Where I stand on important topics affecting the City of Lakeville, and our residents and my goals as Council Member at it applies to these topics. 

Open communication is important to me, so please feel free to e-mail me with questions or concerns.

Taxes and Government Services

• Ensure that Lakeville remains in the bottom third for City property taxes in Dakota County
• Continue to maintain and communicate the core level of services expected by Lakeville residents
• Work towards attracting business development to increase commercial/industrial tax base
• Continue to develop collaborative partnerships with private interests and other governments on key projects
• Identify and evaluate alternatives to the property tax for paying for services

Transportation

• Streets and Highways - agree that transportation will present one of the most pressing issues confronted by the City, County and state as the area continues to grow
• Reduce reliance on City property taxes for regional/county road improvements
• Continue needed improvements to local, county and regional transportation network
• Continue to support studies on the impending east/west arterial transportation needs. I will look at all potential funding resources, especially collaborative efforts within our County and state resources as well as with other neighboring municipalities.
• Continue to work towards the implementation of a process to develop East-West Corridors

Downtown Redevelopment

• Work to continue to attract private investment to fund downtown redevelopment.
• Enhance public amenities in downtown Lakeville including the completion of the Market Plaza project
• Continue to support the businesses downtown with patronage.

Parks, Open space and recreation

• This is viewed as a high profile amenity for connecting communities and citizens, both today and in the future. I believe that we need to provide an appropriate balance between active, passive and cultural recreation areas and activities, tailored to the needs of the total population throughout the community.
• Encourage timely reclamation of gravel mining.
• Support the minimization use of wetlands as sedimentation basins.
• Encourage preservation and protection of existing environmental features and water quality.
• Provide parks and open space for a fully developed city prior to the loss of available and desired land to develop.

Public Safety

• Continue to support our core public safety plans
• Support prioritization of police officer time on core law enforcement functions
• Encourage active Community Policing and community relations.

Community Planning

• Continue to support a strong Growth Management philosophy.meaning controlled growth in the right place at the right time with the right funding resources and infrastructure.
• Support a housing mix that reflects Lakeville's expected population changes and job growth
• Encourage the promotion of infill development within the existing Municipal Urban Service Area.
• Encourage controlled development of commercial areas with good long-term planning.
• Residential - Focus on a wide range of residential housing types, densities, styles and values including life-cycle housing options. I will also encourage planning for maintenance and protection of aging residential units.
• Commercial/Retail Service - Promote and maintain balanced commercial activity that is viable and responsive to the needs of the community and surrounding market area. Work to create a cohesive and unified identity for Lakeville Commercial areas. Work to preserve and maintain the Central Business District as a historic commercial center.  Strive to redevelop commercial sites that display building deterioration, obsolete site design, land use compatibility issues and under-utilization of the site.
• Institutional Uses - support identifying future building sites as far in advance as possible and addressing long-term potential reuse of buildings during the planning process.
• Support a Community Visioning plan to ensure that the councils decision making is consistent with our residents and businesses priorities.

Economic Development

• Will plan and prepare for office park development in Lakeville.
• Encourage commercial and industrial growth
• Improve the awareness and support of Lakeville residents of the importance of the Commercial/Industrial to the tax base and quality of life.
• Encourage greater citizen input into community and economic development decisions
   

Technology and Telecommunications

• Support making telecommunication technology resources available to Lakeville businesses and the ability of those resources to meet the current and future needs of the business community.
• Support finding new and emerging technologies that could better support existing businesses and encourage new business developments in Lakeville.
• Support the belief that the City needs to maintain and increase its use of technological resources, both internally and as a means of communicating information to our citizens.

Intergovernmental Relations

• Encourage greater citizen input into community and economic development decisions
• Support the need to improve communication and coordination with neighboring and affected units of government, administratively, fiscally and through provision of joint services, where necessary.

Public Information/Participation

• Continue to work diligently to improve the means and methods of providing citizens with up-to-date information on City plans, programs and actions, including utilization of technological resources and traditional means.