A bit more about me.
It’s a strange sensation, for me anyway, to have your name buzzing around the community. The texts, emails, social media posts, and more sharing “congratulations” and “you got this” messages after moving through the Primary Election to the November ballot. Some messages are from friends I know and others from friends I have yet to meet. As I shared with a colleague today, it feels strange because this is not about me. I’m not running a campaign for county commissioner because I need or want the notoriety. I’m running a campaign because we have an incredible community that deserves a nonpartisan commissioner representing every voice.
Over the course of the summer knocking on doors, visiting with voters at the County Fair, and at meet and greet events in friends homes the first question I am asked is: “so what does a county commissioner actually do?” While I don’t have the job yet, there are many resources available that have shed some light on the role.
County commissioners oversee the management and administration of the county. Much like the nonprofit sector I have been working in for the last eight years. There are five county commissioners (like a board of directors) who oversee responsibilities such as budgeting, long-range planning, representing the county at the state and federal level as well as representing residents in county meetings.
Washington County manages libraries, parks, child protection, community safety, and much more out of the more than $370M budget. For more information on where the county's budget comes from and goes, please visit this easy to understand site.
After answering this question about the commissioners role, then comes: “why you?” There are many parts to this answer so to keep it simple I’ll repeat myself and say, we have an incredible community that deserves a nonpartisan commissioner representing every voice. I’m driven by my core values of truth, integrity, and service. I strive for a future not only for my children but for all the children in our community that values respect for every voice, protects the environment, challenges each of us to make a difference, and assures safety for all.
There are a few platforms, for lack of a better word, that I would say I do hold near to my heart. These will be areas that when elected as your county commissioner I will get (more) curious about and strive to bring attention to. This is not an agenda, but a next step as our world advances.
First for me is clean drinking water. On a water tour in Woodbury and then at the public City of Lake Elmo water meeting there is even more light that needs to be shed on the safety of our county's drinking water. Woodbury seems to be leading the way in filtration and the rest of our communities can learn from their path.
Next is the need for more affordable housing. If families want to live in Washington County, I would hope that there is a home they can afford. Again our family came to the area for the public schools as we ourselves are public school kids. I definitely don’t have the answers here, but I am excited to come to the table with a diverse group of people and have thoughtful, challenging conversations to move housing affordability forward in the county.
Traffic safety is also near the top. I have heard this concern many times from community members across the County.. Our county has grown substantially in recent years and at times that growth has been rapid. Our County roads are carrying more traffic at seemingly ever-increasing speeds leading to a very real concern about overall traffic safety. I have a lot to learn in this area, and I’m willing to do the work, make progress in safety improvements, and pass along the information I learn to the families and communities that are affected.
There’s so much more to cover: the environment and being good stewards of the incredible natural resources in the St. Croix River Valley; our second-lowest property tax rate in the seven county metro area; the financial sustainability and transparency that our county has always done so well, and much more.
Washington County is an incredible place to live and I am proud to be raising our family here. I hope voters in district three will entrust me with the responsibility of representing them as their County Commissioner.