Candidate Profiles

As a candidate for City Council, my priorities reflect the needs I hear most from residents and the challenges Marion faces as a growing community.
Support Families and Seniors: I will make Marion the best place to raise a family and to age with dignity by expanding age-friendly services, investing in safe and walkable neighborhoods, and strengthening parks, schools, and childcare. Seniors should never be left behind, and young families should see Marion as a place to stay and grow.
Job Creation and Income Opportunities: I will work to bring high-tech, med-tech, and advanced manufacturing jobs to Marion. This includes preparing site-ready land, offering predictable approvals, and tying city incentives to wages and local hiring. I will also champion paid apprenticeships that connect students, veterans, and career switchers to good jobs here at home.
Responsible Property Tax Management: I will protect core services while driving efficiency in city operations. Growth must pay its fair share, and taxpayers deserve transparency through a clear "Where Your Taxes Go" report each year. My goal is to keep the levy stable and ensure every tax dollar delivers real value.

Right now, the biggest issue Marion faces is balancing growth with transparency and trust. We're seeing it in the debate over the new aquatics park; residents, leaders, and staff alike are split on whether now is the time, what features it should have, and how much it should cost. Meanwhile, infrastructure, such as roads and aging facilities, is under pressure, especially in older neighborhoods that have long been overlooked.
The City Council can help by:
Being transparent early and often, publish detailed project plans, precise cost estimates, impact studies, and realistic timelines so people can see what they're being asked to support and why.
Elevating public input as a real decision point, not just a checkbox. Surveys, steering committees, and community forums are all effective when coupled with strong follow-through, allowing people to see their suggestions actually shaping the project.
Prioritizing infrastructure maintenance, especially in established neighborhoods. Patching roads, maintaining stormwater systems, and upgrading parks. These are what keep residents safe and happy now, not just promises for future subdivisions.
We are being strategic about what we ask taxpayers to invest in. Before asking for a referendum or new spending, ensure existing assets are maintained, costs are realistic, and the community clearly understands what they get for their tax dollars.
My job in procurement has trained me to dig into numbers, spot where costs creep up, and make sure every dollar counts. If elected, I'll push for City Hall to lead with clarity and fairness, so that Marion grows not just outward, but upward in trust and value for everyone.

I know budgets are about trade-offs and discipline. If Marion faced cuts, I would protect core services first: public safety, infrastructure, and essential community programs.
Savings should come from inefficiencies, overlapping contracts, and discretionary spending, not from services people rely on every day. I would:
Audit vendor agreements and renegotiate where possible.
Prioritize capital projects that deliver the most significant impact while phasing or delaying lower-priority amenities.
Look closely at administrative overlap, overtime costs, and non-essential enhancements before touching frontline services.
I also insist on transparency: residents deserve to see exactly what each cut means for their neighborhood. My goal is simple: to preserve what matters, cut what we can, and keep Marion financially strong without leaving any neighborhood behind.

The City Council's role is to ensure Marion offers a range of housing options, including starter homes, senior-friendly units, affordable rentals, and new developments like "missing middle" housing, so people at every stage of life can live here.
Cities of our size across the U.S. are expanding housing supply by:
Allowing missing middle housing, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and small multi-units within existing neighborhoods to fill the gap between single-family homes and large apartment complexes.
Streamlining approvals for mixed-income projects and reducing costly delays.
Requiring developers to include affordable units in exchange for density bonuses or faster approvals.
Leveraging federal and state resources, including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME funds, and state housing trust funds, to help rehab older homes, assist first-time buyers, and keep infrastructure costs down in new developments.
If elected, I would push Marion to:
Adopt zoning reforms that allow missing middle housing and expand the range of choices for working families, seniors, and young professionals.
Pair new development with reinvestment in older neighborhoods, using CDBG and other grants to preserve affordability and prevent displacement.
Require fairness from developers, ensuring growth pays its share of infrastructure while also delivering affordable units.
Make the process transparent and efficient, so residents know where projects are happening, what they cost, and how they improve housing supply.
My goal is straightforward: grow Marion's housing supply, protect affordability, and make sure every neighborhood, new and old, benefits from our city's growth.

The city's role is to create the conditions where people actively choose Marion because it is safe, affordable, and full of opportunity. Growth happens when a city invests in quality of life and economic strength.
If elected, I would focus on three priorities. First, strengthen neighborhoods by investing in parks, trails, schools, childcare, and reliable infrastructure so all areas of Marion remain attractive. Second, drive economic opportunity by partnering with tech, advanced manufacturing, and med-tech employers, while launching "Marion Works" to connect incentives to wages, local hiring, and apprenticeships. Third, support smart growth by expanding housing choices, including missing middle and senior-friendly options, while using grants and targeted investment to revitalize older neighborhoods.
Population growth should not mean unchecked sprawl. It should build Marion's tax base, revitalize existing neighborhoods, and create a city where people want to stay for the long term.

The landfill issue is one of the most serious long-term challenges Marion and Linn County face. With capacity projected to run out by 2036, we need to act now with a regional plan that is both cost-effective and environmentally responsible.
If elected, I would push for:
Regional Collaboration: Marion cannot solve this alone. I would support a stronger Linn County and multi-city partnership to ensure that infrastructure, costs, and solutions are shared fairly.
Waste-to-Energy and Gas Capture: Other cities our size, like Spokane, Washington, and Pinellas County, Florida, have built waste-to-energy facilities that reduce landfill volume and produce renewable power. At a minimum, we should study whether capturing landfill gas for energy is viable here.
Expanded Recycling and Composting: Cities such as San Jose and Manchester, Connecticut, are cutting landfill use by expanding curbside recycling, food waste collection, and regional composting programs. Marion should build out similar diversion programs and pursue grants to fund them.
Grants and External Funding: Federal and state resources, including EPA recycling initiatives and energy grants, can help reduce local costs.
Transparency and Public Input: Any solution will affect rates and neighborhoods. I would insist on public forums, precise cost estimates, and impact studies so residents understand the trade-offs and see the long-term benefits.
This is not just a Marion problem; it is a regional problem. By planning early and looking at what other communities are already doing successfully, we can protect taxpayers, extend landfill life, and move toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.

I do not support the proposed water park project as it stands. The cost is too high, the operating season is too short in Iowa, and the long-term financial risk to taxpayers is unacceptable. Marion needs aquatic facilities, but not at this scale or cost.
Other cities show us the risks. Independence, Missouri, a larger city, recently shut down its water park after years of financial losses and mounting repair costs. Larger water parks often promise significant returns but end up draining city budgets with high staffing, utility bills, and constant maintenance. Even well-managed facilities struggle when weather limits the usable season to a few short months.
If elected, I would advocate for a different approach:
Build smaller neighborhood pools and aquatic centers that are affordable to operate, accessible to families, and spread across Marion so more residents can benefit.
Explore private partnerships for larger attractions. If a water park is truly desired, private investors should bear that risk, not taxpayers.
Insist on transparency in cost estimates, operating budgets, and long-term maintenance plans. Taxpayers deserve a clear picture of the financial reality, not just optimistic projections.
Prioritize essentials first. Marion should focus on safe, modest pools and splash pads before committing to slides, lazy rivers, or water park-style amenities.
Aquatic facilities should serve the community, not burden it. My position is simple: we need practical, cost-responsible pools that meet residents' needs, not an oversized project that could become a drain on Marion's budget for decades.