About Me
I grew up in a family that ran a general contracting business, so I’m used to representing more than myself (my first car had my dad’s business phone number printed on the side). I graduated from St. Olaf with a degree in social work and went on to work at Laura Baker Services Association. I met my husband, David, there (a townie), and we’ve been lucky to raise our five beautiful children in Northfield. I’ve been here for 35 years and am in love with my town.
Experience
I’ve served 16 years on the city council. The first 8 years I served as councilor at-large and the last 8 years as Mayor. I also served 8 years on the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) board where I was president from 2016-2017 and 7 years on the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) board which insures over 1000 governmental entities across MN.
Leadership
Governing in Northfield is a team effort. I’m a firm believer in bringing people together to find common ground. I lead by example, and that means showing respect to my colleagues, especially when we aren’t aligned on policy.
A mayor must be able to cooperate with the council, adapting to changes in council members and the policy perspective of the council as a whole that can occur with elections every two years.
Mayors set the tone for their communities. My strong commitment to civility, strategic planning and the ability to work with people across different policy perspectives have been hallmarks of my time as mayor. My approach has yielded results.
Why I’m Running
Northfield needs strong, consistent leadership, with a proven track record of leading with civility in order to find common ground and move us forward.
Our City government is working. All hands are on deck, and we are working well together. I’ve worked hard to lead by example in this area. By continuing to work together effectively, we can accomplish great things.
Northfield is one of the best small towns in the country. We are home to two world class colleges, historic riverfront downtown and local hospital. We have a vibrant culture, celebrated arts, strong economy, great public school system, and excellent quality of life and all of these areas need to be carefully preserved and enhanced.
There is more work to be done to make progress on priority initiatives as identified by the past two councils in our strategic plan. I am excited to continue that important work and place a high priority on economic vitality to lower property tax impacts.