The Issues

Quality of Life

All-encompassing, yes, but people choose to live, move here and stay here because we have an outstanding quality of life. Quality amenities play a significant role in that metric. We have to balance that
with the tax burden on property owners and shoppers (sales tax) but we have managed to add community assets like Riverfront Park, the new Verizon Center expansion and created partnerships to foster private efforts like the Children's Museum, public art, and local recreation. Parks are paramount to quality of life, and the next council cycles will be tackling long term strategies for park funding and making sure that all residents have park and green space access within their neighborhood. These efforts are important in the day-to-day life of residents, but are also vitally important in attracting and retaining the skilled workforce that Mankato needs to prosper.

Infrastructure

Roads, roads, roads. The road rating for Mankato as a whole has increased during my time on the council, yet established parts of town still have roads that are deficient and in dire need of repair. I have consistently advocated for repairing our worst roads when city staff tries to push projects out year after year to accommodate new construction. We have to prioritize maintaining the established road system.

City Services

Street repairs. Snow plowing. Parks maintenance. Police. Fire Response. Water and wastewater treatment. These are the basic services that residents rely on from the city, and we have to build resiliency into our financial strategies so that we don't find these services on the chopping block in an economic downturn. 

Tax Burden

When compared to similar outstate Minnesota cities, Mankato has a low property tax extension rate. Critically important to homeowners, but nonetheless important to renters too as cost of living is soaring, affordable housing is all but disappearing, and values are rising on existing multifamily units leading to increasing rents. We have to balance the increasing demand for city services, decreasing support from the state in Local Goverment Aid, and most importantly, not grow faster than our tax base allows.

Environmental Sustainability

The prospects of climate change, water crises, and worldwide population strain create an dire forecast for the future. Mankato is already a leader in environmental initiatives, and we need to continue to work to create holistic sustainability for city operations and residents. Mankato is a leader in the state's greenstep program, and our residents lifestyles are far above the national average for carbon footprint due to our size and low commute times (Mankato Greenhouse Gas Invetory). We can continue our environmental stewardship by remaining committed our city's sustainable practices, implementing new ones when it is cost effective, and by being always conscious that our land use and development patterns influence our residents' environmental impacts. We can continue these practices to work towards true sustainability without needing to pass onerous restrictions on residents and businesses.

Established Neighborhoods

Established neighborhoods are the lifeblood of our city. We have to continually invest and allocate resources to keep these older, denser neighborhoods safe, attractive, and livable. City code needs to reflect the challenges of compact neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, and we can't create policy solely based on the subdivision style neighborhoods circling the city. I have consistently represented the interests of Ward 4 neighborhoods on the council, and have advocated for stronger rental sanctions, smart codes and ordinances, and using common sense approaches to build strong and diverse neighborhoods in our community.

Transparency

Transparency in local government isn't just an ideal, it's state law. But when information and data is buried in layers so deep and complex that it is difficult for residents to find, let alone understand, it is essentially flouting the concept of open government. We need true transparency, portals that allow residents easy access to understand where their tax dollars are going, and city communication across channels that make outward messaging available and easy to access.

Social Justice

Has not made headlines in Mankato yet, but I have had the opportunity to work with Mankato Public Safety leadership as they work to understand and implement strategies in response to racial issues in Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter movement. I strongly support non-violent protest, and social inclusion and equality for all people no matter their sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. I am continually working to educate myself on these very important matters. 

Recreational facilities

Much talk has been made about the city getting into the business of operating a sports facility, and the sales tax extension is now headed to Mankato voters. If the sales tax is approved, it is going to take the right people on the council to weigh the needs of all residents and seek out the right partnerships to avoid putting the city in a perilous position with a brand new facility. The key to the process will be public and private partnership. On the public side we will need to have balanced leadership to make smart, strategic investment in city amenities.

Sprawl

Last, but not least. The city is poised in the next few years to approve the largest single family zoned area (presumably in our city's history) to the east of Prairie Winds School. Single family housing is purportedly in high demand, but construction costs of new SF housing drives purchase prices well beyond what a median family can afford. And when the city takes over the added miles of roads, sewer, and associated infrastructure, all residents are going to be on the hook for it's costs over the remainder of it's existence. Is this the best value for our city? We need to have a blend of densities to maximize tax return on these high stakes investments.