Snowbird status an issue in Ward 1 race

Sep. 4—MANKATO — It was a close race when Mankato native Michael McLaughlin ran against Mankato Council member Karen Foreman in 2014.

Then a first-termer, Foreman won 53% of the vote and another four years. In 2018, McLaughlin and his wife Megan were growing their family and decided it wasn't the right time for another run. Foreman was unopposed in winning a third term.

This year, the rematch is on in hilltop Mankato's Ward 1.

Foreman, a retiree living in the Diamond Creek subdivision, is now a council veteran who cites a long list of accomplishments during her tenure and believes she brings creative ideas to City Hall.

"I'm, I think, a little more of an independent thinker, a little more outside-the-box," Foreman said.

McLaughlin, a Plainview Avenue resident and Blue Earth County's veterans service officer, is offering to be an exceptionally accessible representative for Ward 1 residents.

"Government's supposed to be here to serve and advocate," McLaughlin said.

The Arizona question

When talking about his motivation for running, McLaughlin speaks at length about recognizing the value of in-person contact between an elected official and his or her constituents. It was something he said he learned as a boy watching his father — former Council member and County Commissioner Tom McLaughlin.

McLaughlin said he was always going for rides with his dad around Mankato — looking at curbs, gutters, residential property issues; talking to folks in person about some issue or concern.

"I remember thinking, 'Dad likes to drive. Dad's always throwing me in the truck and going places.' As I got older, I realized ... when something goes wrong, there's a physical element, something to see."

Asked during an interview if those comments reflected concerns about Foreman's wintertime residence in Arizona, he indicated there was a connection.

"I don't fault anybody a retirement. I don't fault anybody having a second home or a vacation home outside an area, he said.

But some municipal issues can't be adequately discussed on the phone or in an email, according to McLaughlin. Being accessible means being out in the community where random unplanned connections with constituents occur. And there's something to be said for the advantage of in-person conversations.

"There's an old saying," he said, "'It's kind of hard to be a good shepherd if you don't smell like sheep.'"

Foreman's five-month stays in Arizona came up during a City Council work session earlier this year when Council members Mike Laven and Jessica Hatanpa raised concerns. Foreman responded that she flies back to Mankato for regular council meetings, attending some work sessions and committee meetings by Zoom.

"Is it enough?" Hatanpa asked.

"That's probably an issue for the voters to decide," Foreman said at the time.

In an interview last week, Foreman said she takes the necessary steps to ensure that her time in Arizona doesn't undermine her ability to serve her constituents.

"I travel in the winter and I commute, as do most retirees in Minnesota. There are approximately 80 meetings a year of City Council and committees and like that. In the past year, I've missed two of them. I don't know of any constituent who didn't have their issue taken care of."

And Foreman emphasized her accessibility even when she's in Arizona: "With the technology that's available today, communication is greatly improved and, generally speaking, very satisfactory."

Touting the record

Foreman can rattle off plenty of evidence of how Mankato has changed for the better in the past dozen years. At the top is a regional issue that's been a longtime focus of the retired Minnesota State University employee.

Foreman is the city's representative on the Highway 14 Partnership, a coalition that has been pushing for decades to create a four-lane expressway connecting some of the major towns of southern Minnesota.

"When I started 12 years ago, it certainly didn't look like it was going to get done," she said, noting that the final segment is now scheduled to be completed next year. "We're going to have a safe, divided four-lane from New Ulm to Rochester."

A 12-year run is also long enough that Foreman can brag about her early support for the addition of numerous roundabouts — an opinion that might have been a political liability in 2010 but is now widely shared among stoplight-averse drivers. She mentions, too, the reconstruction of major roads like Glenwood, Hoffman, Madison, Cherry and Warren.

And the 2020 census — more than 5,000 additional Mankatoans since 2010 — is evidence of the city's growing attractiveness as a place to live and do business, according to Foreman.

"It's safe here, it's close to medical, it's less expensive than living in the metro, we have good internet."

Foreman believes she has a knack for asking questions that lead to new approaches and noticeable improvements. Early in her tenure, for instance, the council and city staff were talking about ways to improve the appearance of Madison Avenue — a major gateway into Mankato and the primary commercial corridor.

"One of the questions I asked the staff is 'What would it take to bury the power lines?'"

The cost estimate came back, the council decided the improvement was worth the price and utility poles and lines disappeared.

Another example is when the council was looking at options for the Tourtellotte municipal swimming pool upgrade and the discussion turned to adding a splash pad.

Foreman pointed out that the sprinkler park didn't need to be connected to the municipal pool, that Mankato residents who live in the valley already have Tourtellotte and — across the Minnesota River — the swim facility and water park at North Mankato's Spring Lake Park.

"I said, 'We have Spring Lake Park, we have Tourtellotte in the valley. But we have a big population on hilltop. Can we explore a splash pad on the hilltop?'"

And the council and staff agreed, with sites now being considered at three hilltop parks.

Offering to serve

McLaughlin said his political runs are prompted by a desire to continue his public service, something that included combat tours with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War.

He recalled his response to a vet who phoned him recently, expressing appreciation for his work on the behalf of military veterans.

"He said, 'You and your father have done a lot for vets in the community.' My response is 'The community has done so much for me.'"

McLaughlin talks of growing up on Mankato's north side and all the people who helped shape the skills he possesses and any success he's attained.

"I really reflect on where I am in life, how I got here and how lucky I was to grow up here with the people I have," he said.

He said his ultimate goal is to help Mankato continue to be that sort of community — one that sparks gratitude by another generation of kids for their hometown.

While campaigning, McLaughlin said he's tossing his kids, including 3-year-old Erin, in his vehicle to go meet with potential voters or check out an issue or problem he's heard about.

"So hopefully somewhere down the line, she thinks 'Dad just likes to drive' too."

Other priorities

McLaughlin and Foreman offer similar thoughts on budgeting — about the importance of maintaining the integrity of the city budget and preserving quality municipal services while also remembering the impact of property taxes on owners of homes and businesses.

If she serves another term, Foreman said a big task will be working to secure funding for the costly modernization of the city's sewage treatment plant.

That's a core service, along with providing clean drinking water, public safety, street maintenance and snowplowing. The key, she said, is preserving those basic services while keeping taxes affordable and maintaining a fiscally sturdy budget — one that can continue to operate from January to July while the city awaits state aid and property tax payments.

"It has to be affordable for the average homeowner," she said. "... On the other side of that, you have to balance out the fact that we have to keep enough operating reserve to fund the city and pay our contractors for at least seven months."

McLaughlin said he would like to examine methods of getting new voices on the council that reflect the entire community as it grows and changes, including a discussion of term limits.

"That is something that at least should be talked about to make sure we get a variety of voices ... not just the same people up there 24, 30 years or whatever it ends up being," he said.