About Me

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As someone who believes strongly in leading by example, I’ve spent the  past eight years volunteering on the Fields of Medina HOA Board, serving  as President for the last six of them. During my time, I’ve worked alongside neighbors, fellow board members, service providers, city officials and neighboring HOAs to address challenges related to the irrigation system, common area maintenance, architectural change requests and encouraging new board members to join as positions became available.
 

I’ve actively led vendor contract  negotiations on behalf of residents which directly resulted in saving the HOA tens of thousands of dollars in budget expenses and improving services while also maintaining consistently low HOA annual dues during my tenure on the board. Though I’m most proud of leading a board who has actively collaborated with homeowners on rules, regulations and bylaws to ensure they were up to date and reflected the current values of the people living there; especially given that most of the HOA rules and regulations were created without homeowner input and established by third party vendors working with the developer while the neighborhood was still being built.

Dedication to the local community is a virtue that most of us share in Medina,  though believe few share a track record that reflects thousands of hours  devoting the time and energy I have to prove it.  From volunteering on the Medina Celebration Day committee, rallying support for the Three Rivers Park District Diamond Head Lake Trail, petitioning the city to  expand residential rights and access to renewable energy and contributing thoughtful input to the city’s comprehensive plan are some examples. 

Other examples include encouraging Medina residents to serve on the parks and planning commissions; many of whom were newer residents; most of which were appointed with some continuing to serve to this day.  As someone with a multi-generational family history well-versed on the city’s heritage, traditions and values while also raising a young family  in a newer Medina neighborhood, I bring a uniquely well-rounded  perspective to City Hall. 

The genuine love and thoughtful care I share for the Medina community has  been built over decades of actively getting to know the residents and  businesses of Medina. Though one of the most significant has been as an editor, volunteer writer and current  publisher of the Medina-based magazine, LocalTies - Medina where I’ve dedicated the past 10 years to writing, procuring, editing and publishing stories by and about local residents, city staff, elected  officials and business owners regarding their personal, public and professional experiences while living, serving, working and contributing to the community fabric that makes Medina so special; including a recurring column written by the assistant city administrator to educate and inform readership on city-related matters. 

For the first 7 years, my role at LocalTies also including creating and organizing family-friendly events sponsored by local companies to build community connection among area residents, local businesses and drive awareness to city related matters. During this time, I was proud of being a part of multiple fundraisers for area non-profits and bring in thousands of  dollars to benefit the some most vulnerable members of our community. 

What began in July of 2014 when the first issue of Medina Living was published with the Hamel Rodeo on the cover, has seen significant changes over time. Including in 2017 when it became LocalTies Medina, when I helped found it as a new publication that was no longer owned and printed by an out-of-state corporation with distribution limited to Medina residents living within the Wayzata School District. Instead it would be operated locally, printed by a Medina based company and distributed to all Medina homeowners and businesses as it continues to be to this day.  Though it is no longer published monthly as it was until 2021 due to COVID's impact on the ability to host LocalTies sponsored community events. 

As the current sole editor and publisher, I take pride in continuing LocalTies Medina legacy as a bi-annual print and online publication that is mailed to all residents and businesses in Medina. The latest Fall/Summer 2024 issue was published as a special edition where I chose to  expand the content to include local artists and emerging technology leaders located across the Twin Cities west metro and beyond. Content I believe will be especially appreciated by the many talented artists,  craftsmen, local musicians, creative professionals and inspired entrepreneurs that Medina is lucky to have an abundance of. 

As the third generation of my family to live, work and raise a family in  Medina, my first job was working at the family business, Highway 55  Rental.  My dad wanted to instill a strong work ethic at a young age and I worked at the business for 13 summers prior to graduating from UW Madison. Throughout my life, about 25 years have been spent serving customers in various capacity as a second generation co-owner of a public facing, 45-year-old Medina small business serving the customers across the greater Twin Cities metro.  During this time I've gained a wide range of experience with community members of all ages as well as local non-profits and business owners alike to help plan their projects and most special occasions. This is in addition to managing a local  staff and maintaining sound financials that have allowed us to serve  customers 7 days/week for over 45 years.  

This, along with nearly 60 years of family history to draw from, I've worked  to diligently preserve the integrity and character of the area while promoting controlled growth development to ensure the prosperity for our City and surrounding communities. I currently reside in the Fields of  Medina neighborhood with my wife, Kelly, daughter, Lexi, and son, Phoenix, along with  our family dog, Foxy and pet frog, Leif.