This is the final installment in a series of articles that will hopefully help area residents make informed decisions on primary election day, which is Aug. 10. Two city races — mayor and City Council Ward 3 — currently have more than two competitors, meaning they will be part of the primary process, which will whittle the respective lists down to two. The Herald is printing responses to questionnaires sent out to the three Third Ward challengers and the four mayoral candidates. Feedback and discussion are encouraged, as both are vital to a healthy democratic process.

Zeke Dahl, mayoral candidate

Q. Facing budget problems, the State has decreased LGA in recent years. How should the City deal with reduced LGA funding and should it reduce its reliance on LGA? If so, to what degree?

A. Any tax money in Austin needs to stay in Austin. Too much goes to the state and we don’t get enough back. I would look into changing the law if that did not work. I would look into filing a lawsuit.

Q. If the City needed to make emergency budget cuts while you were Mayor, what specific cuts would you make?

A. I would have to look at what we were spending and see if we could do cuts, maybe going to a 10 hour work week or contracting some stuff out if it was cheaper.

Q. The City has a new fire chief and soon a new police chief. How should the Council and Mayor collaborate with these new department heads to make sure their departments operate effectively?

A. Well I don’t like to Sunday quarterback They have their sop and state laws they have to follow. I went on a ride along with the police and I was very impressed. They all had heart and they loved their job and cared about the city.

Q. Immigration, both legal and illegal, is an issue in Austin. What policies, if any, would you change? And what, if anything, would you do to address workers being employed with fraudulent identification?

A. That’s the big one. First is getting more federal dollars to Austin to fight immigration, getting ice more actively involved, having municipal code change where employers with over 100 employees would be required to finger print thorough the FBI like we do in California, because the current check the federal government does is not enough. Last, we should file lawsuits against these companies that hire illegal immigrants and we could do that for money or changes in their policies.

Q. A large vacant lot remains downtown following the 2009 fire. What, if anything, should the City do to facilitate redevelopment of this property?

A. Getting any new business here thorough tax breaks loans and being business friendly, and that means selling Austin, going to them if necessary.

Q. What role should the City be playing in developing retail spaces such as the former K-Mart and Cashwise sites, as well as other sites along 18th Avenue NW?

A. Same way I answered 5

Q. Why do you want to be mayor?

A. I want to bring America back. I want people to feel like they did after 9-11 when everybody was working together and our country was united. We have to preserve our way of life and the American way California has gone. But it’s not too late for Minnesota. There’s a lot of things the government does I don’t agree with. To change the system, you have to be in the system and as mayor I would be able to do that. You see that across America with Arizona and Nebraska. We respect other people’s rights and culture but they have to respect ours and our traditions to it’s a way to start I love my country and Austin and there are a lot of people here who feel the same way.

Q. What skills do you have that you think are unique and make you stand out as a candidate?

A. I’m not afraid to get things done and ask the hard questions and do things differently and represent the people who put me in office. If I ran my business like the government, I would be out of business.

Q. What other issue or issues are important to you as a candidate, and what policies do you favor in these areas?

A. First, it is illegal immigration. They’re taking jobs that belong to us citizens and legal immigrants who came here the right way. Any job I can bring to Austin, 30 or 1000 would mean more people working and any illegal that gets deported would open up another job. Taxes keep them in town and may be breaking away from the LGA funding.