Candidate Profiles

1. Balancing the budget while also understanding the impact a tax increase has on our community. It is a never ending balance. Our responsibility is to protect the investment our community members have made by choosing Marion. At the same time, we have a growing community that requires increases in public safety and infrastructure to support the growth.
2. Communication with residents on concerns and suggestions is always a daily top priority. While it sounds minor in the grand scheme of the larger community, for each person reaching out it is a critical conversation that respectfully requires a response. One of the hardest things of serving on the city council is not being able to solve every problem/issue brought forward. Often times we understand and may be frustrated by the situation as well but our hands are tied because of other situations. This is one of the hardest things about serving in this position.
3. Growing our commercial tax base. This means economic development/job creation which helps to balance the tax burden on Marion residents.

There isn’t just one top issue, it’s a complex puzzle we work through every day. All issues are connected and thoughtful decision-making is required to balance today’s needs with our long-term vision.

One immediate focus is what happens with the old library site. This is a key location, and the development there must meet the high expectations of our community. We’re working to ensure it provides a strong mix of retail, entertainment, housing and parking, while complementing the surrounding neighborhood, both as it exists today and as we envision it in the future.

Connected to the library site redevelopment is the ongoing conversation around parking. While it’s not possible to build enough parking for major community events, we are studying how to improve access and convenience on a day-to-day basis. Our goal is to ensure parking never becomes a barrier to people enjoying what Marion has to offer, whether they live here, work here, or are visiting.

These are just pieces of the larger picture. We are also working through other major priorities, such as the future of the landfill site, finding a replacement for our aging community pool, and continuing to build a welcoming environment for new residents.

At the same time, we must expand our commercial tax base to reduce the burden on residential taxpayers. That growth is essential—not just for city services, but for supporting our school districts and helping them continue to thrive.

The top issue isn’t one single thing, it’s how all these pieces fit together. Our responsibility is to ensure we’re making decisions that respect our current residents, invest in our future, and reflect the values of the Marion community.

I feel like we face the chance for budget cuts every day with changing dynamics at all level of government. It is also important we keep top of mind the impact that all taxes (not just the City of Marion) have on our residents and how that impacts their quality of life. The zero based budgeting we do helps to keep a constant review in motion as there is no automatic growth for any department. Both project commitments that impact the budget as well as not funding certain things can be more costly in the end so understanding the long term impact of changes is also important.

As part of the comprehensive plan update we discussed housing needs and future plans. We have and will bring on a number of multi-family options. One thing that has risen to the top lately is not only variety of housing options in price ranges but also variety in design and style. Another need is neighborhoods where residents can "age in place". If you like your neighborhood were you able to start with a rental option, move to a starter home, maybe then a larger family home and when time to downsize have an option to stay in your neighborhood but transition to smaller housing. Healthy communities prioritize options within neighborhoods and we need to continue to stress this and variety in design to our development community.

Marion is fortunate to have a robust residential population growth. We take pride in quality housing at all levels as well as amenities for residents, top level school districts and a safe place for all. We are continuing to look at infill options, bringing on multi family housing units in 2026 and continually analyzing the gaps and barriers for potential residents.

Through a role in past employment I have actually been involved in this conversation for decades. We have continued to have this can kicked down the road each time a deadline is approaching which is troubling. Marion has shouldered the economics weight of the landfill need in the community, however, continuing to expand it in one of Iowa's largest communities is not sustainable. This unfortunately has a negative impact on residents and businesses because closing will increase costs locally. We know there are not sites in the county where the soil rating would allow a landfill which further complicates the decision making. We need a solution that is innovative and future focused while protecting the growth pathways of Marion.

Voting to pull it from a community vote should show that we need to do some additional work as it relates to aquatics. To be fair, we asked the consultant, the community and the staff to dream big and see what that looks like. And that is what happened. But we were all realistic when the price came back. At this point we need to figure out if there is a public/private partnership even as an option for a larger facility and what does that fee for entry look like if Marion residents are footing more of the cost but not all of it as it was proposed under this option.
Our current pool cannot continue much longer. From the outdated facilities to the decrease in attendance based on layout/amenities and finally just the fact it is an old pool and many parts aren't even available for repairs and of course safety with this situation means we are one major repair from not being able to open it again. Right now we are regrouping with community members and community leaders to discuss what folks would realistically like to see. Is it smaller neighborhood pools throughout the community or is it a destination level attraction? Then of course, we need to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars for the project to determine what our residents are willing to financially support. Pools are expensive and most do not make money because they are so expensive to run. But is there a way that it is more affordable for all.