Julian Dahlquist

I have a long history of having helped/managed local and municipal campaigns in the greater Fargo-Moorhead community. Through those campaigns, I've learned so much, ranging from transportation budgets to staffing concerns to municipal operations, and more. I believe that an elected official should reach out to their community to help with their needs, and my broad network is one that I would be glad to tap into for the betterment of Clay County. I also served on the Moorhead Charter Commission for ten years, which provided invaluable experience for learning the ins and outs of local government.

Address staff needs. If staff are overworked and undercompensated, that will only create a foundation for much more problems down the road. Staff deserve good benefits, fair wages, and all of the necessary resources.

Fight to preserve social service programs. I don't believe in slashing programs that help vulnerable members of our community. If a program has a net positive impact for our county, it should be fully funded and supported.

Invest in infrastructure. Our infrastructure requires maintenance, and I want to make sure we’re investing in those projects. If a project is worth doing, it's worth doing well.

I know SNAP funding cuts will pose a major challenge, and I want to do what I can to mitigate the impact of those cuts. For opportunities, the population of Clay County has been growing steadily; families are choosing Clay County as their home, and we should lean into that. I love living in a community that plows its roads during the harsh winters, manages the waste of its residents, and provides good quality education for its kids. We have great things going in Clay County and I want to build on that.

This is an item where I’d love to hear from our county’s small businesses on what’s worked and what hasn’t. I believe that all employees deserve a living wage, and when businesses offer those good paying jobs, there should be incentives for that. We all do better when we all do better.

Any employee anywhere deserves a livable wage and dignity with their work. If our businesses are seeing high turnover, we need to bring workforce experts to the table, identify where we’re falling short, and work towards solutions. When workers are happy and find fulfillment within their jobs, a lot of other problems take care of themselves.

This is another area where I believe we should bring our industry experts to the table to find solutions. I believe that housing is a right, and we need to do everything we can to create paths towards homeownership that are affordable and accessible. Every option needs to be on the table when addressing the lack of attainable housing.