Weik: ‘right person at right time’
The District 5 commissioner has been on the board for four years and if re-elected in November, she’ll be the only one eligible to serve as chair.By: Riham Feshir, Woodbury Bulletin
Lisa Weik said she’s the right person at the right time for another term on the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
The District 5 commissioner has been on the board for four years and if re-elected in November, she’ll be the only one eligible to serve as chair.
“The role of the chair is very important so it can set the vision for the entire county,” she said. “It’s been a long time since the Woodbury commissioner was chair.”
After the county went through redistricting this year, Weik lost constituents in the northwest and southwest corners of Woodbury, but picked up thousands who live east of Woodbury Drive starting from Interstate 94 all the way to Bailey Road.
Weik said Woodbury is the “economic engine of the county.” With her personal experience in the private sector, she’s eager to use it in the public sector in the decision making process to grow the local economy.
“There are a lot of opportunities for engineering jobs on this side of town,” she said.
But because Woodbury lacks transportation, it’s difficult to bring big companies who want to recruit talent from all over the metro, she said.
With her experience chairing the Gateway Corridor Commission, Weik said the county is on the right path to resolve those issues with a bus rapid transit system proposed for the Gateway Corridor.
Other challenges, she added, will be covering the costs of the state imposed mandates, while balancing the needs of county services.
But she said Washington County is already a “lean, well-run” organization that had one of the highest tax rates in the state 15 years ago, and now it’s been dropped to significantly lower than most counties.
To keep the momentum going, Weik said county officials need to continue partnering with companies that help promote the area, like Greater MSP.
“Large corporations are discovering the Twin Cities and they wouldn’t have found us without the active marketing of Greater MSP,” she said.
One example that Greater MSP can help with is finding suitable options for a large private building like the former State Farm building that lost more than 1,000 jobs when it closed, she added.
“That’s the No. 1 non-county issue that I hear about from constituents,” Weik said.
With good transportation, smart partnerships and representation on many boards and organizations, Weik said she’s ready for another term full of challenges, yet many opportunities for success.
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