Building a brighter, more inclusive Spring Lake Park together.
I'm running because Spring Lake Park deserves a mayor who values every resident of our city, and who understands the needs of families and children.
For most of my career, I have served our community as a Special Education Paraprofessional, working daily to support our students and ensure every child has the tools they need to succeed.
Since moving to Spring Lake Park six years ago, I've seen our city grow and change. My vision is to lead that change with transparency, inclusivity, and a focus on making our city a place where everyone can thrive.
My husband Josh and I have been married for 10 years, and we have a 10 year old son Adrian. Our family is glad to call Spring Lake Park home!
While Spring Lake Park remains safe, we can always do better. I support expanding cultural competency training for our officers and increasing police presence at schools during drop-off and pick-up. I will also prioritize pedestrian safety with better-maintained crosswalks. Finally, I oppose the use of costly Flock cameras to protect resident privacy and ensure our city resources are never used for federal immigration enforcement.
Spring Lake Park is a changing city. Our demographics are rapidly becoming younger and more diverse. Our government needs to reflect that change. The city works best when every voice is at the table. As mayor, I commit to treating every resident of Spring Lake Park with dignity and respect. I will invite every resident to be an active participant in decision making, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, or political affiliation.
Our residents deserve a government that is transparent and accessible. While we have made great strides to improving accessibility, we can do better. I propose streaming and storing all city council meetings on YouTube, which is an easily accessible platform that is universally known and recognized. Further, I want to establish monthly Coffee with the Council events, where residents can meet with their elected leaders in a less formal setting to learn about what is happening and express any concerns they may have. These events can also be live streamed to those who cannot attend in person.
Every child in Spring Lake Park deserves playgrounds that are clean, safe, and accessible. Unfortunately, recent improvements at Able Park did not do enough to ensure that children with different abilities can actually use the playground. We must modernize all of our playgrounds, so that all children can play. I also support exploring the idea of transforming one of our parks, either Terrace Park or Lakeside Lions Park, into a destination playground with a splash pad and concessions. This will attract both residents and non residents to spend time and money in our city.
Our city must do everything possible to attract and retain our businesses. We have very little room to expand, so it is imperative that we provide an incentive for small businesses to move into our existing storefronts. We were all told that if Hy-Vee comes to our city, the other businesses will come. While having an anchor store is useful, we have learned it isn’t the silver bullet we thought it would be. I support exploring a small business micro grant program, to help new resident-owned businesses get on their feet and put down roots in our community. I would explore all available avenues to fund this project, including partnering with our representatives in the legislature and at the county.
Improving city responsiveness to issues is a priority. A city of our size is uniquely positioned to be able to address the needs of our residents in a timely manner. I propose an online portal where residents can report potholes or sidewalk repair needs, and a system where they can track their request for repairs.
While Spring Lake Park may be small, we have the opportunity to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable, and more affordable community for everyone. I support the GreenStep Cities initative, which will modernize our city and make it more resilient. Specifically, I support vertical mixed use development at the property recently aquired by the city near the public works building on Highway 65.
"I support Halyn because his platform is grounded in respect, practicality, and a genuine desire to serve the needs of our entire community."
Lisa Dircks
City Council Member