Q. How long have you lived in the township and what brought you here?

A. My wife and I have lived in Spring Lake Township for nearly 20 years. We grew up in Minnesota and were drawn to the township by our desire to live closer to family and the attraction of the lakes and quality of life in the township.

Q. What motivated you to run?

A. I am proud of the achievements of the Spring Lake Township board the past five years, especially our success in reducing the 2013 tax levy for citizens by 2.5 percent. This reduction in taxes happened while continuing to provide quality service to the citizens of the township. This motivates me to want to continue to deliver for families in our area.

Q. What qualifications and experiences would you bring to the town board?

A. It is my job is to listen and understand the needs of citizens. I bring strong board experience to the job. I am the incumbent candidate with five years of service and currently I am the longest tenured elected member of the board. Additionally, I have established good-working relationships with neighboring government officials and work well with them. I have worked on many of the types of issues brought before the board and I can continue to use my knowledge and skills on behalf of citizens.

Q. What challenges is the township facing and how should they be addressed?

A. 1. Taxes. These are challenging times for citizens. I am proud that as board chair, the board lowered the township levy for 2013 by 2.5 percent without an appreciable reduction of services.

2. Roads. Maintaining roads are a big part of the township’s responsibility and important to citizens. The current board has worked hard to develop a systematic schedule for road maintenance/replacement projects in an effort to control costs and alert potentially affected residents of road projects.

3. Development/annexation. Development has been slow recently. The current board has prepared for an anticipated increase in development by drafting and adopting policies for future roads, parks and consistent development standards and sharing these with the public.

Q. If elected/re-elected, how would you approach the issue of annexation? (The township has an orderly annexation agreement with the city of Prior Lake).

A. I serve as the township board representative for annexation issues with the city of Prior Lake. The current annexation agreement with Prior Lake was signed in 2003 and has been implemented in stages. Because the agreement is nearly a decade old, it is time to revisit the agreement to ensure it is still relevant for all parties. It is expected these discussions will begin in the near future.

Q. How many times have you attended a township meeting?

A. I started attending township meetings in 1998 and was asked to serve on the board in 2007. Over the years, I estimate I’ve attended more than 125 various Spring Lake Township meetings.

Q. Do you think the current board members have done a good job of representing township residents at the county level? If not, what would you do differently?

A. Overall, I think the current township board has a strong working relationship with Scott County – both with county staff and the elected board members. This is important to the citizens of the township since county government impacts many aspects of our community, especially in the area of development, property rights and law enforcement. The future focus should be on making sure that these strong township-county relationships continue.

Q. If elected/re-elected, how would you work to balance the rural nature of Spring Lake Township with the fact that it’s growing and changing rapidly due to annexation and development?

A. As an urban township by definition, Spring Lake Township faces unique challenges with regard to development and annexation. Given its proximity to Prior Lake, annexation will continue to impact citizens in the coming years. The annexation agreement needs to be updated to ensure that orderly annexation protects the township citizens’ rights and best interests. Scott County’s recently adopted 2030 Comprehensive Plan includes zoning requirements that will go a long way to protecting the township’s rural feel.