After the pandemic and becoming a remote worker, my husband and I decided to seek out a place we wanted to call home permanently. We searched many communities across the country. We had a list of “must-haves” and a list of “nice-to-haves” and hoped we could find a home and city that met most of those criteria. We were lucky enough to find everything we were looking for here in Sheboygan. I often say that it “checked all the boxes”. After our years of living here, it’s still not uncommon for my husband or I to look at each other after visiting another great restaurant in town or taking a walk along the lake and saying, “Gosh, I love Sheboygan!” We truly have fallen in love with the city and the people here. Our three adult children and their partners have all relocated to Wisconsin after having visited and experienced all the community has to offer. We are now expecting our first grandchild very, very soon (she may have arrived even as you read this). Because of all of this, I have a vested interest in the future success of Sheboygan not only for myself, but for my family, and for the many friends and neighbors we have had the good fortune to know. Ultimately, I want to be of service to this community and to help ensure its long-term growth and prosperity.

First, I would like to continue to support the work the city and the Common Council has started in filling the needed gap in available housing. The vacancy rate in Sheboygan is far below the ideal range which drives property prices and rental rates to higher ranges than all community members can easily afford and hampers business development due to the lack of available housing needed to support business growth. Addressing the multiple issues around the housing shortage and advancing the city's efforts in this area are my top priority.

Second, I would like to work with the Sheboygan Chamber of Commerce and the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation to help grow, maintain, and support current local business and attract new businesses to the community. I think it is important to create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to open and advance their business ideas and concepts. It is also crucial to ensure that outside companies offering higher-wage jobs see Sheboygan as an ideal location for new growth and development.

Lastly, I would like to see the adoption and implementation of the Complete Streets policy in Sheboygan. This initiative benefits all of our community members whether they are drivers, walkers, bikers or riders of public transit by ensuring the planning, design and construction of streets meet everyone's needs. The safety of our community members should never be compromised by poor planning, construction or maintenance of our roadways. I am ready to help move this initiative forward as soon as the final plan is brought to the Common Council for approval.

Housing availability in general is one of the most prominent challenges facing our community, but affordable housing presents its own specific set of criteria. While there does exist a standard definition of what constitutes “affordable”, the definition within our community of affordability varies greatly depending on who you ask. Affordable could generally mean less expensive than what we see on average.

Single family homes are not the primary solution to affordability. We must pursue a wide variety of build types to accomplish this. Apartments, duplexes, four-plexes, accessory dwelling units, and tiny homes should all have their place in Sheboygan. Current zoning ordinances are outdated and new ones must be adopted to allow for a variety of solutions. The selection of developers the city partners with must be focused on those who are knowledgeable and able to build the types of structures needed. We also need to address the bias that goes along with the planning and development of structures that do not adhere to the standard single family home model. Building with more focus on infill and density lowers the burden on our city infrastructure while increasing a sense of community.

I have spent the entirety of my adult life working as a leader in the customer service industry, and more specifically in the contact center world. My leadership philosophy is centered on supporting the work and development of my team members to ensure their long-term growth and success. I have focused on building my own skill set to support multiple functional roles including training, quality assurance, project management and operations. I consider myself a life-long learner and I am passionate about finding creative solutions to problems to achieve successful outcomes. A big part of my job involves working collaboratively with disparate departments in order to achieve goals and maintain a high level of performance. I think all of these are skills that I will be able to leverage as a member of the Sheboygan Common Council.

As previously stated, I think it is essential for Alders to work with the Chamber of Commerce and the EDC who help to drive the narrative of what our city has to offer not only to businesses, but also the workforce we need to attract.

I can happily speak to all that Sheboygan and the surrounding community has to offer; the advantages we have in being located along the shore of Lake Michigan, having events like the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series, being the home of two beautiful art museums, having a new state of the art hospital, the numerous locally owned restaurants…I could go on and on. There are so many great things about Sheboygan. We need to effectively communicate all of these advantages in a farther reaching format to get the word out about our community.

I also think we have to focus on continuing the development of a comprehensive vision for our downtown. Uptown and Downtown Sheboygan along 8th street and beyond are the home to many retail establishments and restaurants that anchor the area, but there are multiple vacant storefronts and vibrant businesses, such as Honey & Ace and Green Bicycle Company, that have closed. While no two sets of circumstances and challenges are the same, there are common issues that contribute to the longevity and success of downtown businesses. A comprehensive plan for infill housing and other amenities needed to attract all citizens and visitors to the downtown area will create a more engaging environment for young adults, young families and professionals seeking a vibrant place to live and work. Our downtown should be a destination!