The abrupt closure of HSHS/Prevea threatens the well being of our community. If an energy company decided to shut off electricity to half the county, it wouldn’t be allowed—because the state regulates energy as an essential service. Why don’t we treat healthcare the same way? As a city leader, I will advocate at the state level for health system accountability. Locally, we need to make sure that we retain our healthcare workforce and develop healthcare solutions that match our community’s needs, including care for patients who use Medicare or who need mental health treatment.

If we want to preserve our quality of life, we must protect our environment and our climate. As the earth warms and water becomes scarcer, we may see increased outside demand for our water—which is why I support a comprehensive water planning process to help us protect this vital resource.

I was proud to help pass our city’s bold Renewable Energy Action Plan, which sets us on a path to do our part in the fight against climate change.I will work to make sure this plan is fully implemented and seek out opportunities to collaborate with community groups, as we did during No Mow May, because when we work together, we can make an impact.

People who work full time should be able to provide for their families. But nearly a third of residents are working, but still can’t get ahead, due to a combination of low wages and high costs for housing, healthcare, transportation and childcare. Over the last six years on city council, I’ve worked to make sure public transit is affordable to folks at all income levels so people can get to their jobs. And while there remains much greater demand for affordable housing than the city can meet, we have succeeded in turning the city into a creative “hub” where housing advocates and home builders can develop creative solutions to the crisis. Today, more affordable homes are coming on line, and the benefits of stable housing will strengthen families and neighborhoods.

For the six yeas I’ve been on council, I’ve approved difficult budget cuts each year, in order to promote the city’s long-term fiscal stability.

The city keeps growing—but the government keeps shrinking, even though there’s a demand for services.

The problem lies in a broken state shared revenue formula that means Eau Claire receives less support that similar communities.

This year we will need to make some especially tough decisions, as inflation has increased our infrastructure costs.

My goal is to bring the public into the conversation so they can voice their concerns and advocate for their priorities. Hearing many different perspectives is the first step in solving a difficult problem.

One of the most important issues in Eau Claire right now is the closure of HSHS Sacred Heart, and Prevea. The loss of services provided by both entities, general medicine and specialties alike, and the jobs that go along with the closure, impact the citizens Eau Claire greatly. If elected, I would work with State, county, and other city leaders to identify and attract suitable replacements. I would also encourage state lawmakers to work for change so something like this can’t happen in such an abrupt manner, and so communities have more opportunity to respond and prepare for closures.

Another issue I would look to address if elected is economic development. There is much talk about affordable housing, rising cost-of-living, and other various expenses that our community members are faced with an updated day-to-day basis. Without strong economic development our community will fall behind and miss out on opportunities for higher paying jobs available to our citizens, and to attract more skilled workers to our community.

Balance. If elected, I would work with other local leaders to take a more balanced approach to expenditures in order to ensure that projects like public safety/emergency services and infrastructure don’t take a backseat to projects that are not immediate needs in the community.

One of the biggest issues I see is not having a safety net. The city of Eau Claire has been fortunate in the recent past to be in the position where they felt comfortable contributing to projects like the Pablo Center ($5 million), Sonnentag Complex (up to $7 million), and the transit center (Initially projected to cost the city $1.25 million, but actually costing taxpayers $9.55 million), to name a few. I can’t help but wonder if these were the most responsible decisions for the citizens as a whole. I enjoy the performing arts, and athletic events, but I don’t know that a majority of the taxpayers would agree that this funding should’ve been spent where it was instead of in other areas.