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Mayor Kuzma stated, for purposes of clarification, Kennedy Graven is one of his clients. He added <br />he does not have anything to do with attorneys. He noted he checked to make sure there is no <br />conflict of interest. <br /> <br />Please describe the backgrounds of attorney(s) from your firm who will be assigned to Ramsey. <br /> <br />David Anderson stated Kennedy Graven is a 35-attorney firm in downtown Minneapolis, <br />representing public clients, including townships and cities. He added he has been at the firm for <br />about 5 years, and also works for a handful of other cities in Minnesota, as well as a Joint Powers <br />Watershed District in Hennepin County. He noted a big selling point for his firm is that they have <br />so many attorneys specializing in a variety of different areas, and there is always someone in his <br />office who has seen an issue before. This provides clients with an efficient work product, which <br />they will see on their bottom line, because it will not be necessary for him to spend time doing <br />research. <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson stated Joe Sathe is another attorney at Kennedy Graven who will work with him for <br />Ramsey. He added Mr. Sathe also focuses on municipal law and specialized over the past year on <br />Covid-19 related issues like CARES funding. <br /> <br />How will your law firm make Ramsey a priority and meet the terms outlined in the RFP for meeting <br />attendance, response time for council/staff inquiries, document review turn-around, and office <br />hours? <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson stated his goal will be to provide extremely high-level communication and response <br />times. He added the RFP has set up reasonable expectations, and he appreciates having that figured <br />out on the front end. He noted it all comes down to open communication. <br /> <br />If your firm is not located locally, how do you intend to manage drive time and attending meetings <br />in the city? <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson stated his firm is located in Minneapolis, and he will bill his drive time, because <br />when he is travelling to City Council meetings that is time that he is unable to work for other <br />clients. He added he lives in Arden Hills, which is closer to Ramsey, and that will be where he <br />bills his drive time from. He noted other cities have asked about that, and he is willing to discuss <br />it. <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson stated he is available for all City Council meeting nights, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday <br />of the month. He added he will also be available for special meetings and Planning Commission <br />meetings. He noted, if he is not available, another attorney from his firm will be able to attend. <br /> <br />Do you feel it is appropriate for city staff to draft legal documents such as ordinances, purchase <br />agreements, development agreements? If not, why? If so, what is your role to ensure the city’s <br />interests are protected? <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson stated larger cities like Ramsey, with sophisticated staff, can draft initial documents, <br />and that can be a very efficient practice. He added he works with Community Development <br />City Council Special Work Session / August 23, 2021 <br />Page 12 of 22 <br /> <br />