Noelle Harden

I’ve been an educator for 13 years with the University of Minnesota Extension in Moorhead in the department of Family, Health and Wellbeing. In this role, I’ve worked across Minnesota to address community needs by leveraging resources from the university, government, funders, and other entities. My skills in facilitating democratic decision-making and applying a systems mindset to health, participatory budgeting, food insecurity, and community resilience would add a fresh perspective in city governance. My overall approach is based on listening to all stakeholders, asking strategic questions, and being open minded to new ideas that challenge my assumptions.

• Support families by improving the quality of life of our most vulnerable residents.

• Advance public health and safety by increasing access to housing and mental health programs, while creating better working conditions for police and firefighters.

• Steward our city budget by investing in neighborhoods and small businesses, implementing fair tax policies, and ensuring residents have a voice in how our dollars are spent.

Sustainable growth, housing, quality of life, public health and safety are all critical issues facing our community. Having served on the steering committees of Resilient Moorhead and the Cass Clay Food Partners, I would draw on my experiences in matching community needs with available resources and taking a regional approach to address these challenges strategically across the greater FM area. I greatly enjoyed participating in the Moorhead Citizens Government Academy and would strive to continue my own learning and deepening of relationships with city leaders to understand the work being done, gaps, and how to make progress on key metrics.

Workforce development is an area where I believe Moorhead could really stand out in our region, especially if we marketed ourselves more boldly as a community that supports workers, families, and freedom. There is also an opportunity for Moorhead to become a more enticing location for small businesses and nonprofits that fill vital community needs like childcare and mental health services, which would make our city even more attractive for middle class families. I am also interested in examining our economic development incentive structure using metrics related to long term business retention, job creation, and impacts on our tax base.

As with any issue, my first step would be to learn more and talk with the people directly impacted whether they are a developer, landlord, homeowner, tenant or unhoused member of our community.

Specifically, I would want to see the data pertaining to incentives such as the multi-family residential property tax exemption to see if these programs are working to address community needs and could be expanded upon. I would also approach housing from a perspective that includes affordable rehabilitation of older homes, addresses barriers that people have in obtaining housing, and explores the Housing First model used in other cities.