I love Lakeville. I have built businesses here, raised my family here, coached here, served here, and spent years working alongside the people and organizations that make our community what it is today.

I'm not running for City Council because I think Lakeville is broken.

I'm running because Lakeville is a great community, and I want to help keep it moving forward.

Campaigns are filled with promises about what candidates will do if elected. I believe voters should also be able to look at what a candidate has already done.

For years, I have been involved in many of the same issues that come before our City Council—not because I was running for office, but because I believed it was important to get involved.

I've owned three businesses in Lakeville. I've served on the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce Board. I've advocated for small businesses at the State Capitol. I've worked with our city's economic development team. I've supported public safety. I've worked on school safety initiatives. I've coached kids in our community. I've spoken with students about their futures. And for nearly 18 years, I have served in the military.

Through those experiences, I've also built relationships throughout Lakeville that have taught me something important:

Getting things done isn't about one person having all the answers. It's about understanding the issue, knowing who needs to be at the table, and working together to find the right solution.

That's the approach I will bring to the Lakeville City Council.

When I talk about supporting Lakeville businesses, I speak from experience.

As the owner of three businesses in Lakeville, I understand what it means to make payroll, create jobs, manage rising costs, navigate regulations, invest in your community, and make difficult decisions that affect employees and their families.

My involvement on the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce Board has allowed me to look beyond my own businesses and better understand the opportunities and challenges facing employers throughout our community.

I've also taken that advocacy to the Minnesota State Capitol, working alongside Lakeville representatives Jon Koznick and Jeff Witte to push back against legislation that I believed would negatively impact small businesses and their employees.

Here at home, I've worked with Lakeville's economic development leadership, including Tina Goodroad, to help attract businesses and investment to our community.

Economic development is about more than bringing in the next big project. It's also about taking care of the businesses that have already chosen Lakeville.

As a City Council member, I will support responsible commercial and industrial development, work to keep Lakeville competitive, advocate for our existing businesses, and encourage partnerships between City Hall, our Chamber, schools, employers, and the broader business community.

A strong business community creates jobs, strengthens our tax base, and helps keep Lakeville a great place to live.

People and businesses continue choosing Lakeville for a reason.

Our growth is evidence that we have built a community where people want to live, work, raise families, and invest.

I don't believe the answer is to stop that growth.

I believe the answer is to manage it responsibly.

Every new neighborhood and development brings opportunity, but growth also affects our roads, public safety, parks, utilities, schools, traffic, and city services.

We need to look beyond what a project means today and ask what it will mean for Lakeville ten, twenty, and thirty years from now.

That means balancing residential growth with commercial and industrial development. It means planning infrastructure before problems become emergencies. And it means protecting the characteristics that made people choose Lakeville in the first place.

My goal isn't to change the direction of Lakeville.

It's to help make sure we continue moving in the right direction.

Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities of city government.

My perspective on service has been shaped by nearly 18 years in the military. That experience has taught me the importance of preparation, teamwork, accountability, leadership, and making sure people have the resources necessary to accomplish their mission.

Here at home, I've supported the Lakeville Public Safety Foundation and developed relationships with members of our public safety community, including Police Chief Brad Paulson.

I've also had the opportunity to work with former Lakeville Police Lieutenant Jason Polinski through 3D Response Systems, including involvement with security technology implemented in Lakeville schools to improve emergency response and protect students and staff.

As Lakeville grows, we need to make sure our public safety capabilities grow with it.

That means listening to the professionals who understand these needs firsthand and making responsible investments in staffing, equipment, training, facilities, technology, and emergency preparedness.

The men and women protecting Lakeville need to know their community and City Council stand behind them.

The City Council doesn't run our school district—and I believe understanding that distinction is important.

But that doesn't mean the city and schools should operate independently of one another.

Some of the most important challenges facing our community require cooperation between the city, school district, public safety professionals, businesses, parents, and community organizations.

School safety is one of them.

Through my work with 3D Response Systems and Jason Polinski, I've been involved with security technology designed to improve emergency response in our schools.

I've also advocated at the Minnesota State Capitol for safer schools alongside people including Michael Baumann and Jason Polinski.

