Community Concerns

These are the top community concerns that Benjamin Zastrow has been hearing in recent years.

Construction workers demolishing a house with an excavator.

Housing Costs & Building Safety

As Rochester grows, housing and home ownership remain a stretch, or even entirely out of reach, for many in the community. Some residents feel they may never catch up as realistic housing costs and the American Dream continue to fall short of reality.

Cracked glass window beside a social distancing sign inside a building.

Struggling Small Businesses

While the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, the effects of shutting down many parts of our community, combined with rapid urban development and construction, have left many local businesses still struggling to stay afloat.

Multiple road and sidewalk closed signs block a street under cloudy skies.

Communication Breakdowns

Many people feel the City of Rochester has failed to communicate clearly with citizens. Often, residents feel left out of meaningful dialogue and struggle to understand how to engage with officials so they feel heard.

Priority Solutions

These are Benjamin Zastrow's primary policy solutions, addressing the concerns he's been hearing most.

Construction workers use a lift to work on a building's exterior.

Development Enforcement

As our neighborhoods change, affordable single-family housing stock and historic properties have been left to deteriorate and crumble by some investors, who may later seek substantial access to public funds to remedy the problems caused by their own neglect. Benjamin Zastrow will push for proactive enforcement of our building regulations and permit requirements for non-homesteaded properties, while also working to have the City identify problematic practices and habitual offenders.

Neon "Open" sign with a flower design in a shop window.

Small Business Support

Just as we are not afraid to think boldly in other areas, we need to be bold about how to support our small businesses, not just in Downtown, but across the entire city. Benjamin Zastrow will call for new programs and initiatives to help attract and retain small businesses that bolster our local economy and preserve the charm and character of our neighborhoods.

Sign for Goose Egg Park with trees and playground in the background.

Increase Citizen Contact

According to publicly available schedules confirmed by the Mayor's office, 197.5 of 898 business days in a period from 2022-2025 have been scheduled outside Rochester. This excludes vacation days and regular weekends. Benjamin Zastrow will drastically cut out-of-town travel from the current 22% of working days, while also increasing opportunities for direct public contact.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at electbenjaminzastrow@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

What are your thoughts on the sports complex?

Since the beginning, Benjamin Zastrow has called it "a Big. Bold. Boondoggle." The situation has been a messy failure to deliver what was promised to taxpayers, and citizens have every right to be upset. While increasing local amenities and offerings is a worthy endeavor, the plans for this complex have failed to deliver substance to the local community and eroded trust in our local government.

Are you pro-development or pro-preservation?

Both! Benjamin believes we can and must boldly walk into the future, but we need to balance that with respect for our rich heritage as a community. This requires intentionality, care, and active listening as we identify and preserve our landmark properties while enabling sustainable and responsible development in our community.

What are your thoughts on our streets and transportation systems?

While we need to be forward-thinking in our approaches, page 52 in Rochester's P2S comprehensive plan lists a $23 million annual deficit in our street maintenance, and we cannot allow that to continue. We must enhance and expand access to multi-modal transportation, while at the same time, pragmatically managing projects and expenditures to ensure proper maintenance so future generations are not left with crumbling roads and bridges. This means we must think beyond transportation grant cycles alone and strategically plan our budgets to account for long-term maintenance.

Do you support Rochester's consideration of branch libraries?

Yes. Benjamin Zastrow supports the exploration of branch libraries, provided they can be shown to deliver needed value to the community while minimizing added costs to taxpayers.

What political party do you represent?

Our municipal elections are non-partisan, and Benjamin Zastrow does not claim to represent any political party. Political parties may still choose to voice their preferences or support for municipal candidates. Benjamin spoke with a major state party in the past and, more recently, with a registered minor state party, though no endorsements or support have been given.