I was born and raised in Tracy, MN. 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 did you decide to run for a seat on the council?
I decided to run for reelection 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 am able to have a positive impact on moving this community forward and into the future.
Are there areas along Hwy. 14 that can be improved, and if so, how can we make that happen?
There is always room for improvement anywhere. Tracy is working diligently at dealing with blight and unkept properties, both personal and business. When people drive into Tracy on Hwy 14, it is the first impression they get of our community. I want them to say… wow this town really takes pride in themselves and their community. Look at what they all have to offer right inside of their city limits. We 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 to get those services?
As we all know, small-town downtowns are mostly quiet these days when it comes to retail. What can Tracy do to bring vibrancy and traffic back to downtown, and how can Tracy attract more business to bolster our tax base, either downtown or elsewhere?
Small-town downtowns are a challenge for most small towns. Local people have done a good job at starting to bring more “action” and opportunities to visit our downtown area and we need to continue that trend and work on expanding on it. 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.
