-Sports Announcer (Freelance) I work for many institutions including the University of Minnesota, Mounds View High School and Irondale High School

-Special Assets Representative for LPS Foreclosure Solutions, a division of Fidelity

-Dad

Experience

-A number of years as a member of the Shoreview Parks and Recreation Committee

-Delegate, Special Olympics Minnesota Distinguished Service Awards selection committee.  Recipient of “Spirit” award.

-20 Years in Sales, Marketing, and promotions

-Volunteer Speaker, Fundraising, Event Management, for Special Olympics Minnesota

-Volunteer/Fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis Society of Minnesota

-Friends of Scouting Chair or Cub Scout Pack 8 located in Shoreview. 

-Dale Carnegie Award Winner

-Event Organizer

Interests

Family activities

Youth Coach in the City of Shoreview Baseball, Soccer, etc.

Classroom volunteer at Turtle Lake School

Inline Skating

Turtleman Triathlon Relay participant for several years

Do-it-yourself home Improvement projects. (Yes, and my wife STILL loves me.)

The reason I am running for Shoreview City Council:

I can sum it up in three words:

Kids

Families

Future

KIDS

What happened to our “Declining Enrollment”?  Her are some numbers:

Turtle Lake School                  

February Projections                Current Actual Totals                Difference

K                     132                                          170                              +38     

1                      140                                          156                              +16

2                      149                                          153                              +4

3                      142                                          156                              +14

4                      160                                          163                              +3

5                      145                                          156                              +11                 

Total                868                                          954                              +85

Note:  Figures from Mounds View School District

Note: The addition of a third and fourth Grade teacher were the benefit of kids moving into the school district.  It is my understanding that NO open enrollment kids were added to third or fourth grade

Island Lake Elementary

February Projections                Current Actual Totals                Difference

K                     95                                            108                              +13

1                      101                                          100                              -1

2                      116                                          120                              +4

3                      114                                          120                              +6

4                      125                                          127                              +2

5                      120                                          126                              +6                   

Total                671                                          701                              +30

Four teachers added after school started!

This is a sampling of only two of the schools in our district.  Below is a summary of all the schools numbers by level:

                        February Projections                Current Actual Totals                         Difference

Elementary                 3853                                       3931                                         +78

Middle School              2232                                       2256                                        +24

High school                 3366                                       3387                                        +21

The above numbers DO NOT include non-resident additions.  So they are true numbers of students living in our school district.

FAMILIES

For the last three years, I have been hearing nothing from the City Council but how we have to plan for our “Aging Community”.  Now we are trying to cram in Senior housing in any postage stamp piece of land we can find.  Regretfully, that ship has passed and should have been addressed 8-12 years ago.  The numbers above show that our community is turning over.  We have a great number of single family homes in our community that are three bedrooms or more, meaning, from the numbers indicated above, our empty nesters are selling their larger homes to young families looking for a good community and a great school district, which Shoreview offers to young families.  Unfortunately, because of lack of planning and cooperation, we don’t have many places for our seniors and empty nester to go in to in our city.  The existing senior housing we have in Shoreview is nothing short of phenomenal, but we fell short of planning for the future 10 years ago!

What we can do now for our “Aging community” is to protect their real estate investment they have in our city.  Keeping our property values moving in the right direction by providing an opportunity to young families moving into our fine city to purchase housing at a good value and offering a plan for the future that assures them that this is a family friendly community.  I have not heard discussion about that issue in our city politics.  Nor have I seen any plan that offers what direction we are moving our city in and what our city looks like in the future.  We must plan better for the next twenty years than we have in the past.  We should be planning for what our city looks like for our first grade class when they graduate in the year 2020.

FUTURE

I propose organizing a committee made up of Shoreview residents called “2020:  Focus on Shoreview”This committee would consist of resident and businesspeople who work in Shoreview.  Residents who have lived in Shoreview for at least one year to, hopefully some of our resident whose family have been here for three generations.   We would include businesses that have been in Shoreview for some time, as well as delegates from some of our churches in the area.  They would have access to all the information they need about Shoreview’s past and an open mind about the future.  We will encourage them to think outside the box and instead of asking “why”, start asking “why not”.  I am excited about the future of Shoreview; I want to make sure we are doing a proper job in planning for it.  I would not be running for this spot on the Council if I thought this was being done and, more importantly, being communicated effectively to the resident of our community.

COMPLACENCY

What a wonderful thing that our community was named as a “Top City to raise a Family” by Family Circle Magazine.  I, too, believe this is a great place to raise a family.  This award is attributed to those city leaders who had a hand in making this City what is today.  However, why are we not expecting this happen more often?  Why are we satisfied with being named just once?  Why are we satisfied with 7th or 8th place?  I want to live in a city that strives for excellence EVERY year, not just one shot.  Why can’t we make the list of cities that are best in fiscal management?  Or best place to do business?  Or best place to make a movie?  Best place to be fit?  We cannot be complacent.  Complacency is VERY dangerous.  Without seeing SIGNIFICANT progress in our city, I am concerned that this SAME City council that has been together for an extended period of time, has gotten a bit complacent. We’ve seen what happens at the national level.  Let’s not let that happen at the local level. The fact that we’re keeping up with the Jones’ should not be acceptable.  I want this city TO BE the Jones’.  I want this city to get back to being the leader it was when I first moved here 10 years ago.  I want Shoreview to be the suburb that all other suburbs model themselves after!

“GREEN SPACE”

We need to keep and expand where we can our green space.  Shoreview has done a great job of preserving our green space up to this point.  I want to be part of a stewardship that protects what we have and, more importantly, ENHANCE what we have.

GREEN SHOREVIEW

I want to help our residents become more “green”.  Now, I’m not suggesting we all turn off our cars when we’re traveling downhill, but I am suggesting working with energy firms to maybe get better value for our resident dollar when you plan and execute mare energy efficient means of living.  For example, something as simple as an energy efficient light bulb sale during our next Shoreview Clean up Day.  Why can’t we work together with companies to lower the prices on these bulbs by either buying them in bulk or having an energy company “buy in” to the resident of our city?

MORE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

I propose to have a Town Hall meeting every quarter at one of our Shoreview businesses where all members of the Council who want to come can share what we’ve been doing and listen to what the community has to say in an environment a little less intimidating than the council chambers.  Stay tuned to this web site for more details.

I thank you for taking the time to review my beliefs.  I can make a difference for Shoreview.  I go to bed every night and ask the question of myself,  “did I set a good example for my kids today?  I promise to not let them, or you, down.