Q, Please list any present political offices you hold.

A. Northfield City Council Ward 2 (since 2012)

Q. Please list any past political offices you have held.

A. 2nd Ward Northfield City Council 1993-2000, Northfield Planning Commission Member, Northfield Economic Development Authority Member

Q. Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of.

A. Northfield's Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Committee and Age Friendly Northfield Steering Committee

Q. You are running for reelection, why do you want to stay in office?

A. During my term I've been speaking up for the average taxpayer, trying to bring a reality to Council spending decisions. I feel there is a lack of empathy and disconnect with the Council when it comes to the struggles of working families especially during this time of reduced earnings, people are cutting back and doing without, yet the City seems to keep spending money on desired but unnecessary items.

Q. What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?

A. I want to hold the line on spending and budget increases. I want to spend more on potholes and street maintenance and less on unused, confusing bike lanes. I don't think we need more roundabouts but we do need traffic solutions and more connecting streets in the Southeast part of Northfield (2nd ward). Soccer field parking hasn't been bad this year with Covid but that ongoing problem will once again rear it's ugly head in the near future and needs to be addressed.

Q. State and Local government often go unnoticed how would help keep the public informed?

A. I don't think local government goes unnoticed. Citizens are calling and emailing me all the time with their concerns. They stop and chat when I'm in the store or out mowing the lawn. It's all good. Local government isn't unnoticed when it tears up the street in front of your house or when they decide to make drastic changes to downtown traffic patterns by closing streets and converting driving lanes to pedestrian walkways on bridges. I think people are frustrated when they do make an effort to be heard and the Council only appears to listen. That's why I talk to people when at the store, on the street, on the phone, or in an email. I am not perfect but I haven't given up listening.

Q. What does being a leader mean to you?

A. I believe a leader doesn't assume he or she knows what others might be thinking, and I believe a leader doesn't try do the thinking for others. To be a leader, you need to be knowledgeable. To be knowledgeable, you need to ask questions. To ask questions, you need to be interested enough to ask them. A leader needs to know the ins and outs of the decisions at hand. They ask questions in order to educate themselves and to gather other opinions on the matter, perhaps find flaws in their ideas, and expand on their ideas to improve those decisions. Leaders can see both the pros and cons of an idea and wish to work collaboratively. This is almost impossible if the other party is unretractable in their thinking.

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Please list any present political offices you hold.

A. n/a

Q. Please list any past political offices you have held.

A. n/a

Q. Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of.

A. I have served as a member and secretary of the Northfield Fine Arts Boosters Board of Directors and have been active at First UCC for thirteen years, serving on the faith formation and search committees, teaching faith formation classes, and leading the middle school youth group.

Q. What inspired you to run for office?

A. I absolutely love Northfield and want to see it continue to be a thriving community. I feel we all need to do our part to give back to our community, and I believe I have the work ethic, critical thinking skills, and listening ear needed to represent Ward 2. I want to ensure the voices of my ward and the greater community are heard and are represented in our city government. By working together, we can continue to be a progressive community that responds to the needs of its people.

Q. What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?

A. We need to make our city government transparent and accessible. We need to make Northfield livable and affordable for everyone. Affordable housing remains a critical topic. We need to be progressive and proactive as we address the realities of climate change. We need to work towards embracing and supporting our diversity. During this unprecedented and difficult global pandemic, we need to do all we can to support our local businesses and community hospital while keeping our community members safe and healthy. As a physician, I believe I bring additional insight and a science-based perspective to this issue.

Q. State and Local government often go unnoticed how would help keep the public informed?

A. We have so much information coming at us daily from so many fronts, that it can be difficult to process and manage it all. I currently have a Facebook for my city council campaign that I would continue to actively maintain if elected to the city council. Especially in this time of social distancing and less personal interaction, that would be a key means of communicating important information to the public. I would hope to consolidate key issues and city council business there while providing an avenue for bringing forward questions or concerns. I am an active and approachable member of the community who is always willing to visit.

Q. What does being a leader mean to you?

A. A leader seeks to discover the strengths and contributions of others, works to lift up the voices of others, and actively strives to create teamwork to achieve a common goal that benefits the community.

Learn More About Jami: