Contact Phone
6123863208 - Ron, 952-925-1569 - Stephanie Mullaney, Communications
I will spearhead change for Edina. My term of office as Mayor will prioritize transforming our city's governance and charting a new course. We have had the same leadership and the same direction for too long. The city needs a new voice and a new vision.
Edina faces two critical challenges:
1. Unchecked development that compromises our community's character and has strained our city services.
2. Substantial tax increases that burden our residents.
I will bring much-needed change to our city's leadership, address the growing resident concerns about Edina's direction, and amplify the community’s voice in decision-making processes. My administration will prioritize transparency, accountability, and genuine community engagement.
DEVELOPMENT: I'll rigorously evaluate projects to ensure they meet community needs, don't strain infrastructure, and scrutinize developer incentives.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY: I'll examine the city's budget closely, making Edina's finances transparent to foster trust between government and residents.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION: I pledge regular open office hours for direct discussions, empowering and engaging the community in decisions affecting their lives and Edina's future.
Transparency and community engagement will be cornerstones of my administration. I'll ensure residents have full access to major expenditure proposals and budget details. Open dialogue on proposed projects will be a priority.
I aim to broaden engagement beyond the mayor's office. By involving all council members in direct community communication, we'll create a more diverse and representative dialogue. This will ensure residents hear a range of perspectives, not just the mayor's voice.
I promise to foster community engagement through:
1. Regular, published open-office hours for direct meetings.
2. Prompt responses to all voices and concerns.
3. Transparent resident feedback collection and follow-up across channels.
4. Incorporating resident input in decision-making.
I'll clearly outline how resident concerns are considered in major decisions. This ensures citizen voices actively shape Edina's future, and residents are true partners in our city's development.
Public safety is Edina's top priority. While our police force excels in incident response, we need a stronger focus on crime prevention. Despite our high tax base, we lack sufficient visible police presence on our streets.
My approach:
1. Increase officer visibility to deter crime.
2. Allocate budget for more community policing.
3. Enhance collaboration between police and residents.
Having been Mayor for 20 years, I have dealt with a broad range of challenges for our town including the Great Recession, the Pandemic and its public health and economic issues, and public safety issues following the death of George Floyd. For over a decade, I also provide mayoral leadership beyond Edina. I presently serve as Chair of a 19 city organization called MLC, the 34 member Met Council Transportation Advisory Board and the Standing Committee on Transportation for the US Conference of Mayors. I have the endorsement of the 9,000 member Mpls Area Realtors. These experiences on a local, regional and national level have made me a better servant leader, striving, always, to make sure all voices are heard and all matter.
For our near future: (1) keeping public safety at the forefront of our work is job #1. (2) maintaining our strong partnership with Edina Public Schools. EPS is the lifeblood of our community and must continue its excellence for our town to thrive. (3) Effectively and wisely managing redevelopment and change in the community to create an ever more livable, walkable and well-scaled city that builds off the character of each neighborhood, based upon our citizen-created vision for our town.
As to transparency and accountability, the City always strives to deliver exceptional public service. I have been committed to providing the public with as much information as possible to promote trust and accountability in its local government. I will continue that practice if re-elected. As to ethical conduct, we have a Code of Conduct for all elected officials whereby we pledge to follow the law, adopt policies and act in the best interests of the City and its residents, at all times.
Over the past 20 years, we have created unprecedented opportunity for citizen participation in local government decision making. We continue to work on strategies to make sure all interested voices have an opportunity to be heard and considered. In the near past, hundreds of our residents have helped vision our town’s future in various ways. That is democracy at its best. If re-elected, I will continue to support strategies that enhance greater citizen engagement in decision making processes.
Without feeling safe and secure, people cannot be productive in their own lives. Public safety is therefore Job #1 for local elected officials. To that end, the City has added additional public safety personnel and employed new, enhanced technologies to assist with public safety challenges. In Southdale Mall, we now have a police substation that helps reduce retail crime. All these strategies help reduce and prevent crime and have had a distinctly positive impact on crime reduction in Edina.
