Brian Raney (Dakota County Soil and Water Supervisor District 3, Minnesota, candidate 2024)

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Brian Raney

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Dakota County Soil and Water Supervisor District 3

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Minnesota, 1982

Personal

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Brian Raney ran for election to the Dakota County Soil and Water Supervisor District 3 in Minnesota. Raney was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Raney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian Raney provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 13, 2024:

• Bachelor's: University of Minnesota, 1982
• Profession: Retired
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Dakota County Soil and Water Supervisor District 3

Sigrid Lindholm and Brian Raney ran in the general election for Dakota County Soil and Water Supervisor District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Sigrid Lindholm (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Brian Raney (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Raney in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian Raney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Raney's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am honored to have been appointed to the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District Board this April. In these past few months, I’ve gained many insights and experiences of the great work that the Dakota County SWCD does, which has only increased my passion to achieve even more in this role.

I retired in 2018 from a large international consulting firm, where I worked as a systems architect. Since then I have volunteered for various environmental entities and other groups, including the Minnesota Historical Society. To enhance my environmental focused volunteering impact and knowledge, I have attained certification as a Minnesota Master Naturalist, as well as Aquatic Invasive Species Detector. I am currently working on my Minnesota Water Steward certification. As far as relevant experience, I am involved in a number of organizations and programs including Dakota County's Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP), the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) where I am the current president of the Wapashaw Chapter. Brian participates in IWLA’s Salt Watch, IWLA’s Nitrate Watch, and IWLA’s Save Our Streams. Brian is a certified Izaak Walton League Save Our Streams Monitor.

I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, which serves me well in this position.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The main issues are water and soil run-off, ground and surface water quality, and climate change resilience.

  These are tightly intertwined: stream, river, lake, wetland, groundwater, and soil runoff – it’s all connected. Climate change, urbanization, and residential and farm practices can greatly impact run-off. The Dakota County SWCD has numerous programs and expert resources to curb the impact of these.

  Runoff carries nutrients, pesticides, salt, as well as soil and debris that can damage our waters and waters downstream. Soil runoff from our area is known to be silting in Lake Pepin, as well as nutrients from runoff is a factor in the Gulf of Mexico’s growing “Dead Zone.”
• Runoff also means water isn’t sinking in to replenish our groundwater. 90% of our county’s drinking water comes from groundwater sources. Protecting and replenishing it is essential – once polluted, groundwater is very tough, maybe impossible, to clean-up. Therefore, keeping fertilizers and pesticides out of the groundwater is paramount. The SWCD of Minnesota have a number programs to prevent runoff such as rain gardens, rain barrels, lawns-to-legumes, cover crops, no-till farming, and more. Much of this is done by cost sharing project expenses with the land owners. Projects and practices that might have been cost prohibitive as an individual payor becomes doable. The SWCD also provides expertise in planning and executing these projects.
• Citizens can make a difference, either through projects or contacting their legislators.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The protection and improvement of our natural resources. Some of this comes from legislation, which Minnesota SWCD's can influence, as can you or I via communication with our legislators, friends, family, and neighbors. A lot it comes from citizen advocacy and projects, both rural and urban/suburban, I'm involved in a number of conservation groups and have spent a lot of time either participating in hands on work or behind a table at public events getting the word out about what ordinary citizens can do to protect our natural resources.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Rachel Carson's, "Silent Spring," and more recently, Annie Proulx's, Fen, Bog and Swamp
A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis."

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, availability, and the execution of duties with the best interest of all constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Having a strong understanding of the role, programs, and sphere of responsibilities of the Dakota County SWCD. Then using this knowledge to set policy, budgeting, and project approval in accordance.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Delivering, " The Bargain Bulletin," door-to-door and Appleton, Wisconsin.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

An elected official must always be transparent in their actions, including financial. Government Accountability, should be viewed and acted upon as given.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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