Why are you running for office?

For years, family, friends, and co-workers have told me I should either run for School Board or City Council. With our youngest graduating last year, the timing was right to run for City Council. I feel I am strongly rooted to the community having raised three children to adulthood in Red Wing over our 26 years here. In founding Hope and Harbor Homeless Shelter and serving as the Executive Director for 5 1/2 years I was able to form strong personal and professional relationships with community members, local businesses, government entities, and city departments. I will these experiences and relationships I have formed to guide my decisions as the City Council representative for Ward 3.

What experiences have prepared you to serve effectively in this role?

I received a B.S in accounting and finance in 1989. I worked as an internal auditor for a Fortune 500 company out of college. In 1991 an opportunity presented itself where I was able to become a small business owner of a childcare center and also become an independent contractor for the State of MN to operate an on campus childcare center giving me both for-profit and non-profit small business owner/operator experience for 10 years. I was then asked to help bring a new childcare chain to the Twin Cities area and operated a large childcare center while creating, implementing, and overseeing nine childcare center budgets totalling over $10,000,000 in annual sales. Becoming a parent I knew I wanted to work in Red Wing and took on various roles in our community.

In 2019 I was asked to open a rotating homeless shelter. I was the Executive Director of Hope and Harbor Homeless Shelter for 5 1/2 years and brought the idea of a community resource center to Red Wing (The Next Step). During those 5 1/2 years I secured over $900.000 in funding for the operations of the two programs including $250,000 to fund The Next Step for the first two years. While I was operating Hope and Harbor I was also providing adult mental health services to adults in Goodhue County through Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center. Currently I am the Executive Director of the Red Wing Area Seniors/Pier 55.

Through my various roles in the Red Wing community I have formed strong personal/professional relationships within our community. . These relationships will be key in my role as a City Council representative.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

Housing working families can afford. Red Wing needs more entry-level housing options so young families can put down roots here. I'll work to make homeownership realistic for the working families who keep our economy going.

Stronger schools through a growing community. Declining enrollment in Red Wing Public Schools starts with the housing affordability problem.

Letting seniors age in place. Seniors who have spent a lifetime in Red Wing shouldn't be forced out of staying here. I'll control spending so Red Wing is an affordable option for seniors.

How do plan to address your top priorities?

I have been working with agencies that have been successful in communities in MN that have increased workforce homeownership. I am excited to bring those plans to City Council. Red Wing has already done some of the groundwork with the recent housing study and identified possible homeownership areas that include not only new build but in-fill housing. The various agencies I have been in contact with work with both new build and in-fill. They successfully have been adding 15-20 new homes a year. I also have been in contact with someone who specializes in the economic impact of bringing new families to small communities. The findings are very impactful.

Since I became the Executive Director for the Red Wing Area Seniors/Pier 55, I have increased programs that focus on what seniors say they want/need. I have partnered with agencies that provide services for seniors to age in place and not feel they need to move when they cannot do everything for themselves any longer. This helps not only the senior but also the extended family that may live far away.

City Council is not the school board nor can it direct the school board. What City Council can do is ensure Red Wing is a community that welcomes new families to town, provides services and options to families to make them want to establish roots here. As a young family being able to enjoy the parks and walking/biking trails were really important to us. It provided our family no cost/low cost activities to do. Maintaining those amenities is important to me.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the people you hope to represent?

I have been door knocking Ward 3 getting to know the voters and their concerns. Undoubtedly, the greatest concern voiced by almost every door that is answered is increasing property taxes/upcoming infrastructure needs. Red Wing is currently facing two large infrastructure needs with the replacement of the wastewater treatment plant and increased space needed for our law enforcement. Whether the space is achieved by building on to the current county building or building a new law enforcement center, this will cost the taxpayers in some manner. Finding sensible, efficient, and cost-effective solutions will be a top priority.

Red Wing continues to face a housing shortage. This shortage affects not only families that wish to make Red Wing their home, but also employers and our schools. A recent housing study indicated that the increase in housing costs in Red Wing is the highest in the state! When families cannot afford to live here, it affects our overall school enrollment. Red Wing has lost 499 students in since 2018. This has resulted in losing over $7.3 million in school funding. Employers cannot fill current openings and when do employees accept positions, they often leave due to not being able to find adequate housing. This costs our employers in turnover costs. Red Wing needs to establish workforce homeownership which will not only increase the number of us paying property tax, but add money to our school budgets due to the workforce housing occupants having school age children.

Red Wing must find solutions that will allow residents to stay in Red Wing. Increased homeownership will also diversify the taxbase and increase school funding.

Public service requires collaboration. How would you work with individuals who hold different viewpoints?

Several years ago I attended the graduation of my nephew from Notre Dame. During the commencement speech the speaker referenced one of the "requirements" of Notre Dame. A collective groan arose from the students when he did. This requirement was that Notre Dame required their students to come up with 3 ways to solve their problems. The reason was simple; most students at Notre Dame would become industry leaders. They would not be problem solvers, rather, they would be the ones receiving information from managers, etc. on how a problem needed to be solved. Notre Dame was instilling in them the discipline to look at solutions from many different methods. That has stuck with me all these years. I try to incorporate this in my current management style today. I want to listen to several ways to solve an issue before deciding on an action; because, during that process, I am sure to learn from another's point of view.

When I was with Hiawatha Valley Mental Health we underwent DISC personality analysis as a team. It was determined that my style is one where I will ask questions if I do not understand something. Also, if I feel something is unjust/not right I will question it, and advocate when necessary. It also showed it does not matter to me if I am correct, what matters to me is I understand the process or result. Of all the different personality analysis I have been through, that one defines me perfectly.

I enjoy learning from others, having conversations where I can gain insight into experiences others have had that my life experiences have not given me, and identify common ground. If common ground can be established, resolution will follow.

How will you communicate with and remain accessible to your constituents?

As of now, I have door knocked on over 1,100 doors in Ward 3. A common theme I am hearing is community members do not feel "in the loop" of what goes on during City Council meetings. I will offer my constituents an email summary of each of the meetings if they so desire. I also enjoy volunteering in the community which gives constituents access to me at community events, etc. In addition I look forward to receiving communication from community members via the email the city provides for city council members. Also, being the Executive Director of the Red Wing Area Seniors makes me very accessible if someone wants to stop in for a visit.

Community members will have not only an email in which they can contact me but a phone number as well. I will make myself available to conversations that address what community members have to say. I will not always be able to address their concerns in the manner they wish, but I will listen to them, welcome conversation, and communicate my findings with them.

At the end of your term, what accomplishments would define success?

The day I filed for City Council I saw a guest from many seasons of Hope and Harbor standing on the corner by the Elks as I was driving away. I pulled over and they came over and gave me a big hug. They were so excited to tell me the next day they were getting housing! We talked a bit longer and I told them how excited I was for them that after all their years of being homeless they were finally going to be housed. As I was driving away a few minutes later I couldn't help but reflect on the seeds planted by Hope and Harbor. They were able to get housing due to connections made by Hope and Harbor. I then realized the potential that I will have being elected to City Council. I would be able to plant seeds in a new way for my community and watch them grow for years to come.

I have been in contact with several organizations that have successfully added workforce housing to communities, both new build and in-fill housing. Bringing workforce homeownership, adding to Red Wing's workforce and seeing more children enter Red Wing schools would be a wonderful way to measure success during my time on City Council.

Success will also be measured in how the City Council will address the aging wastewater treatment plant and the need for a law enforcement center. Those are two large projects that need to be addressed in the very new future.

Tell voters something about yourself outside of politics.

I have a fear of sharks. Of course, this fear is rational to me but not always so to others.