Wayzata is a vibrant, desirable lake town. We should welcome visitors while protecting the peace and character of our residential neighborhoods. The current city council’s total ban on short-term rentals under 30 days went too far, resulting in costly legal battles that drain city resources. I believe we can achieve a better outcome with a balanced, common-sense policy.

My position focuses on three core pillars:

• Protecting Property Rights: Homeowners should have the right to responsibly utilize their property, a principle recently reinforced by the courts.

• Smart Licensing and Regulation: Instead of an outright ban, Wayzata should implement a strict licensing program. This keeps the city in control, limits the total number of rentals, and generates revenue through local lodging taxes.

• Strict Nuisance Enforcement: We do not need a ban to stop bad actors. We can protect neighborhoods by aggressively enforcing existing noise, parking, and trash laws, revoking licenses for repeat offenders.

By replacing a total ban with smart regulation, we can end expensive lawsuits, support our local business economy, and ensure our neighborhoods remain safe and quiet.

Many residents have raised concerns about loud exhaust systems, modified mufflers, and exhibition driving along Lake Street — especially on busy summer evenings. Sudden bursts of noise can startle pedestrians, disrupt patio dining, and create broader public‑safety concerns.

Some have suggested installing Flock cameras to help ticket nuisance‑noise violations. I have concerns about this approach. Wayzata deserves both safety and privacy.

The Wayzata Police Department is already working hard to address these issues. Public summaries show regular traffic stops for loud exhaust, modified mufflers, and exhibition driving, with increased warnings and citations during peak visitor periods. These efforts demonstrate a strong commitment to keeping Wayzata safe and welcoming — without adding new surveillance technologies.

I recognize that tools like Flock cameras can help recover stolen vehicles, locate missing persons, and support emergency response. These are real benefits, and I appreciate our public‑safety professionals.

At the same time, I oppose deploying Flock cameras in Wayzata because they raise serious concerns about long‑term privacy, civil‑liberties protections, and potential misuse. Communities nationwide have documented how these systems can expand beyond their original purpose, how data can be shared, and how surveillance can affect residents who have done nothing wrong.

Wayzata is a small, close‑knit community. Any monitoring technology must meet the highest standards of transparency, oversight, and accountability. If the city ever considers tools like Flock cameras, we must insist on stronger privacy controls, strict limits on data use, independent auditing, and clear public consent. Safety matters — but so does protecting the freedoms and trust that define our community.

Wayzata can pursue public‑safety solutions that respect both security and civil liberties. That balance is essential to keeping our city a place people are proud to call home.

The Panoway on Wayzata Bay initiative stands as a transformative asset for our community, seamlessly bridging downtown Wayzata with the shores of Lake Minnetonka to blend urban vitality, public recreation, and ecological care. The completion of Phase 1’s Plaza Park and the Phase 2 Lakewalk boardwalk demonstrates the immense value of this lakefront project. These amenities provide exceptional, ADA-compliant pedestrian and cycling connections that activate our waterfront, support local businesses, and invite residents and visitors alike to gather and enjoy our city’s unique coastal identity.

As we look toward the future, I fully support continued improvements to the Panoway project while carefully weighing environmental impacts and seeking opportunities to enhance the lakeside experience. Advancing upcoming initiatives, like the proposed Eco Park and the restoration of the historic Section Foreman House into a learning center, allows us to balance civic enjoyment with strict environmental stewardship. By replacing degraded shoreline with native fringe marshes, implementing smart stormwater systems, and restoring aquatic habitats, we can ensure that every step forward actively protects and improves the water quality of Lake Minnetonka.

Ultimately, this ongoing project is an investment in our shared heritage and our natural environment. By prioritizing both ecological sustainability and vibrant public access, we will continue to cultivate a world-class lakefront that serves our community today while preserving its beauty and health for generations to come.

Wayzata is at a crossroads. People want to live here, work here, and contribute to the community, yet rising rents and home prices are shutting out the very residents who keep our city running. When service workers, teachers, young families, and seniors can no longer afford to stay, Wayzata loses more than housing options — it loses part of its identity.

Affordability is not a theoretical issue. It affects our local businesses, our schools, our volunteer base, and our long-term stability. A community thrives when the people who serve it can also live in it.

