Meet Councilmember Wayne Groff

Working together in good faith with the residents of Roseville

Councilmember Wayne Groff wants to hear from Roseville residents, whether via email, at community events, during city council meetings, while door knocking, or even by phone.

“I wish people would call me. People don’t call anymore! Maybe I’m just old school, but I love conversations,” Groff said. “I actually do answer my phone.”

Photo of Councilmember Wayne Groff / credit: Jim Dryden

Groff and his partner, Jim Dryden, have lived in the Roseville area for almost forty years. He’s been serving on city council since 2019, before that he served on the Roseville Human Rights Commission for eight years and then the Planning Commission, before being elected to city council. Before moving to Roseville, Groff lived in Falcon Heights and served on the Planning Commission there too.

“I’ve always been interested in government, even when I was a kid on the farm. I was the delegate to the state farmer’s commission. I found policy interesting,” Groff said.

After years of experience volunteering on city commissions, a few state legislators encouraged him to run for city council, including Senator John Marty, former Representative Mindy Greiling, and former Representative Alice Hausman.

“They took me out to coffee and told me they needed my voice locally. So that’s what made me take the leap,” Groff said.

He decided to run because he believes that making a difference starts local.

“This is what affects our daily lives. This is what is really going to be most important. It’s not just what you read about in D.C.—though that’s having more impact than ever before,” Groff said. “Pay attention to local.”

In the present moment, Groff is concerned about how uncertainties and cuts to federal funding could impact Roseville.

“We might think we are insulated. We are not. Even a little city like Roseville is not insulated from federal policy,” Groff said. For instance, the city budget is made up of revenue from property taxes, but also from state and county funding which includes funding that trickles down from the federal government. Groff referenced the SAFER Grant specifically, which the Roseville Fire Department is hoping to apply for. But it’s a federal grant through FEMA that is yet to be made available for applicants this year.

Roseville Fire Department seeks major staffing increase

Outside of his role on city council, Groff is a residential real estate agent for a living. This gives him a perspective on housing needs in the city. He would like to see a better balance of housing types in Roseville.

“If you look at the numbers, we’re overbuilt for senior housing now,” Groff said.

Groff also serves on the board for Northeast Youth and Family Services (NYFS) and has been the chair for the past two years. NYFS is a nonprofit community mental health clinic and community service organization which partners with sixteen cities and four school districts in the northeastern Saint Paul suburbs. Serving on this board provides Groff with the opportunity to interact with lots of neighboring cities and police departments.

He’s also on the board for Visit Roseville, the official destination marketing organization for the City of Roseville, which is supported by a tax on hotels. This connects Groff with the Roseville business community.

A vision for the future of Roseville

Groff has two more years left of his current term, before he’ll need to run again in 2026. So what does he hope for the future?

“I think Roseville is headed in a pretty good direction if we can keep moving that way,” Groff said.

Decision-making can be slow in city council—this used to frustrate Groff. But now he knows that slow progress helps the council make deliberate decisions, rather than hasty mistakes and then needing to backtrack.

“You adjust to the process, once you understand the process. You have to be patient,” Groff said.

From Groff’s perspective—and from what he’s learned from observing other cities in the area—Roseville has some of the best parks in the state, an exceptional police department, and excellent public works that provide reliable upkeep of our public utilities, streets, and walking paths.

“I know some people think that our taxes are too high, but when you look at other similar cities, we’re in the middle. We’re not at the high end. You get a lot for it too when you look at our services,” said Groff.

When he talks with residents who want lower taxes, he encourages them to look at what they’re getting in exchange and he asks what services they should start cutting. Inevitably, people respond, “Don’t cut the parks! Don’t cut the police! Don’t cut the roads!” Groff said.

Groff is particularly encouraged by how the city is approaching diversity, equity, and inclusion. The city has an equity manager, an equity and inclusion commission, and the strategic planning process currently underway includes DEI woven through the plan.

“It’s important to have it because there are certain segments of our population who have not traditionally been able to be represented there. When we have it, it sends a message out to the community—to the Hmong, or Somali, or LGBTQ community for instance—that the city is doing something to make sure they’re heard,” Groff said.

At the Jan. 27 city council meeting, the council debated word choice in a section of the strategic plan’s “success indicators.” Below is the draft language presented for discussion:

“Roseville's public, across all demographics, feels valued for its feedback, input, and influence on city decision making, information sharing, all while having fun in the city's activities and learning opportunities.”

