I lead with a collaborative spirit - a “can-do” attitude and I don’t shy away from conflict, I welcome it. Working through differences of opinion and competing interests is a critical component of any human organization, if it’s to stay relevant. In my approach to conflict, I prioritize a respectful atmosphere, listen to identify common interests and establish the consensus needed to get a job done well.
Over the past several months, I’ve prepared myself for this campaign by meeting with over 50 area leaders to gain a greater understanding of the issues currently facing our community and the potential role the city could play in addressing them. I’ve met with elected and government officials, law enforcement leaders, and leaders in business, healthcare, transportation, education, tourism and faith communities among others.
As a therapist who works in the field of mental health with children and families, many of the ideas discussed (public safety, domestic violence, homelessness, guns, etc) are interrelated and impact the mental health of children and families. The lack of fundamentals such as housing, transportation, educational and economic opportunity are often the things that drive families into greater stress and even crisis. My initial focus, if elected mayor, will be on these basics.
I organized for four years in the St. Cloud region and advocated on numerous issues, most notably the extension of Northstar to St. Cloud from 2015 to 2016. When things didn’t move in our legislature, I ran for House seat 13A in 2016. I served on the St. Joseph City Council for two years before moving to St. Cloud. I’ve also served on the Stearns County Human Services Advisory Council, the Metrobus Advisory Board as well as the St. Joseph Park Board. For the past three years, I’ve been a columnist with the St. Cloud Times.
If you’ve met me, you know, I’m all about relationships - on every level, in every way. I notice things. It wasn’t lost on me that in 2023, after what many have been calling a “historic session” at our state capitol, St. Cloud, the state’s third-largest metro area, received nothing that would make a sizable impact, now or into the future. I believe we can do better. If here in St. Cloud, we expect the state legislature to take us seriously at all, now is the time to get serious about what we want. I want a new, a better St. Cloud.
St. Cloud is located in the heart of our state. It’s the third-largest metro area, and the economic health of our region is critical to the overall health of Minnesota. We are a natural hub for rural Minnesotans and the I-94 corridor to the Twin Cities is the most traveled and fastest-growing corridor in the state. St. Cloud needs a leader with a vision to capture this growth, not by default, but by design. I want to be this leader.
My vision includes creating a vibrant urban economy in our city’s core. I believe this vibrancy will naturally lead to greater regional economic interest and development, strengthening our region’s ability to leverage state and federal dollars for further investment. My vision also includes a regional multimodal transportation system that would support and encourage these investments, create greater access for all, expand educational and employment opportunities for area residents, and draw increasing numbers of young people and professionals to the area. Our city, like many others across the state and country, has a variety of housing needs that are currently unmet. If elected mayor, I envision housing that seeks to address the current shortages and would actively pursue housing options needed to address future growth. To ensure all area residents can participate fully in my vision, I will work to reinstate a local human rights office to address issues of discrimination in any workplace or public institution.
My Vision
About Me
I was born and raised in Minnesota, and although I spent the better part of ten years living abroad and in other states upon graduating from high school, I never once considered anywhere else in the world my home. I was fortunate to return to this state in 2006, first settling in Sauk Rapids, then in St. Joseph where I began to raise my family. For nearly the past two decades I’ve lived in the St. Cloud area. Now I live in St. Cloud and have four children in the St. Cloud Area School District. This is their home.
A lot has changed in our state over the years. Upon my oldest starting kindergarten I was shocked to learn her school had a free and reduced lunch rate of 30%, and that this was the best number in the district, a handful of others were over 50%. I then learned that 1 in 10 children in the state were growing up in poverty. Nothing about this felt right, so I got involved.