But supporting our schools goes beyond physical security.

I've participated in Career Day presentations at Lakeville High School because I believe students benefit when business owners, military members, public servants, tradespeople, and other professionals take the time to share their experiences and show young people the opportunities available to them.

I've also spent years coaching hockey, which has given me another opportunity to work with young people and families throughout our community.

As a City Council member, I'll support strong communication and partnerships between our schools, public safety departments, businesses, and city government while respecting the responsibilities of each organization.

Great communities and great schools strengthen one another.

Owning businesses teaches you very quickly that every dollar matters.

When costs increase, a business owner can't simply solve every problem by charging customers more. You have to establish priorities, examine expenses, find efficiencies, make difficult decisions, and determine which investments will produce the greatest long-term value.

I believe government should approach taxpayer dollars with that same sense of responsibility.

Fiscal responsibility doesn't mean refusing to invest.

A growing city needs roads. It needs police officers and firefighters. It needs infrastructure, parks, equipment, facilities, and services.

Those investments are part of maintaining the quality of life Lakeville residents expect.

But every significant spending decision should come with some basic questions:

Do we need it?

Are we getting the best value for taxpayers?

What will it cost us in the future?

Will this investment make Lakeville stronger in the long run?

Residents work hard for their money. City government has a responsibility to treat it that way.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned through business, military service, coaching, and community involvement is that very few meaningful problems are solved by one person.

Over the years, I've developed strong working relationships throughout Lakeville—including City Administrator Justin Miller, Mayor Luke Hellier, City Council Member Dan Wolter, Economic Development Director Tina Goodroad, Superintendent Michael Baumann, Police Chief Brad Paulson, and many others throughout our business, education, public safety, and civic communities.

Those relationships weren't built because I planned to run for office.

They were built by showing up, getting involved, and working with people.

And those relationships have helped me understand how our community actually works.

I believe that understanding is incredibly important for anyone serving on City Council.

When an issue comes before the Council, my first reaction won't be:

"How do I fix this?"

It will be:

"What is actually happening?"

"Is there a problem that needs to be fixed?"

"Who understands this issue better than I do?"

"Who needs to be at the table?"

"What role should the city play?"

And then:

"How do we work together to get it done?"

There is an important difference between campaigning and governing.

It's easy to stand on the outside and promise to fix something.

Effective leadership requires understanding the issue first.

A City Council member doesn't need to be the police chief, superintendent, economic development director, city administrator, engineer, business owner, or department head.

We already have talented people doing those jobs.

A good City Council member needs to listen to them, ask good questions, challenge assumptions when necessary, understand the facts, represent residents, and bring the right people together to make good decisions.

That's the kind of council member I want to be.

My leadership philosophy has been shaped by very different experiences.

Nearly 18 years of military service.

Owning and operating three Lakeville businesses.

Serving on the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce Board.

Advocating at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Working alongside public safety professionals.

Supporting our schools.

Coaching hockey.

And simply being an active member of this community.

Those experiences have reinforced something I've believed for a long time:

Leadership isn't about having the loudest voice in the room.

It's about listening.

It's about preparation.

It's about asking questions.

It's about surrounding yourself with good people.

It's about making difficult decisions when they need to be made.

And it's about being accountable for the results.

When I talk about economic development, I've owned businesses, created jobs, served with our Chamber, advocated at the Capitol, and worked with economic development leaders.

When I talk about public safety, I've spent nearly 18 years serving in the military, supported our Public Safety Foundation, and worked alongside law enforcement professionals on emergency-response solutions.

When I talk about safer schools, I've worked on school safety technology, advocated at the State Capitol, coached our kids, and spent time talking with Lakeville students about their futures.

When I talk about fiscal responsibility, I've spent years making decisions where budgets, payroll, employees, customers, and the consequences of those decisions are very real.

When I talk about working together, I'm talking about relationships I've spent years building throughout Lakeville.

I didn't start doing these things because I wanted to run for City Council.

I'm running for City Council because doing these things showed me how much I care about the future of Lakeville.

I'm proud of our community.

I'm proud of what we've accomplished.

And I believe our best days are still ahead of us.

Mark Reese for Lakeville City Council