Our farm was impacted by development projects. Most of you got involved when our right of way to the farm was negatively impacted . Your input resulted in allowing us to be part of the solution. I was fortunate that my strawberry family rallied for us. I heard about many of your experiences and the need to be heard by the city government. I listened and believe there's a better way. I want to put my experience, talent and skillset to work for you.
1. People - We the people make St. Michael what it is, it is why people and businesses are moving here. It is a great place to live and raise a family.
- Citizens of St. Michael should feel they are heard by their city representative. If a citizen is impacted by a change, a process should be in place that gets them to the table sooner than later and allow them to be part of the solution.
- We need to ensure there is transparency in all our decisions.
- I want to be a bridge between the city government and the people.
- I will listen to you and respond to you.
2. Development - St Michael needs a deliberate plan which would allow targeted businesses based upon the needs of our community.
- We need to lessen the Tax Burden on the Residents - Are we attracting businesses which enables us to spend our money locally and increase city revenues?
- St. Michael needs to change from a drive-through city to a place where people stop to spend money locally and increase our city revenues.
Growth is good, however:
- Has a feasibility study has been performed which would show impacts on infrastructure and resources? How often do we review our assumptions? Do they still hold true today?
- How often do we check in with the citizens, check the pulse of the people? Townhalls or meet-and-greet events?
- Do we have the plans in place to support the growth required for our infrastructure (schools, roads, law enforcement, fire department, water, sewage)?
- What metrics do we have in place to ensure that our infrastructure is well funded and/or maintained? What are our tax ratios (homesteads vs businesses) in relation to other similar sized communities?
- What investment are we doing to ensure that St. Michael remains a safe community and low in crime?
- What are we doing to ensure that our environment remains safe for our children?
- What/How can we do better? Does not mean spending more money?
- Are we mindful of the taxpayers money - how do we decide on projects - what transparency is in place for people to see how we plan to spend their money?
3. Greenspace/Zoning - As farm land is rezoned and developed, we need to incorporate more green spaces into our community.
These questions applies to our:
- Infrastructure - Schools, roads, law enforcement, fire department, water, sewage
- Public Safety
- Environmental (Air, Water and Land) Safety
- Our responsibility to the Taxpayers money.
We just don't want to only maintain them but we have to ensure each sector is well funded to handle the growth. I have the experience to bring people together to tackle difficult questions and produce results.
- A diversity of ideas is required as we grow St. Michael. I am asking for your vote on November 8th as I believe we can do better and be better as we grow. Thank you for visiting our website.
