Local government needs to earn the trust of all community members by helping to navigate uncertainty and lead everyone forward. As mayor, I help to guide New Brighton through these complex times, creating together a welcoming, thriving community, including business and employment opportunities, affordable housing options for all stages of life, and energetic, safe streets. 

​New Brighton needs:

​

• Operational Innovation

  • Develop new revenue models for growth: Meet the needs of residents and business owners with services, moving from the pandemic to ongoing services

  • Reimagine government: Envision new models, craft new best practices, and innovate for a city of the future; New Brighton benefits today because leaders did that in the past

  • Explore new methods of engagement: Advance new ways to inclusively work together including more virtual meetings, community outreach, and new communication means to share broadly

  • Listen to multiple generations: Ask critical questions to understand fully the community, and assess new paths forward by hearing input so government works with people

• Economic & Community Development Alignment

  • Balance business and resident needs: Involve all community members in solutions so there is a thriving city with economic vision, supports, and amenities

  • Invest in excellent city employees: Provide the tools, training and professional development to New Brighton’s staff to recruit, retain, and empower them to succeed

  • Honor housing promises: From making safety commitments to valuing all types of housing, the city must champion everyone’s rights and all stages of life housing, and stop affordable housing from falling into disrepair

  • Lead in sustainability: Initiatives, including clean energy, deliver cost savings and other community benefits if agreements are created to provide value back to the city

• Serving Community with Equity 

  • Engage more residents and businesses: To create an equitable system, everyone's voice must be heard and services must be accessible; residents are grateful for the formal commissions’ volunteers and there are thousands more who could contribute in new ways

  • Serve and welcome more of the community: The broader community will help neighbors and better meet existing needs, including the city’s youth, if residents know what is needed

  • Prioritize clearly inclusion and equity: Through the new Equity Commission, ensure that the city's Equity Strategic Action Plan is visible across all of New Brighton

  • Provide clear, coordinated leadership: Throughout the pandemic, the city's Covid-19 Dashboard transparently provided data so the city and community members could best adapt to the latest developments in public health and support businesses and residents, especially the most vulnerable ​and elderly

​​

• Transparency & Accountability

  • Drive results transparently: Community members should provide input into goals and services, and city staff and elected officials should share progress updates on results

  • Develop accountability through a simple scorecard: Measuring and communicating key performance indicators celebrates successes, improves outcomes, and brings integrity to the system; if it is not being measured, it won’t get done. We have made progress, but we have more work to do in our tracking systems

  • Deliver excellence in water quality: Water quality is a critical service that demands attentiveness and continual improvement; water quantity and conservation efforts must be integrated

  • Be honest on past challenges: Open conversations about how New Brighton can and should do better is essential; wisdom and justice come from learning and truth