Liebl touts young, fresh perspective

WILLMAR - Zack Liebl chose the color green for his mayoral campaign leading to the Nov. 4 general election because he said green is a great nonpartisan color and represents his intent to bring a new, young and fresh perspective to the Willmar mayor’s office and city governance.
Liebl, 25, got his first taste of politics when he ran unsuccessfully in 2012 as an Independence Party candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 17B. Liebl, an Army National Guard officer and outreach coordinator for the Willmar Community-Owned Grocery, said being an independent was beneficial.
“With some of the issues going on and people seeing a touch more partisan politics at the City Council level, here is the independent,’’ Liebl said. “So that’s been pretty helpful in the long run for me.’’
One key issue that arose from the Vision 2040 effort, Liebl said, was the need for new blood and for the next generation to step up to leadership positions. He said several people in different groups told him he should at least consider running  for mayor.
“I thought about it quite a bit and decided there is quite a bit I can bring to the table that would be new and fresh for Willmar and not really cause a major shakeup, but a shakeup that is needed for our town because we’re really set in our old guard ways right now and it’s time for a change,’’ he said.
“Never change for the sake of change. But don’t be afraid to change,’’ he added.
Liebl said he is involved in the community and has a work history in the public and private nonprofit sectors. Liebl wants to bring a more well-rounded approach “because right now it seems some of our elected officials all across the board have their expertise, which is good. But then they get so set in ‘This is what I know.’ They’re not willing to look as much outside the box as they should.’’
Liebl believes his educational experience at Ridgewater College, his political science degree from St. John’s University, and his nine years of military experience will serve him well as mayor. Liebl said he learned very quickly in the military that the best leadership involves formulating ideas but being willing to listen to comments and suggestions, even if you don’t agree with them.
“They might bring up one scenario you might not have thought about,’’ he said. “Having those all culminating together I believe is a good asset for our city right now.’’
Liebl is focusing on six priority areas.
He said economic development should be No. 1 for any community leader. As a regional center, Liebl said, Willmar needs to continue to work to help develop the community, create a growth-friendly environment, and become better known in the state through outreach and networking.
Liebl supports encouraging and working with the Vision 2040 effort.
“Obviously a hundred percent of the things in there are not going to be perfect for our community,’’ he said. “But it was a community-wide effort with every little group participating on some point. Therefore, we know it is community-driven and we should be embracing that and seeing what ideas we can get accomplished through there.’’
Liebl supports assimilating Ridgewater College students more into the community. He said Willmar has one of the nation’s top community and technical colleges. He said the student population is the community’s future and he wants them to become more involved in the community.
Liebl supports embracing the city’s diverse population and the next generation. Whether some people like it or not, Willmar’s newcomers are not going anywhere, he said. “It’s such a market we should be embracing because they are very good entrepreneurs. They love starting new businesses and are very good at it.’’
Liebl will focus on affordable housing and housing development in general, especially housing for larger families.
Also, he favors a fair and fiscally responsible budget.
“I’ll never tell somebody I am fiscally conservative or fiscally liberal. I strongly believe in being fiscally responsible. We need to track our money. We need to know where it’s going. But we cannot be afraid to invest in our community because if we want to be a  place for somebody to live or come and visit, we have to have at least some amenities with good infrastructure, good education system, things like that.’’
When asked what is right with Willmar, Liebl said Willmar “is an awesome town’’ with a top national college, beautiful industrial park with great potential, a major railroad hub, good infrastructure that needs improvement, MinnWest Technology Campus, some shopping, and lakes and tourism. If the town is not what people want, they should be the ones pushing to change it, he said.
Liebl thinks there is some dysfunction on the council. But he thinks council members are lacking respect and understanding. He said the mayor should meet with individual members and the council as a whole to make sure everyone at least is on the same page and knows what’s going on.
A key job for the mayor, who serves a four-year term, is running the council meetings. Liebl said he learned Roberts Rules of Order at age 14 in 4-H. “We need someone to rein them in when the meeting goes out of order,’’ Liebl said.
The Tribune asked how council members should balance the advice of city staff and still be a voice for citizens. Liebl said city staff are hired for a reason.
“When they come up with a recommendation, it’s always a unified recommendation. You have to be willing to look at the pros and cons of what the overall picture is. The mayor should advocate for the city as a whole. As long as criteria and expectations are set ahead of time, things will go a lot smoother,’’ he said.