VOTE411 Voter Guide

Current Marquette City Commissioner and Former Mayor of Marquette. Come November I will have served six years on the City Commission.

Current Sault Tribe Housing Commissioner representing Unit 5 (Greater Marquette and Munising Area)

Sergeant in the Michigan Army National Guard, where I have held numerous roles such as Unit Career Counselor, Equal Opportunity Leader, Training NCO, Drug Prevention leader and many more. I have had two domestic mobilizations during my almost twelve years of service including volunteering to assist the Houghton/Hancock region in 2018 after the "Father's Day flood" and was also sent to Washington DC for almost 3 months following the attempted January 6th Insurrection.

Current board member for the MI Municipal League Foundation

Former two term student body President of NMU

Previous experience working as a local personal and small business banker and as a certified lender.

Current full-time role is in the Mining Industry.

Good Governance: Before policy can be discussed in a meaningful way, the County Board itself needs to operate differently. Decisions made behind closed doors, without public notice, input, or debate is not how a local unit of government is supposed to operate. If elected, I will keep the public informed of what decisions are being considered and those considerations will be made in public meetings. These meetings are not to simply rubber stamp pre-determined agenda items, the Open Meetings Act exists for a reason. The public has every right to expect transparency and productive collaboration from their elected leaders.

Economy: Continue efforts to diversify our economy in Marquette beyond hospitality and tourism. Advocate at the State level for a local tourism tax, where the funds can actually be used to support the community. Continue to advocate for local control over short term rental caps.

Health: Work to improve mental health services and childcare

Housing: See next section

Since being elected to the Marquette City Commission almost six years ago, I have consistently fought for more housing options in our community. Items that I voted on as a commissioner have led to the development or planned development of up to 800 new units of housing in our community across a vast spectrum of price points. I will work with community leaders, NMU, Tribal Nations, and community organizations to continue advocating for more housing in the city and throughout the county.

Building Codes: This topic affects homeowners, renters, landlords, and small businesses. Bring plumbing and mechanical inspections back to county level instead of the State, who has one inspector for the entire UP. Work collaboratively so city zoning and county building permits can be streamlined. Tenants with concerns should be able to submit a simple online form that goes to both the city fire inspector, and the County building codes department.

I will communicate with residents in advance when major decisions are being discussed and explain my stance on votes that the commission takes via my public social media page. Additionally, I have maintained throughout my time on the City Commission my personal contact information being available on the city website, I fully intend on maintaining this if elected to the county commission. Most importantly I will communicate proactively and conduct myself in a transparent manner.

I’m seeking another term because I care about Marquette County. When my grandparents left Finland in 1910, they chose to live here. As I kid I grew up on College Avenue and went to J.D. Pierce elementary school. After obtaining my bachelors degree at MSU and my law degree at Cooley Law School, I moved back because I choose to live, work, and raise a family here. I’m invested in our community as a homeowner, business owner, adjunct professor at NMU, and past president of the Marquette Symphony Board. I’m uniquely qualified, having worked as Civil Counsel for the County and now on the Board of Commissioners. As the County’s attorney, I worked closely with the Administrator, staff, and all Departments, gaining first-hand knowledge of how our County works and the areas we may need improvement. As a lawyer, I’m known for taking on tough cases and also negotiating reasonable resolutions to difficult disputes . These skills apply equally to effective advocacy as your Commissioner.

We have many challenges facing our County. Every vibrant community does. Some of the challenges arise from our desire for growth and prosperity while balancing our need for harmony and sustainability. As traditional industries wane, new business models and technology need to arise. How do we manage the potential problems of corporations who want to locate data centers here? How do we welcome and support a tourist economy without sacrificing our small town way of life? How do we encourage residential developers to build here while also providing affordable housing at every income level? How do we meet our mandate to provide services for seniors and veterans and the airport, jail, health department, courts, and parks, in a fiscally responsible manner? These are just some of the challenges we have been dealing with at the County level. As your Commissioner, I promise to continue to address these issues with an open mind, common sense, and transparency throughout the process.

The need to create more affordable housing options in Marquette County is being addressed by some great teams of very talented and innovative people. As your Commissioner, and in my prior role as attorney for the County, I worked directly with our Planning Department, our Land Bank Authority, and our County Treasurer to address these challenges. I believe my role as Commissioner is to make sure these incredibly talented people have the resources they need to do their jobs. Our Land Bank created 159 housing units last year. They are working on another 600 to 700 units now. I will support their request to expand their efforts. Our “Housing Now” coalition is a public/private partnership of stakeholders working together to develop strategies that encourage new housing at all income levels. Our Brownfield program, which takes contaminated sites and cleans them up for new building projects, triggered over $63 million in private spending last year. I support these initiatives.

Communication and transparency is essential in the political process. Judge Damon Keith once famously said, “Democracies die behind closed doors.” This is as true in the County Board meeting room as it is in the courtroom. As your Commissioner, I’m always available to receive and respond to calls and emails. But that’s not enough. So I’ve further opened the doors of communication with the public by setting up “pop-up” opportunities I call “Conversations With Your Commissioner.” I have a tent and a table that I pop up at community events and invite folks to sit and talk with me about their concerns for our County. Sometimes during these meetings I’m able to direct people to County resources that may help their needs. Sometimes I need to do a little research before providing answers. But always I leave the meetings with a better understanding of the issues of concern that affect us all. And I try to be mindful of those concerns when I’m serving as your Commissioner.