Council candidate profile: Nicholas Ortiz

• Nicholas Ortiz

Nicholas Ortiz

Talk about it

Nicholas Ortiz said he realizes there is more to being a Woodbury City Council member than meets the eye. The television news producer for Twin Cities station KSTP said his job has similarities to that of a locally-elected official.

“When you see the news on television you only see 20 seconds of the story, but from my position we get to see everything,” said Ortiz, 35, a chief video editor for the St. Paul-based news station. “I feel like the council members are in a somewhat similar position. It’s tough to make judgment calls on a lot of issues that you might not be as immersed in if you are not constantly pouring through all the information and background.”

Ortiz, who moved to Woodbury with wife Allison (who also works at KSTP) in 2006, said he generally likes the direction Woodbury has been headed as it has developed both residentially and commercially, but that he wants to help it stay on the right path, especially with the retirement of longtime Mayor Bill Hargis. He said he has no plans to come in pointing fingers of blame for some issues, such as economic development, that have been a struggle for the city in recent years.

“It’s comforting that when it comes to development, we aren’t just playing it by ear,” Ortiz said. “As long as development is done responsibly and is well paced, that’s what I want to continue to see.”

Ortiz, originally from Miami, said should the city need to look at future spending cuts, he would first study all the issues before making any sweeping suggestions.

“It would be easy to say ‘Okay, let’s take a look at city services and see what we can cut back on, but you might find out that they are at bare minimum and you can’t cut anymore for a growing population. There are lot of intangibles that need to be studied during a budget process. I would look at every aspect carefully.”

Nicholas Ortiz

Age: 35

Occupation: Chief video producer for KSTP television news.

Family: Wife, one-year-old daughter

Woodbury resident: Since 2006

Civic involvement: None

Tags: city council, election