PLATFORM

FORWARD

2027

Broadband Internet https://connectsuperior.superiorwi.gov/

I promised faster, cheaper internet for everyone and that’s exactly what we are delivering. Last year we gave a pilot neighborhood access to open access fiber broadband. That allows them to choose from multiple providers and at the speeds they need. For those that only need speeds similar to Charter/Spectrum, they got lower prices immediately. For those that wanted the fastest and most reliable internet in the world, they got it for the same price they were paying for much slower service. The best part is, they don’t need to deal with annoying customer service. They just sign up on the website and the bill shows up later. If they don’t like it, they can change plans or providers with a single click. They can also cancel with no hassle or sales pitch. 


It’s time to expand to the rest of the city. Hundreds of customers have proven this network works. It can support itself without increasing taxes. It partners with the private sector to bring down prices through innovation and competition but also keeps basic public oversight so a monopoly can’t price you out of vital modern services. 


Fast, affordable, reliable internet is vital to building a modern city. It supports a high quality education, expansion of business, and attracts new residents that can work remotely anywhere in the world. The internet can do for Superior what highways did for the last century and railroads did for the century before that. It can also create a fallback during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic that sent thousands of students and workers home and shut down our economy. Most of us already pay a monthly bill for internet access. We can use that money to build a faster, more reliable network that lowers costs and improves service. 


Housing


Since my very first campaign for public office, I’ve believed that housing is the silver bullet that solves nearly every social problem faced by cities. Superior has the kind of housing problem that we want to have: people want to live here so badly that prices are rising and supply is decreasing. While we are all proud to be attracting more people to Superior, we don’t want to lose a single resident to higher rents or a lack of supply for house hunters. 


Over the last several years, we’ve implemented multiple policies that protect and increase the supply of housing and invested in affordability. But we have to do more. This is the most challenging public policy issue facing every city in America and most cities in the world. I’ve traveled extensively to find out what’s working and brought back some innovative ideas, but it’s time to take this to the next level. 


The city should invest directly in affordable housing. We should own property that we rent out at rates designed to be affordable to most of our population and based on our actual median income. We can invest the revenue into property maintenance or expansions of the program. We know this can work. The city has owned the Nemadji trailer park for years and never increased lot rents despite making steady investments in the property. Let’s try a few more forms of housing such as apartments and small neighborhood houses. If it works, it can creates some competition for landlords that overcharge on rent. It can also help us to continue to attract new families to Superior that can help support local business and help grow our student population. 


We should start a land trust program. This program for affordable home ownership works in cities across the country, including Duluth. The city owns the land but sells the house at an affordable cost to an income-qualified family, who pays the mortgage. When they are ready to move on, they sell the house and keep most of the equity if it gained value. The city retains ownership of the land and re-sells the house to the next family. It keeps prices affordable while giving lower income and young families a shot at building real financial independence. 


We should build a close partnership with the Housing Authority and invest directly in new subsidized housing. But housing isn’t enough. We should also create policies that invest in housing authority residents and give them a chance to develop independence. Programs that fund education and workforce training for public housing residents or that allow them to set aside portions of their rent towards future home ownership have proven successful in other cities. Let’s give our neighbors a chance to succeed and invest back into our community. 


 


Transportation


I’ve always believed in a transportation system that’s slower, safer, and more efficient. Slow moving vehicles are more likely to stop at a local business and less likely to cause and accident or injury. Safe streets and sidewalks not only protect people, they get more folks out into the neighborhood and our business districts. Efficiently designed corridors keep traffic moving so we can bring in more visitors and move out pollution from idling vehicles. 


I also believe we should enjoy moving around our city. Streets and sidewalks should be beautiful and engaging. I like tree lined streets, unique signage, and decorations at Christmas. I like ever changing flags and banners that show our pride in our city and country. I believe in looking our best with everything the public uses, from bus stops to trash cans. 


We’ve transformed the look of our city by totally re-creating many of our streetscapes. I’d like to expand that work into every neighborhood. We should pick a “main street” in every corner of Superior and work with the neighbors to design and rebuild it in a way that improves the way their neighborhood looks and feels. We don’t have to do things the same way every time. We can let you decide how your community should look and make Superior a place where it’s fun to just take a walk or ride to see nice places all over town. 


Finally, we need to continue to improve the walkability of the city. Every single citizen is a pedestrian at some point. Whether you are walking to work or just walking from the car to the house, you need safe and functional infrastructure. We should expand our sidewalk snow clearing program, finish replacing all city sidewalks, and begin clearing out snow piles from the corners after plowing. A safe, walkable city isn’t just good transportation policy, it changes everyone’s relationship with the place they live. Children that grow up walking or riding their bikes around the neighborhood build stronger relationships with their city and are more likely to stay or return here. Senior citizens that can safely walk to church, the store, or a friend’s house stay healthy and independent much longer than those that have to rely on a car. 


Wilderness and Water


I believe that every citizens, of every age and ability, should be able to walk to a high quality outdoor adventure in every neighborhood. That was a very ambitious goal when I first set it for the city staff and city council. But we’re almost there. We’ve added new parks and trails, expanded and improved our beaches, and improved the accessibility and functionality of nearly every outdoor space in the city. We created a high quality dog park at the Millennium trail and converted our ice rinks into summertime mini dog parks. 


Next I want to add more wilderness trails in places like the municipal forest and along the Nemadji River. I want to create the first every fully accessible park (where every kid can play with all the equipment regardless of ability). I want to bring a swimming beach back to Billings Park. 


Superior can’t just be about accessing the outdoors, we have to protect it too. I brought the city back into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway Mayor’s Initiative and I’ll keep us there. I want to invest in meaningful testing and regulatory oversight to protect our air quality and Lake Superior. Superior has one of the largest municipal forests in the country, 4400 acres of undeveloped boreal wilderness containing two navigable rivers, the Pokegema and the St. Louis, and countless opportunities for fishing, hunting, and exploring. I’ll never support development of any kind in this forest. 


Economic Development


Superior strength comes from a truly local economy. We can’t wait for a giant corporation to come save us, we have to build our own prosperity. 


I support small, local business. We’ve preserved our Business Center, which provides subsidy, space, and business coaching for start up entrepreneurs. We created the Superior Small Business grant program to directly fund new and legacy shops and restaurants. This program alone invested nearly $2 million dollars into locally owned businesses so they could build out or expand. These programs and our active development team have helped launch a surge in small business growth and the revitalization of our downtown.

Next I’d like to complete the re-write of our zoning code so that we can make it easier for small business and start ups to to operate and grow, bringing the same vitality to neighborhood business districts and even the return of corner stores. 


I also support the growth of local manufacturing. With the global economy in turmoil, our major commodity business face an uncertain future and we can’t rely on the port, railroads, or heavy industry the way previous generations did. Even those heavy industries that make it face constant reductions in staffing as they move towards more automation reduces jobs at every major worksite. Yesterday’s industry simply can’t support a 21st century economy. But local manufacturing can. We’ve invested millions in the growth and retention of local manufacturing, protecting hundreds of good jobs in Superior. We still have some space left to grow and have prepared large industrial sites for local developers that bring good jobs without polluting neighborhoods.