A Conversation with Phil Leith

Maple Grove councilman Phil Leith has been a resident for 30 years and this is his 11th year on the city council. He’s married with two adult sons and is a member and Jamaica missions team leader at Lord of Life Lutheran church as well as a member of the Maple Grove Lions Club. After graduating from UW Madison with a degree in chemistry, he worked for manufacturers and distributors in the chemical industry before starting his own business. “I also have an MBA in marketing from St. Thomas, which helps with the business end of things,” Leith says.

Rule no. 1 for being a city council member
Show up for the meetings prepared. If you need to go look at the property before, or clarify something with city staff, do so, but do your homework.

I never leave the house without
My cell phone.

I wish residents understood
That they should feel free to contact us or city staff with questions and concerns. Every email is returned; our staff is great at explaining things or getting residents the information they need.

Skills from my career
Being in sales and marketing is a big help to being a councilmember as I have a lot of experience talking to people, working out issues to the satisfaction of both parties and selling the city to businesses interested in coming to Maple Grove.

One exciting aspect of Maple Grove’s future is
Watching the gravel mining area, by Lowe’s and Costco, develop. Maple Grove already has a lot of retail, so the focus will be on attracting businesses to build new office buildings and corporate campuses in Maple Grove.