Current Shorewood resident and former Shorewood Park Commission Chair, former Shorewood Planning Commission member, and prior Shorewood mayoral candidate
I am writing in support of Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council. What is it about this guy?
He is thoughtful, data-oriented, and curious. He thinks critically, and believes in building consensus and compromise. Guy is great at quietly engaging residents, listening to their ideas and committed to respectfully working with them toward an outcome that works.
Guy ran for the mayor seat in 2020. Although he did not win, in essence, we all won because he has taken these two years to further educate himself by attending many City Council, Park and Planning commission meetings and tours. He has tracked the city projects, environmental policies and financials. He has continued to talk with residents and city staff while building his constituency. As a result, he has become an exceptional candidate for a City Council seat.
Full disclosure, the City of Shorewood sued the Sanschagrins and another family over a dock issue. In the end, the families ultimately prevailed in the case. This is in the past. Guy continues to have a positive vision, and wants to be part of creating a vibrant future for Shorewood.
Like me, you will learn that Guy Sanschagrin will bring an important fresh new “outsider” voice to an incumbent City Council. After many years of serving the city myself, I was finished. But when I met this guy, he won me over with his politeness and persistence, coupled with his desire to learn and to serve. He won’t say it, but I will: He is an Eagle Scout, and he compares his willingness to serve his community to an Eagle Scout project.
Every local election has its whisper campaigns, and this one is no different. For the real facts on Guy, visit ShorewoodbythePeople.com. You will like this guy and you will be proud to vote for Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council.
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Current Shorewood resident and former Shorewood City Council member
I support Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council in the upcoming election. Why? Guy will provide a fresh viewpoint and thought processes to provide the change we need in our local government.
Years ago, as a Shorewood council member, I observed a pattern that continues today. Over time, local governing bodies become victims of inertia and groupthink. Typically, as people leave the council, others on the board recruit like-minded neighbors and colleagues to run for those positions. Once in place, this group of officials appoint another group of like-minded citizens to the Planning and Park boards. Over time, those members leverage their experience to run for the City Council and the whole process starts over again.
It’s human nature to prefer people that think like you and agree with you on most everything. The problem with this cycle is that critical thinking becomes secondary to group harmony. New ideas go missing. No one is comfortable challenging city staff when needed. It becomes business as usual.
To break this cycle, voters need to elect solid thinkers from outside the circle. Guy Sanschagrin is just such an individual. He is analytical, clear-thinking, professional and respectful. Just the type of person we need to move beyond the business as usual mindset at City Hall.
Vote for change. Vote for Guy Sanschagrin for City Council on November 8th.
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The Wedgewood Forest Neighborhood endorses Guy Sanschagrin and Sarah St. Louis for Shorewood City Council
Thanks to neighborhood support, Wedgewood Forest was spared last year from the bulldozers. But under the current city hall regime the threat of destruction still looms over Wedgewood Forest and all Shorewood green spaces. Today’s city council and planning commission cannot be trusted to protect Shorewood’s woods and wildlife. The “Smithtown Ponds” project is proof of that. “Smithtown Ponds” – located along the trail abutting Freeman Park - is a bloated boondoggle completely out of scale for any needed neighborhood storm water control. Nine-hundred major trees were destroyed and piles of debris and mud left for months to erode into the adjoining creek.
The Wedgewood Forest project was stopped through coordinated citizen action. Unfortunately we did not have time to save the beautiful woods that once graced the now barren Smithtown Ponds construction site. When residents became aware of the destructive project and requested a cost vs. benefit analysis the city council flatly refused. The project originally included a “tree preservation” plan that was, at the last minute, killed by recommendations from the engineering consulting outfit leaving residents in the dark on the full destructive nature of the plan. As a result, every last tree was cleared leaving a hell scape.
We cannot and should not be required to be city watchdogs – that’s the roll that of our elected representatives. We should be able to trust our local government to do what’s right but today we can’t. The current council has abdicated the most basic roll of oversight and turned major functions of the city over to the consultants, developers, and contractors. We cannot allow this to continue.
It’s up to us, the citizens of Shorewood, to protect our neighborhoods and few remaining open spaces through the one method available– the vote. That’s why we are endorsing Sarah St. Louis and Guy Sanschagrin for the two open Shorewood city council seats.
Sarah and Guy are open-minded, fair and respectful of resident opinions. They understand the roll of oversight and will not allow self-serving special interests to dictate the direction of the city. We know Sarah and Guy; they understand that a measure of our neighborhood quality is the urban tree canopy, wildlife and open green spaces. But, above all, they have good common sense and that might be the most important characteristic of a city council member.
For Shorewood City council, please vote for Guy Sanschagrin and Sarah St. Louis. The future of our neighborhoods and city depend on it.
