Candidate profile: Ward 2 candidate Emily Neal

Emily Neal has been the Decorah City Council's 2nd Ward representative since August, when she was elected by the city council to fill the seat formerly held by Dan Bellrichard.

"I love it beyond my wildest dreams," she tells decorahnews.com.  Neal says there are always competitive needs in any issue that comes before the city council and she loves looking for solutions.

She says the public's perceptions of an issue don't always match the reality—mainly because of miscommunication.  She wants to help the city council to be more proactive in talking with the public—such as when the city council held a public forum on the Locust Road project.

Neal says the city has limited funding and an infrastructure that is aging and also is being affected by climate change.  The choices city government makes will affect the community—will cars or pedestrians be favored? 

Neal says she wants to help city government engage in system change so Decorah will become a more resilient community.  She says Decorah is thriving because people support local businesses and buy local.

Neal is the Assistant Director for the Center for Sustainable Communities and a staff instructor in Environmental Studies at Luther College.  She is running in Decorah's Second Ward against Dan Kirkeby.