Ward 4 Councilmember Jason Mattick is seeking a second four-year term and first-time candidate Jenn Melby-Kelley is hoping to unseat him. Melby-Kelley, the owner of Old Town's Coffee Hag, said her run has nothing to do with Mattick's performance.
"I know he's a really great guy," she said of Mattick. "I just saw this as an opportunity to kind of step in and help the city grow. ... So far, I think he's done a fine job."
Mattick, after four years on the council, has a detailed and comprehensive set of positions and pledges to offer voters as he asks for the opportunity to continue doing the job.
Mattick's campaign website, along with personal background, offers an eight-point pledge for how he will perform his duties. He provides opinions and positions on nine issues ranging from infrastructure maintenance to social justice to urban sprawl.
"My overarching theme is holistic sustainability," said Mattick, a web copywriter for North Mankato'sFUN.com who lives in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
That means ensuring city parks and roads are being cared for in way that will make them last. It means that city spending and taxes are set at levels that can be maintained over the long term. It means setting aside dollars to cover repairs and maintenance to city buildings and asking questions about on-going costs when considering new buildings or programs. And it means skepticism about outward growth of the city, particularly sprawling suburban-style subdivisions on the edge of town.
The bottom line is a city and a city budget that has "resiliency," Mattick said.
"It's resilient against recession, it's resilient against climate change, and it's just prepared for the future," he said.
Mattick said his attitudes about sustainability started with land-use policy — that after researching the issue he concluded that urban sprawl doesn't produce enough new taxes to cover the cost of additional city services and that policy should favor existing higher-density neighborhoods. Some new single-family subdivisions are needed, but they should also include multi-family housing as well, he said.
After listening during his first term to long-range fiscal concerns expressed by Mayor Eric Anderson, a financial planner, Mattick said his thoughts about sustainability now relate to the budget, too.
"That's really expanded out to the financial pitfalls it's easy to fall into," Mattick said. "I definitely follow the mayor's lead on that. A lot of the depreciation models that have been put in place — we're moving in the right direction as a city."
Environmental sustainability, government transparency and promoting social justice are other tenets of his campaign. Mattick is a Mankato native and a graduate of East High School and Minnesota State University.
Melby-Kelley's campaign Facebook page reflects a less issue-based campaign, instead laying out her extensive biography as an entrepreneur, community leader and a champion of diversity. She said those experiences, along with a commitment to constituent outreach, would serve as the foundation that would make her a good city leader.
"I'm a wife, I'm a homeowner, I've been a renter and a landlord, I'm a supporter of the arts in the community, a local musician and a small business owner," said Melby-Kelley, who lives on East Pleasant Street. "Inclusivity is a really big word for me. And also availability."
That inclusive ethic has been evident at the Coffee Hag, an Old Town institution that has long been a welcoming place for LGBT coffee drinkers as well as a gathering spot for local artists and musicians. Earlier this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration named Melby-Kelley and the Coffee Hag as Minnesota's Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year, calling her "a strong advocate for women and minority businesses" who "leads by example, participating in women’s entrepreneurship panels and leadership programs, speaking engagements and mentoring."
She's also won the Martin Luther King, Jr. Pathfinder Business Award in recognition of her work on behalf of human rights, equal treatment and nonviolence.
In terms of availability, Melby-Kelley plans — if elected — to hold regular sit-downs with people in Ward 4, which stretches from the Lincoln Park neighborhood to Washington Park and from Highland Park to the hospital.
"I think it's important for city leaders to keep a close connection to the community that they represent ... both effective explaining and effective listening," she said.
As a business owner, she's learned that the owner's job is to be at the helm while recognizing that the staff and the customers propel the ship forward. Mankato's municipal leaders have recognized something similar — that it's crucial to harness the energy of the residents and businesses, according to Melby-Kelley.
"I'm so proud of what Mankato has done, especially the last 10 or 15 years," she said. "I want to be a part of that."
Melby-Kelley said she has no concerns with the way Mankato city government is currently operating, applauding the creation of Riverfront Park, the revitalization of downtown and the Old Town Master Plan planning process. City administration and leaders have largely struck a good balance of keeping taxes reasonable and making needed investments, she said."
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