gaylordhub.com

A two-year term as Gaylord Mayor is up for grabs in the November 7th general election as incumbent Doug Quast faces challenger Rosie Roiger.

Both candidates recently responded to a questionnaire distributed by The Gaylord Hub. Below is a summary of their responses.

QUAST

Prior to being elected Mayor of Gaylord in 2004, Quast served as a City Council member here for ten years.

A lifelong resident of Gaylord, Quast said he is running for re-election because there is a need for changes in our community in order to continue to provide the great quality of life standard people have come to expect in Gaylord. Quast admits change is scary, but believes if we don’t monitor the constant changes around us, we may become complacent and our community will come to a standstill. He would like the City to be proactive, look toward the future, and grow and thrive as a community.

Quast believes issues facing the City can be viewed as opportunities, depending on how they are handled. Among those opportunities, according to Quast, include: development of Main Street; Lakeview Home and the Senior Housing Campus; the library, a trail system and Lake Titloe.

As Mayor of Gaylord, Quast feels his duty is to provide leadership. “I believe that I represent Gaylord in a positive fashion,” Quast said. “I’m proud to serve the residents of Gaylord and I want to make sure that the residents are proud of their community and its lifestyle.”

Quast works for Parker Hannifin as a Mobile Systems Market Specialist. He and his wife Connie are both Gaylord High School graduates. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

ROIGER

Gaylord Mayor candidate Rosie Roiger listed the following as major issues facing the city:

• Street project

• Library project

• police/ambulance building

• nursing home issue

• diversity issues

“A figure head only.” That is how Roiger views the Mayor’s post. She believes the Mayor’s duty should be to conduct meetings and serve as a voice for the people.

“I believe the position should be held by someone who doesn’t have an agenda, and someone who listens to the citizens of the community and relays concerns to the City Council,” Roiger said. “I do not believe in pushing issues that favor special groups.”

Roiger is a Committee Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) coordinator. She sits on the 1st Judicial District Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and The Sibley County Domestic Violence Task Force. Roiger says her work enables her to speak with a wide variety of people. She also serves on the Sibley County Food Shelf board.

Roiger and her husband Dale, Gaylord’s Police Chief, have lived in Gaylord for six years. They have six grown children and eight grandchildren.