Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Newport City Mayor

The mayor is usually the head of the city and may represent the city in front of other government bodies. They also can preside at council meetings and appoint city workers. A mayor usually has a role in proposing a city budget which influences services provided to residents and can veto ordinances proposed by the city council.Voting in local elections is important - learn more here: Why Vote for MayorA candidate forum for this race is available at https://youtu.be/wKldh029Hqw. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Laurie Elliott
    (NP)

Biographical Information

Why are you the best candidate for this position? (750 characters)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (500 characters)

If elected, what strategies will you use to ensure transparency, accountability and ethical conduct in city government under your leadership? (500 characters)

How will you engage with residents to solicit feedback, involve them in decision-making processes, and ensure their voices are heard? (500 characters)

How will you approach public safety and community policing to ensure the well-being of all residents? (500 characters)

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I’ve served as Newport’s Mayor for the past four years and prior to this role, was on the City Council, Planning Commission and two League of Minnesota Cities policy committees. With over 25 years of experience working in Minnesota cities, I bring an excellent understanding of local government operations and valuable insights on city services and challenges. I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration. Newport has been my home for over 30 years. During my first term we addressed many long-term issues including building a new city hall/public safety building, inflow & infiltration (leaky sewer pipes), PFAS contamination, updating/adding park amenities, and secured millions of dollars from outside sources for projects.
In addition to building on our many accomplishments these past four years, my priorities would be: 1) Fiscal responsibility – reasonable tax rate, maximize value for tax dollars, maintain/improve current bond rating 2) Health and safety of residents – clean drinking water, seeking outside funding assistance for leaking sewer pipes, code enforcement 3) Economic development – retain and attract businesses, increase tax base, increase support to existing businesses
We’ll continue our strong communication efforts which include Council/workshop meetings open to the public, the public comment period at Council meetings, detailed financial reports and citizen committee minutes included in our packets. Social media, newsletters, mailings and other methods are also used to reach residents. Ethical conduct starts with elected officials and staff who prioritize public service and City Council’s that hold staff accountable to assure effective use of tax dollars.
We use many tools for community engagement starting with soliciting public input at events, on our website, through mailings, and in-person phone calls. Citizen committees make recommendations and advise us on policies and decisions. Public comments are welcome at City Council meetings. The corridor study and trails planning are two recent examples of connecting with residents. Our second park survey later this fall, will call 250 random homes. The first park survey led to many park upgrades.
The Washington County Sheriff’s office provides our law enforcement services. They regularly drive the community, reach out to residents, and participate in community events. They receive extensive training in areas including use of force, vehicle pursuits, domestic abuse, hate crimes, bias-based policing, among other things. We continue to have open communication between the City and Washington County to jointly to address public safety matters.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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