Accomplishments
During my tenure as a City Councilmember, I’ve:
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Brought public finance expertise to the council
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Reduced property taxes
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Built excellent relationships with city staff, constituents, local business and nonprofit groups, neighboring community leadership
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Represented Waukee’s interests at the Metro Advisory Council
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Led discussions on housing diversity for growing population
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Pushed for accountability in green space maintenance and land restoration
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Helped change our strategic planning process to be more effective
Ideas
Waukee has grown very quickly to become the 5th largest metro community. That growth has clearly resulted in some growing pains – traffic, infrastructure development, an inundated school district. It would be tempting to focus on what is right in front of us this year.
But my experience has taught me that when you focus everything on the immediate problem, you either create more challenges in the future… or you miss opportunities to lead. It’s not enough to focus on one issue, one neighborhood, or just one year.
I believe these three key areas are how we will strengthen Waukee into the future.
Regional Leadership
How we solve the problems we face today will impact us for the next 20 years. Waukee has an opportunity to lead in the metro area. We can work with our neighbors to create regional solutions for storm water management, housing and human services, green infrastructure, and more. But this leadership will require strong metro-wide relationships and collaborations that I have built and know I can continue to foster.
Housing and Job Opportunities
Waukee will continue to grow and transition into an economic engine. But we do not yet have the diversity of jobs or housing needed for our citizens. In the last year, several businesses have had to delay opening due to labor shortages. And some of our workforce can’t find a place to live in Waukee due to a shortage of options. We have businesses with not enough employees and employees with very few housing options. To continue to thrive, we need to address these challenges strategically and proactively.
Strong “Hometown” Community
We are proud to call Waukee our home, and know our children will be proud to call Waukee their ‘hometown’. But maintaining that ‘hometown’ community over the next 20 years as we grow requires vision and planning. I believe our challenges and our opportunities include neighborhood revitalization, community-focused and planned development, green spaces, community events, and more.