Find out more at:
https://shorewoodbythepeople.com/
If you have questions regarding this endorsement or would like to host a lawn sign for Sarah and Guy please let us know.
Best Regards and thank you for your support.
Your neighbors,
Greg, Kelly, Cathy W.
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Current Shorewood resident and former Troop 424 Scoutmaster
Guy Sanschagrin is running for Shorewood City Council, and he has my support. I have known him for over 13 years. He has been highly involved in Minnetonka schools and participated in many community service activities. I have seen Guy at many BSA Scouting events and his commitment to others. I was blessed to meet him through volunteering in the schools. We ended up being on many outings and service projects since he has two children the same age as my children. I have seen him help the community and others, from cleaning neighborhood yards for fall raking to helping BSA Scouts get ready to become Eagle Scouts. He has always been willing to help out and be there for his children and the community.
Guy has always worked hard to complete programs, step up to help others, and make Shorewood a better place. He has a positive can-do attitude that I can see the City of Shorewood benefiting from for a brilliant future for Shorewood. Guy has a fresh voice to bring to the table. I hope you will be like me and vote for Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council.
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As a Shorewood resident on the borders of Excelsior and Chanhassen, I have the opportunity to see three city governments in action. I have known Guy for more than a decade and would welcome his thoughtful, respectful, collaborative and pragmatic approach to municipal governance. As a successful small businessman and engaged community member, he is well-suited to provide leadership and a citizen-first set of priorities for Shorewood. I strongly endorse Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council.
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Vote for Guy. As a resident of Shorewood since 1977 I know that Guy is exactly what we need to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to our city. When you first meet Guy you instantly sense that he is a quality person, the kind of person you want for a neighbor, the kind of person who you would want to hire or work for. He has a quiet integrity that I have rarely encountered in my life. As I have gotten to know Guy the old Teddy Roosevelt saying came to mind...."Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick, and Guy's Big Stick is his intelligence and experience.
You will not find two finer people than Guy and Kristine. We are lucky to have them in our community and we need him. Let's inject some new blood into this City Council and make 2023 the beginning of a City Council that is focused on serving the people instead of wasting our tax dollars on senseless lawsuits AGAINST the people.
Vote for Guy, you will be glad you did!
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My Dad never intended to get into politics or to become a politician, but what he didn’t realize was that his passion for community service and the desire to have a direct impact on making his community better would eventually lead him to a career in politics. You see, so many great politicians are defined by the changes they influence in the lives of their constituents and the communities they serve, period. They often get their start by being active in their communities. This led my father to serve Minnesota for over 16 years in the United States Senate.
Guy Sanschagrin is passionate about his community and those who live in it. As a long-time resident of Shorewood, Guy has taken his passion for leadership and service to mentor our community’s children as an assistant scoutmaster and district representative through Scouts, as well as through a variety of activities at our church, Mount Calvary in Excelsior. I have known Guy for many years and have admired his seemingly unending supply of energy and enthusiasm. He generously gives his free time to his community to make it a better place.
Guy loves his community and wants nothing more than to continue to make it an amazing place for people to call home. His ability and passion to see the bigger picture and identify opportunities for positive change is a trait that Guy has used as a volunteer and will serve him well as a Shorewood Council member. I encourage everyone to get to know Guy for the person he is and cast your ballot for him on November 8th, confidently knowing that the city of Shorewood will be well-served by someone that has a passion for service and improving his community for all.
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Independence-Alliance Endorses for Hennepin County Sheriff, Shorewood City Council
St. Paul – The Independence-Alliance State Executive Committee has endorsed candidates for two more races in this November's elections. Joseph Banks was endorsed in the race for Hennepin County Sheriff and Guy Sanschagrin for Shorewood City Council.
Banks advanced to the November general election after placing second in a three-way race, defeating Jai Hanson. Banks has served as the Chief of Police for the city of Morton, MN, the Upper Sioux Community and for the Lower Sioux Community and has 20 years of law enforcement experience. "I would like to thank the Independence-Alliance Party for its endorsement and its belief in my vision for a better and safer Hennepin County with me as Sheriff," said Banks.
Sanschagrin ran as the endorsed Independence-Alliance candidate for Mayor of Shorewood in the 2020 elections finishing second with nearly 35% of the vote. He continues to run on the issue of accountability for the city of Shorewood. In March 14 of this year, following almost five years of litigation, initiated by the city of Shorewood, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued an opinion vindicating Sanschagrin and another family for their placement of the dock on Lake Minnetonka.
The Independence-Alliance Party's genesis stems from 1992 and is the party that elected Jesse Ventura to the Governor's office in 1998, when it was known as the Reform Party of Minnesota. In May 2019, the party merged with the nascent Alliance Party and altered its name to Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota.
For More Information Contact:
Philip Fuehrer, IP State Chair
651-263-4793, StateChair@mnip.org