After strong encouragement from a number of community members I respect, I became convinced that Orono needs the kind of positive, ethical leadership I demonstrated through 13 years on the Orono School Board, the last 7 as Board Chair. The current administration has lost the trust of our citizens and has isolated us from virtually all of our neighboring communities, embroiled us in needless and embarrassing legal battles, and through reckless spending, has doubled our debt and raised our taxes by 80%. I intend to use my skill-set to restore civility, fiscal responsibility and data-driven decision-making at Orono City Hall.

We need to restore the prestige Orono has long held as the premier place to live in the Twin Cities. We have wonderful community assets, including the #1 public school in the state, Lake Minnetonka and beautiful open spaces, yet we are finding our city on the front page of newspapers for shouting matches at meetings, land giveaways and legal actions (including the first two times a city in Minnesota has been held in contempt of court!), and the League of Minnesota Cities uses Orono as an example of dysfunctional city government. We can, and must do better.

Economic development is viewed by most cities as the best way to improve their tax base, but can result in losing a sense of community. We don’t currently have that conundrum in Orono. Without many businesses, our tax base of expensive homes is nonetheless the envy of our neighboring communities, and the rapid increase in that tax base in recent years, mostly through skyrocketing home values, has allowed the current mayor to brag about not raising the tax rate while exponentially increasing the taxes we pay. I am committed to both holding down taxes and keeping our sense of community.

Every community has aging infrastructure, and generally uses bonding to pay for improvements, since cities can issue bonds at favorable rates. Orono is no exception. However, we have doubled our debt by issuing $16 million in bonds to build a new public works facility that is two-and-a-half times larger than our old facility, is way over budget and is still not completed. All this for a city that is not expected to grow in any significant way. In addition to being a questionable use of city resources, this debt load will hamper our ability to bond for any needed infrastructure.

I am a business transactions attorney with a background in finance, and in my 37^th year of practicing law. I have negotiated thousands of contracts, counseled dozens of corporate boards, and have extensive experience serving on both public and nonprofit boards. With 13 years of experience on the Orono School Board, including 7 as Board Chair, I have served the community in a similar capacity and am well-versed in open meeting laws and would strictly observe them. More than anything, I am a person committed to bring civility and ethical decision-making back to Orono City Hall.