Wayzata must take practical, balanced steps to protect affordability while preserving the character that makes this city special. That means preserving older apartment buildings, which are our most reliable source of naturally affordable homes. It means allowing gentle, small-scale housing options like ADUs, duplexes, and triplexes that fit seamlessly into existing neighborhoods. And it means requiring meaningful affordability whenever public incentives are used, ensuring that taxpayer support delivers real community benefit.

These are not radical ideas — they are responsible, proven strategies used by cities across the country to maintain livability without sacrificing charm. Wayzata can remain a place where longtime residents stay rooted, where workers live close to their jobs, and where new families can build a future. Protecting affordability is how we protect Wayzata’s character, its history, and its sense of community.

Wayzata can’t stay livable if the people who make it work can’t afford to live here. Rising rents and home prices make Wayzata unaffordable for service workers, teachers, young families, and seniors — the very residents who give Wayzata its character. We need practical, community‑focused solutions that support making Wayzata home for anyone.

We need practical, community‑focused solutions:

• Preserve older apartments that provide naturally affordable homes.

• Allow small‑scale housing like ADUs, duplexes, and triplexes that fit Wayzata’s historic scale.

• Require real affordability whenever public incentives are used.

Keeping Wayzata welcoming, vibrant, and true to its identity means protecting the people who call it home.

Making Wayzata livable by ensuring the people who make this community work can afford to call it home.

Wayzata Boulevard is one of the busiest corridors in our community, and many residents have shared concerns about vehicle speeds, difficult crossings, and the challenges pedestrians face during peak traffic hours. As redevelopment planning continues, I am committed to making this corridor safer, more walkable, and more welcoming for everyone who uses it.

In partnership with Hennepin County, Wayzata is taking steps now to improve safety along the County Road 101 segment of the boulevard. These include upgrading crosswalks with enhanced signage and lighting, exploring the use of rectangular rapid‑flash beacons at key pedestrian crossings, and adjusting signal timing to give pedestrians more time and visibility when entering intersections. The city is also evaluating curb extensions, median refuge islands, and other proven traffic‑calming tools that shorten crossing distances and naturally slow vehicle speeds.

Wayzata is working to close sidewalk gaps, improve ADA accessibility, and create clearer, more predictable routes for people walking and biking. These improvements will help reduce conflicts between drivers and pedestrians and make it easier for families, seniors, and visitors to navigate the area safely.

As council member I will participate in continued collaboration with Hennepin County to advance additional safety measures and ensure that future redevelopment aligns with our community’s expectations for a calmer, more pedestrian‑friendly boulevard. Wayzata residents deserve a corridor that reflects our values: safe, connected, and designed for people as well as cars.

Wayzata’s small businesses and local entrepreneurs are essential to the character and vitality of our community. As we continue to grow, it’s important that our retail environment remains accessible, diverse, and welcoming to those who want to invest their talent and creativity here.

I’m committed to exploring practical, balanced approaches that help keep retail rents within reach — from encouraging flexible storefront sizes to supporting adaptive reuse, strengthening business‑support partnerships, and fostering the kind of foot‑traffic‑rich environment that helps local shops thrive.

Cities across the country have found that thoughtful tools — such as reducing permitting barriers, offering targeted incentives for community‑benefit leasing, and strengthening programs that help tenants succeed — can lower operating costs for landlords and reduce vacancy risk, making more affordable rents achievable. By working collaboratively with property owners, business leaders, and residents, we can ensure Wayzata remains a place where independent businesses not only open their doors, but flourish.

Wayzata’s historic neighborhoods are part of what makes our city feel like home. They’re the streets where generations have grown up, where porches still matter, and where the scale of the homes reflects the character of the community. As redevelopment continues, we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to guide change in a way that protects what people love most about living here.

This isn’t about stopping progress or telling people what they can build. It’s about making sure new homes fit the rhythm, charm, and human scale that define Wayzata’s older neighborhoods. Thoughtful design standards, conservation tools, and clear expectations can help us welcome investment while keeping our streets walkable, beautiful, and true to their roots.

Wayzata can grow without losing itself. By encouraging designs that respect neighborhood character — things like front‑facing porches, modest massing, and garages that don’t dominate the street — we can preserve the warmth and identity that make our community special. Protecting our historic neighborhoods isn’t about looking backward; it’s about ensuring that the Wayzata we pass on still feels like Wayzata.