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Personal (please list occupation, education and family):
I was born and raised in Tracy. I attended college at the U of M-Morris and SDSU in Brookings, SD. I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and began working at the Tracy Hospital as a Registered Nurse in 1987. I became the Director of Nursing and Clinical Services in 1993 and continue in that role yet today. I am married to Keith Schons, another Tracy native, and have 2 children – Nick Schons of Tracy and Tori Schons Brown of Redwood Falls. I have recently become a grandma to twin boys, Otto and Theo.
Why am I running for City Council?
I decided to run for re-election as a city council member because I feel we have made a lot of forward movement with improving the condition of our infrastructure, roads, amenities and services which allows us to grow and improve as a community. We still have more to complete, but we will do so by keeping in mind the level of debt we take on and the need to balance that with the ability to pay for it. This community has a lot to offer, and we all need to be proud of it. I feel that being on the city council is an important way that I can have a positive impact on moving this community forward and into the future.
What are the major issues facing the city ?
We have made great strides in improving our infrastructure and roads already, but we need to finish that work throughout the rest of the community. We also need to work with present business owners to see what would help them continue being successful and remain in our community. As a community we need to remember to support our local businesses in order to keep them. If we don't support them, they will not succeed! We take our businesses for granted until they are gone and then wonder why they closed and ask where we will have to drive to now in order to get those services? Community members are our biggest asset and means of advertising. We need to all support each other and focus on the positive things that are happening and not dwell on the negative or the past. If we do not show that we are proud of what this community has to offer, then who will? There has been talk about a future hotel in the past. I don't want to just let that go. I believe it would be a great asset for our community and other businesses. We just have to keep going back to the drawing board and figure out how it can work. The industrial Park has taken a back seat with other projects taking priority, but we need to start bringing that to the forefront to see what options may be out there. We have the railroad, Hwy 14 and an airport that could be very attractive for certain businesses, so we need to sell that. We have a lot of opportunities to consider but we have to set priorities because we must be fiscally responsible, but a community also can't grow and improve without investing in our future.