During the meeting there was some discussion about whether the term “demographics” was too formal and if it should just say “all community members” instead. Ultimately, the council agreed to keep the term “demographics” in.

“Demographics is a word that makes you stop and think, rather than just saying community. Demographics means specific groups,” Groff said. “I understand why people want to say, well, let’s treat everyone equally. But that doesn’t make people who are underrepresented feel good. That doesn’t make them feel heard. Certainly doesn’t make them feel like things are going to get better. It means the status quo is what it means.”

Listening and including more voices

Besides the major things the city council is focused on right now—such as building the new public works maintenance facility, increasing staffing for the fire department, and the strategic plan—Groff is hoping more voices and perspectives will join in. Groff wants to hear from more people in Roseville to learn about what they care about, what challenges they’re facing, and what ideas they have for the city. One of the major ways city council hears from residents is through the different city commissions.

“The role of a city commission is to give input from a variety of voices and do research on different topics for city council,” Groff said. “Staff are good at doing research too, but residents know what’s actually happening in their neighborhoods and what people are saying.”

Groff would like to see a wider variety of people of different demographics, skin tones, genders, and areas of expertise on the city commissions.

“Don’t feel like you’re not adequate to do it just because you aren’t an expert on that. What they should be, is curious people. People who like to learn stuff, like to see how process works, and how things become city ordinance,” Groff said. “Please, please, please consider applying if you have any interest at all. That’s important to me as a city council member. There’s no way you can find out everything that’s happening in a city all on your own.”

Groff would love to see more diverse representation on the city council and city commissions, though he recognizes that there are barriers to participation for some folks. Not everyone has spare time to participate.

All of the current city councilmembers have previous commission experience. It can be a good way to learn how city government works before deciding to run, Groff said.

This February there were thirteen vacancies on five city commissions. Twenty-eight people applied to fill the vacancies and all positions have been filled as of March 3.

Working together in good faith

Groff wants residents to know that the city council is working together in good faith for the people of Roseville.

“We aren’t working against the residents and we would like the residents to work in cooperation with us. I think that’s why communication is so important,” Groff said. “After the Roseville Review disappeared, there was a huge vacuum. It was just gone.”

Groff said that in addition to reading informational, local news like the Roseville Reader or other slower-paced, more in-depth reporting that isn’t “sound-bite type news,” people should take advantage of League of Women Voters events for education on different aspects of politics and government. The League hosts educational events online or in-person on topics from the city government to the judicial branch, to particular issues at the county, state, and federal levels. Groff is a member of the League of Women Voters, though he steps off when he’s running for election, he said.

“I would love to see a little bit less assuming the worst of people,” Groff said. Instead, he hopes people will start conversations with city council with the underlying belief that everyone is acting in good faith.

It all comes back to listening for Groff. He’s constantly on the lookout for more opportunities to engage with residents. He door knocks during elections and has many good conversations then, but it’s impossible to reach the entire population of Roseville that way. Public comment during council meetings has its limits too—it’s not intended to be a back and forth conversation with councilmembers.

“There are reasons for that—if you went down that road, you’d lose your schedule,” Groff said. But, he’d like to see more opportunities for real conversations with people outside of city council meetings.

Recently, Groff and Councilmember Matt Bauer were brainstorming ideas for how to offer more opportunities for interacting with residents. What if two city council members and a head of a city department hosted casual conversations at park buildings about various topics, for residents to learn how city government works and to ask questions? It would have to be just two councilmembers at a time, otherwise it would be considered a quorum and would have to follow open meeting laws. The goal would be to help make people comfortable, and to offer opportunities for feedback and conversation in a less formal environment.

“Even if you only have ten people come, they go out to their community and they know people on their block, and the word gets spread,” Groff said.

If you have an idea for how city council could better engage with residents, get in touch with Groff. He’d love to talk with you.

“I don’t have the answer. I just always think we can do a little better. People feel left out,” Groff said. “You have to do lots and lots of things and reach different kinds of people.”

Editorial note: This is part two in a series of profiles of Roseville city councilmembers. In case you missed it, here’s the profile about Mayor Dan Roe. Stay tuned for more in this series in the coming months.