at the Nisswa Community Center.

Groves said in the last 10 years, under Mayor Harold Kraus' direction, he has helped give the city direction for budgeting and upgrading infrastructure, including the new city hall.

Withers, a five-year Nisswa resident and divorced father of two boys, said he has the time to devote and wants to see issues resolved. He wants to enhance the character and charm of Nisswa as an up north community. Withers said voters should have had a say in the construction of city hall.

Larson has lived in the Brainerd and Nisswa area for 17 years, works at Viking Label in Nisswa and is married with a young son and daughter. He enjoys the outdoors, including lakes, fish and golf. He enjoys working with kids, and coached hockey and Nisswa T-ball and soccer.

He said he has no personal issues with the city; his only agenda is to get involved.

Following are the candidates' responses to questions.

Are you involved in comprehensive planning?

How do you envision the city in 10 years?

Withers said he hoped Highway 371 would be reconstructed and a County Road 18 bypass would be in place with better traffic flow and parking in the city. The city needs more parking, he said, maybe a nice parking ramp that's not obtrusive. He'd maintain the character of the city while changes took place.

Larson said growth, whether in manufacturing, commercial development or residential housing, will continue and needs to be managed. He looks forward to learning more about the comprehensive planning process.

Groves said unlike the first comprehensive plan he was involved with in the mid-1990s, the current plan involves a followup process. That should have been done the first time, he said, noting he's involved in the selection process for a committee for the new plan. Community planning with citizen input is important.

What do you think of the governor's proposed property tax freeze?

Groves said personally he would take a property tax freeze, but the council would have to discuss how it would affect the city. Nisswa has a good tax base and rarely receives Local Government Aid because of the city's high property value.

Withers said the idea of a property tax freeze sounds great to any taxpayer; however, it's not reality. "Certainly you can freeze property taxes, but what kind of 'fees' are we going to come up with?" he said. "They have to get money from somewhere."

Larson also said a property tax freeze would mean the community would have to come up with increased funds. The city would have to discuss other options.

What is your position on commercial development, realigning Highway 371/County Road 18 and an expanded wastewater facility?

Withers said in the long term, the wastewater facility is a problem because there isn't enough capacity. Everyone should pay for an upgraded facility, he said, with new users paying and a portion spread over the existing tax base.

He's not a fan of city sewers, though they're probably better for the environment since so many individual septic systems are nonconforming, he said.

Withers said he'd like to see more restaurants in Nisswa to keep the tourist dollars in town after 5 p.m. "This town shuts down and rolls up the sidewalks after 5 o'clock."

Larson said a wastewater facility is needed, and options should be explored to pay for it. He likes the Highway 371 realignment plan and said work is needed on County Road 18's future.

As for commercial development coming up the highway from Brainerd, Larson would like to see a solid manufacturing development in Nisswa with year-round employment.

"Development is going to happen. I support manufacturing companies with nonseasonal employment with nice wages," he said.

Groves said wastewater and community development are one and the same. Nisswa is developer driven in terms of infrastructure, he said, and the wastewater plant is not sufficient for more expansion. With development coming to Sportland Corners, the city has done preliminary planning with the city engineer to provide for wastewater plant expansion, he said.

Realignment of Highway 371 and County Road 18 is needed for downtown to have more of a center without a county road running through it, he said.

How should the city approach an aging population and senior housing?

Larson said he'd like to see the city bring in more families to keep the elementary school population up and to offer affordable housing to families.

Groves said development of Sportland Corners includes a senior housing proposal. Other attempts for senior housing have been made in Nisswa, but funding is always an issue.

Withers said he'd encourage affordable senior housing and assisted and independent living. "It's probably a little expensive real estate. I would do whatever we could to encourage it. There's a reason it's not here and I don't know what it is," he said.