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Over 20 years as Mayor, I've led Eagan through the Great Recession, a global pandemic, and increasing political turbulence in Washington DC and St. Paul. I've always done this in a nonpartisan manner, keeping city government focused on residents rather than political "noise." The last two years have been the most challenging turbulence I've faced, and the next four will likely be harder still.
Ahead: redevelopment that shifts the tax burden off residents, expanding housing for young families, seniors and veterans while preserving space for community voices, and getting data center policy right. I have the steady hand to help Eagan navigate what's ahead, resisting the noise so we remain a successful city and a strong, progressive community.
1) Redevelopment — turning sites like Thomson Reuters, BCBS and Northwest Central Commons into opportunity, keeping residential tax burdens in check. 2) Housing — expanding options for young families, seniors and veterans while preserving a meaningful role for community voices in the process. 3) Data centers — getting regulations right so development reflects Eagan's values, not just the market. Together, these keep Eagan a successful city and a strong community through the challenges ahead.
As Mayor I'm one of five Council votes, not a dictator but a consensus builder — budget and development decisions get made in open public meetings where residents are welcome and can check our work. I've pushed for earlier budget engagement so taxpayers know how dollars are used, and staff and I stay responsive to every question. On data centers, I oppose nondisclosure agreements shielding development details — policies should be discussed openly so residents know what's decided and why.
Real engagement isn't a checkbox. Thomson Reuters' redevelopment took 8 months, multiple public hearings, and a 30-day comment period; each genuinely shaped the final plan. Northwest Central Commons involved a year-long community visioning process. Twice, resident input on BCBS sent developers back to the drawing board. I've not just heard community voices, but listened and acted. That's why I oppose state efforts to strip residents of meaningful input and fought to preserve community voices.
Eagan Police & Fire take a community-based approach. Police focus on the safety of all residents and visitors — regardless of race, ethnicity or political ideology — engaging our whole community with professionalism, dignity and respect. During Metro Surge, our focus stayed on protecting people's safety, not enforcing federal immigration law. Fire mirrors that: not just responding to threats, but authentic community-engaged prevention and education that heads off problems before they start.
I see my current role as a city council member, and more so, the job of mayor, as being an ambassador for the city both internally and externally. Folks I’ve been hearing from want a mayor who always shows up – when they are celebrating, when they are serving, and when they are hurting. For example, celebrating at Eagan’s Juneteenth celebrations and police promotions, serving with local nonprofits like The Open Door, and offering relief to neighbors impacted by Operation Metro Surge. Community is not a static object, it is a verb, a dynamic set of relationships that is activated by people. Being mayor entails many tasks but just one main job – to immerse yourself in the life of the community you love. That’s where you will always find me.
Safe Streets: Reimagine county roads in Eagan to make them safer and more accessible to those who walk, cycle, and roll.
Livability: Require the most restrictive possible zoning for new data centers in Eagan.
A Greener Future: Aggressively pursue the goals in Eagan’s Climate Action Plan and never relent in using every tool we have to protect clean air, water, and soil.
Belonging: Ensure that every person who calls Eagan home knows that they are a valued and essential part of our community.
The most important job of an elected official is, through frequent outreach, communication, and listening, to continuously replenish a reservoir of trust, so that when we make a necessary but unpopular decision, residents understand that we are doing so in what we sincerely believe to be the best interests of the community. Also, strict adherence to state open meeting law and proactive neighborhood meetings for contentious development proposals promote transparency and accountability.
By listening with respect and active outreach. During advisory commission interviews in 2021, I saw alarmingly few applicants from BIPOC communities and I realized that Eagan had an outreach problem. City staff has since improved outreach but I have also done my part by each year reaching out to people from diverse communities to make the case that Eagan can’t function optimally without every voice. And our advisory commission applicant pool has become far more diverse in the past five years.
The Eagan PD manages several robust outreach initiatives to connect with community members; those programs work best independent of intervention by elected officials. But the role of an elected leader becomes more critical when responding to residents who find themselves in a situation where their trust of authority has eroded to the point of fear, for example, during Operation Metro Surge. In those situations, I have and would continue to act as a conduit between residents and law enforcement.
