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In response to a question from Councilmember Neff asking him what unique qualities he would <br /> bring to the body of Council, Mr. Dugan responded that he would bring his perspective as <br /> lifelong resident and member of a large family. <br /> At the invitation of President O'Malley, Mr. Dugan made concluding remarks, stating his belief <br /> that if Council "gets out there"face to face and helps solve resident problems that it increases <br /> overall trust in the body. <br /> Lindsey Grdina Interview <br /> In an opening statement, Ms. Grdina indicated that despite being born and raised in Rocky River, <br /> she moved to Lakewood as a renter as soon as she possibly could, ultimately marrying a <br /> Lakewood resident and settling in the city when they were looking to start their family. Her <br /> priorities for the city include maintaining and developing affordable housing,promoting <br /> sustainable development, continuing to make Lakewood a multi-modal city, maintaining the <br /> city's parks, increasing pathways to small business ownership, and maintaining economic and <br /> human capital diversity. She shared that she is a family law attorney and is no stranger to <br /> contentious arguments, negotiating, and consensus building. She stated that she believes <br /> Lakewood's best days are ahead of it. <br /> Councilmember Rader commented that Ms. Grdina had run a great,positive campaign and <br /> through it, understands her commitment to the environment and sustainability. He inquired as to <br /> how the city should go about being economically diverse and vibrant. Ms. Grdina stated that <br /> through the CAC, the city should be making an effort to recruit women and minority owner <br /> small businesses. She also not that through her work on the CAC, funding for the childcare credit <br /> increased every year she was on the committee. <br /> Vice President Litten asked whether Ms. Grdina would run for Council in 2 years and what her <br /> priorities for Council would be over the next couple years. She indicated that she would run <br /> again in 2 years and that her priorities align with the city's 2020 core budget goals. She noted <br /> plans to introduce legislation that further preserves the tree canopy and pledged to work on <br /> resident retention, highlighting the need to preserve space for renters. She also expressed support <br /> for finding better ways for seniors to age in place and boost the city's unencumbered reserves. <br /> Councilmember Shachner noted during the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus Candidates <br /> night that a question was asked whether each candidate believed if a councilperson should be <br /> appointed despite losing an election. He asked Ms. Grdina how she answered that question. Ms. <br /> Grdina indicated that she believes someone in that position should have an opportunity, as it <br /> would not be the best use of city money to host a special election. She added that it would be a <br /> false narrative to say that she would not be adequately representative, as she did not make it out <br /> of her race' primary. Councilmember Shachner also asked, what insight she might have into the <br /> community from her time serving on the CAC. Ms. Grdina indicated that the experience allowed <br /> her to take a macro level view of the city's master vision and break it down into micro level <br /> views. She noted that Lakewood's job is to deliver essential services that promote a high quality <br /> of life, adding that the city does a great job but can always do a little bit more. <br /> 4 <br />