Issues

Leadership

The position of Mayor requires someone with proven leadership and creative thinking skills to address the complex issues our city faces. In addition, the Mayor needs to listen to the citizens and have the administrative skills to follow through with decisive action. Attentive listening is a skill - when city leaders stop listening to the taxpayers, there is a critical breakdown in communication.

The position also requires the political will to do what is right. Too often elected officials want to take the easy "solution" of simply reaching into the taxpayers’ pockets for more money. I understand and respect the fact that citizens are not an endless source of revenue for the government to tap.

In my two years as mayor I have effectively demonstrated these values and skills in leading our city government.

Financial Accountability to the Taxpayers

Keeping informed of changing conditions is a responsibility of our city leaders. I feel that keeping informed is necessary if you want to honor your fiduciary responsibility of keeping the trust of acting in the taxpayers’ best interest. Taxpayers need to know how and where their tax dollars are being spent. If you attend council meetings where budgets are proposed and you leave with more questions than answers, you are not getting full disclosure. If taxpayers do not understand how their tax dollars are spent it is difficult to hold anyone accountable. During my tenure as Mayor New Brighton has had no increase in the property tax levy. We have protected our reserves, reduced our debt, and decreased our operating expenses while maintaining essential city services. The city also now has a fully funded fifteen year Capital Plan.
 

Large Project Planning

Large long-term project planning will always encounter changing conditions and issues that need to be addressed with multiple possible solutions. Knowing how to manage rapid change is an important advantage. Redevelopment can be beneficial for a city, but to move ahead without adequate research and “Due Diligence” as had been done in the past leads to many problems.

Since taking office I have taken a proactive position to mitigate the financial risks of the New Brighton Exchange (formerly known as the "Northwest Quadrant") redevelopment. We have a new $18,000,000 development in progress as well as a new marketing and development team in place. I also led the efforts to keep our community library when the Arden Hills branch was closed. The new Ramsey County Library will open this fall in the New Brighton Community Center. This cooperative project demonstrates how different levels of government can work together to save the taxpayer dollars while providing quality community services.