Candidate Profiles

My top three priorities are smart growth, housing, and quality of place.
First, we must continue to grow wisely supporting existing businesses while managing the opportunities and challenges that come with new industries like data centers. Second, housing at all levels is essential to our city’s future. That means affordable, gap, and market-rate housing to ensure Cedar Rapids remains a place where everyone can live and thrive. Finally, quality of life. Specifically, activating our river and greenway, investing in arts, culture, downtown and public safety.

Our historic growth comes with opportunities and challenges. The top issue we face is balancing growth with livability. Cedar Rapids is experiencing exciting momentum including new businesses, population growth, and major infrastructure projects. Specifically, the arrival of data centers to our suite of industry requires due diligence. As a City Council, we need to balance opportunity with preparation and data. We need to be clear-eyed about what it takes to house this new industry and prepare our citizens and our infrastructure for its arrival. The City Council can address this by ensuring we constantly mine the most recent data and forge partnerships with regional pubic and private entities.

Budget revisions require a data-driven, transparent approach that protects core city services, including public safety, infrastructure, and housing, while reviewing less essential or duplicative programs. I would begin by seeking efficiencies through technology, partnerships, and performance audits. The goal is not just to cut, but to realign resources to deliver the greatest impact for residents and taxpayers. To me, this means examining the work we do internally and constantly asking if there are others outside of government that can do it better. A few examples: The DoubleTree Hotel. While I appreciate the need to pay down the debt, we need to set a glide path for completion of that payment. Another example: Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control. I would support a deeper dive into partnerships/agreements with outside organizations that do similar work.

Housing is one of the most important levers we have to strengthen Cedar Rapids. The City Council’s role is to set the tone, remove barriers, and foster partnerships that make housing development easier and more affordable. That means updating zoning, streamlining permitting, and incentivizing infill and redevelopment. We need to be open to incentives that align with our long-term housing needs. This may include enterprise zones, grants (like ROOTS 2.0) and other funding supports.

Population growth doesn’t just happen. It's earned. The city’s role is to create the conditions that attract and retain people: strong neighborhoods, accessible childcare, good jobs, and a thriving cultural scene. Programs like MakeMyMove and the Collaborative Growth Initiative show how public-private partnerships can successfully recruit new residents. I would expand those efforts and market Greater Cedar Rapids as a region where opportunity and belonging meet. While cities are "first in," our private partners will provide consist and increasing funding for the effort. Measurements are clear and outlined over the next 3-5 years. The initiative exists within the CRMEA for sustainability.

We’ve made progress through partnerships and coordinated outreach, but homelessness remains visible and deeply concerning. The city must continue working with service providers while also addressing root causes—mental health, addiction, and affordable housing. I believe we should rethink the concentration of services downtown and explore alternative locations and models that provide compassionate, effective care while restoring public spaces for all residents. While the number of homeless in Cedar Rapids has decreased, this remains a long-term challenge. I'm pleased with the collaboration among city and county to fund a Homeless Services Manager. This position is accountable to our joint goal to end homelessness. I'm also please with our partnerships to create "housing first" options. The Tenant/landord partership with CRBT is a great example of the community partnering on solutions.

To me, being business-friendly means reducing friction and building trust. It’s about creating a predictable, transparent environment where businesses of all sizes can grow. The City Council’s role is to set policies that encourage innovation, cut red tape, and support workforce development. We must make sure every business owner knows the city is on her side. We need to ensure we maintain our "open for business" culture in Cedar Rapids. Our processes are streamlined, our economic development department more robust than ever and is, literally, situated alongside our Building Services Department. After that, we need to balance incentives with long-term growth. Partnerships must be mutually beneficial.

I believe tax incentives should be used strategically and sparingly and only when they generate a clear return for taxpayers. Incentives should not serve as giveaways, but as tools to grow the local economy, create good jobs, and expand our tax base over time.
The most important criteria are measurable outcomes: job creation, capital investment, and long-term community benefit. Every project should demonstrate that the public investment will be repaid through increased revenue and broader economic impact.
Incentives should align with our city’s strategic priorities, such as revitalizing underused areas or supporting industries that strengthen Cedar Rapids’ economic future.
In short, tax incentives should be reserved for projects that would not happen otherwise, that benefit more than just the developer, and that deliver a proven, lasting value for the taxpayers who make them possible. They must also be used with a "ripple" effect mentality: how does one business act as an attraction for additional business or support existing business.

I believe flood control is not just an infrastructure issue, it’s an economic and public safety priority. Protecting lives, homes, and businesses is the most responsible use of taxpayer dollars we can make.
I’m proud that under my leadership, Cedar Rapids secured record levels of public funding for both the east and west sides of the river, progress that had eluded our city for years. Those investments protect property values, ensure business continuity, and give confidence to private investors that Cedar Rapids is a safe and stable place to grow.
Moving forward, we must keep the momentum by finishing the system efficiently, holding contractors accountable, and pursuing state and federal partnerships to leverage every local dollar. This case gets stronger as more businesses continue to choose our riverfront.