"I have lived in Big Lake for 30 years. My wife Julie and I have raised five wonderful children here and we love the small-town feel. I want to work for you. We need to bring strong businesses to town so we have more opportunity for employment and a growing tax base. We need to improve our schools, and keep public safety a top priority. We also need to tackle the city’s debt. With 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, managing over $210 million, I know how to hold the line on spending and lower the debt-load. Living without debt brings freedom and saves money."
LIST OF ISSUES
PUBLIC SAFETY
Our police and fire departments are two of Big Lake’s biggest assets. Both departments do an amazing job for our community. Whereas other cities across the country have seen conflict between citizens and the police force in recent years, Chief Kaczmarek has built a solid reputation for the force among the citizenry of Big Lake. Likewise, Chief Hansen has been a solid leader for the BLFD. As your mayor, I will work to ensure both the police and fire departments have the resources they need to keep Big Lake safe.
HOUSING
Big Lake is wonderful and we want to maintain the small-town feel. As a member of the Big Lake Comprehensive Plan Task Force, we discussed the need for “move up” housing. These are homes that families might move into as their families grow and are usually of higher value than the average “starter home.” Having more homes of higher value gives families the opportunity to remain in Big Lake and take advantage of the wonderful services the city has to offer. While a variety of housing options is necessary, I believe in maintaining the zoning as it was established within the city's comprehensive and land-use plans.
BUSINESS
In my opinion, one of the biggest issues facing our city is the heavy debt-load. Currently, Big Lake is in debt over $23 million. We've managed to carve away at that number but our work isn't finished. As I've always stated, the debt wasn’t accrued overnight and it won’t be eliminated overnight, either. Together with the rest of the Council, we've changed the culture of our city that says in order to grow, we have to incur debt. As a financial advisor managing over $210 million dollars and also as the father of a large family I know how to hold the line on spending and pay down debt. My dream is to turn Big Lake into a debt-free city, and we're making strong progress toward that dream. Imagine what we could do if we didn’t have to service debt…lower taxes, build sports facilities, parks and gardens, improve infrastructure. These are just a few ideas. I’m interested to hear what you would do if our hands weren’t bound by debt. Call me at 612-817-6758.
DIVERSITY
Every law-abiding individual or family that wants to live in Big Lake is welcome. While others may feel we should take steps to attract people of different ethnicities and backgrounds, I don’t believe in categorizing people into different “groups.” We are all human beings, created in God’s image. Every individual is worthy of respect and should be given the same opportunity to succeed and create the life they desire.
COUNCIL OPENINGS
The right to choose who represents us is a rock-solid core principle of our government. Should there be an opening that arises on the city council, I support having a special election at the earliest possible opportunity. If there is less than 6 months remaining in the term, I support leaving the seat open until the next election. I oppose the idea of the mayor and council members appointing other council members. The citizens of Big Lake have the right to choose their own representation!