Mayoral Candidate Forum: Vision for Minot

I believe those are important benchmarks, but we must think even further ahead. Cities aren’t built in election cycles. They’re shaped over generations. That’s why I believe Minot should be thinking in 50-year increments, especially when it comes to infrastructure, growth, and fiscal responsibility.

We’ve seen what happens when we delay tough decisions: infrastructure is pushed to the point of failure, and we’re forced to scramble, reacting instead of planning. That cycle is costly and unsustainable. Instead, we need to adopt a long-term mindset:

• How do we pay not just for today’s roads, water lines, and flood protection, but their future replacements?
• How do we reduce the burden on the next generation by acting responsibly now?

That requires real, intentional planning. Economic development isn’t a printing press: it’s an investment. And like any investment, it takes time to see the returns, commitment, and sacrifice. We need to ask ourselves: What are we willing to give up today to gain a stronger tomorrow?

Take flood control as an example: the construction cost is just the beginning. The real challenge is how we maintain that infrastructure for the next 50 years. That’s the kind of thinking we need across the board, in housing, public safety, transportation, and city services.

My vision for Minot is a growing, resilient, forward-thinking city, one that invests in itself, plans like ensures the next generation inherits something stronger than we were given.

My future vision for Minot is to continue growing and evolving as a hub city for NW North Dakota, with gradual build out of the business and industry elements of the energy sector (natural gas), stable and abundant water for industrial use (NAWS complete), and the boost from implementation of the Sentinel ICBM system. Agriculture and energy still anchor the economy, but additional primary sector industry is also present. Service sector e.g. healthcare, retail, and transportation will grow significantly. Concurrently, I envision ongoing quality of life enhancement with build-out of parks, recreation facilities, with a vibrant art and music community. Continued growth and utilization of the ND Legacy Fund earnings are in use to help fund state and local government, providing a favorable economic environment.

My vision for Minot is built around three priorities: responsible growth, stronger neighborhoods, and a city government that works for the people, not the other way around. In 5 years, I want Minot to have cleaned up its act at City Hall. That means real accountability, better transparency, and an end to the good ol’ boy system that protects the status quo. We should have a balanced budget that reflects our true priorities, not bloated line items and pet projects. I also want to see us finally implement a clear infrastructure plan, not just patchwork. We need visible progress on roads, stormwater, and water main replacement. I want Minot to be known for being business-friendly again, where permits do not sit for weeks and where local entrepreneurs are seen as partners.

In 10 years, I want Minot to be a regional leader in housing and workforce development. We should have solved the housing bottleneck, not just by building more, but by removing barriers that keep development costs high and drive people elsewhere. I want our neighborhoods to be safer, more walkable, and connected with basic amenities. I see us expanding career and technical training, locking arms with our schools, our college, and the private sector to keep our young people here and make sure they have a future here. We should have invested in the bones of the city – utilities, roads, and public safety – not flashy projects that go over budget and underdeliver.

In 20 years, I want people to look at Minot and say, “they got it right.” That means a city that grew at a sustainable pace, without losing its identity or burdening our future generations with debt. Our flood protection should be fully completed and built smarter, not just bigger. We should have a thriving, diversified economy that does not rely on boom or bust cycles in oil or agriculture. I want to see strong neighborhoods, fewer vacant buildings, and a local government that earns people’s trust because it delivers. The decisions we make today will either become burdens or blessings twenty years from now; I plan to make the kind of decisions that the next generation thanks us for.