Mike Maguire
Name: Mike Maguire
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651.231.1793
Campaign Website: www.maguireformayor.org
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/maguireformayor
Candidate Bio
Eagan is a successful city and a strong community. I'm running for re-election to keep it that way.
I've served as Mayor since 2006, and before that, on the City Council for four years — 24 years of experience building consensus and delivering results for our community.
Under my leadership, Eagan has become a model of steady, stable, nonpartisan governance. I've worked to keep residential property taxes in check by growing our commercial and industrial tax base, turning economic setbacks into long-term opportunities — from the Cedar Grove redevelopment, the Lockheed Martin reinvention into Eagan Central Commons, reuse of the former Delta HQ site as home to the Minnesota Vikings and Viking Lakes, and more recently the revitalization of the former Thomson Reuters campus and Northwest Central Commons — stabilizing our tax base while bringing jobs, retail destinations, and expanded housing for young families, seniors, and veterans.
I'm also proud of the 2016 Eagan Forward visioning process, which continues to shape our sustainability, arts, and race equity priorities — Eagan has been planting these seeds well before they became common conversations elsewhere.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I lead by building consensus, not by dictating outcomes. Eagan operates under a weak mayor system, where I serve as one of five votes on the City Council — as such my job is to build a Council environment of trust and thoughtfulness bringing Council and community together around solutions that work for Eagan.
Over 20 years as Mayor, I've kept that approach consistently nonpartisan. City Hall isn't the place to engage the partisan political debates of state and federal level politicians — roads get improved, budgets get balanced, and all perspectives get heard. I've tried to keep Eagan's focus local when outside political noise threatens to pull us off course.
I also believe in planning ahead rather than reacting. Whether it was responding to the Lockheed Martin closure or shaping the redevelopment of the Thomson Reuters campus, my instinct is to bring people to the table early, listen carefully, and work toward decisions that hold up over time — not just decisions that are easy to make in the moment.
That's the leadership style that got Eagan here, and it's the one I'll keep bringing to this job.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
First, I'll keep pursuing redevelopment projects like the Thomson Reuters campus, Northwest Central Commons and the Blue Cross Blue Shield HQ site that grow and recover commercial tax base depressed by the post-pandemic softening of the office market. The goal is to avoid the shift of Eagan's property tax burden onto residential taxpayers while adding retail and entertainment destinations and expanding housing options for young families, seniors and veterans. Building more housing and keeping it affordable isn't separate from economic development; done right, they reinforce each other.
Second, fiscal discipline. Eagan has always budgeted conservatively and planned ahead, and that approach will be essential if state or federal funding streams become less reliable. Our goal has always been to remain as fiscally self-sufficient as possible.
Third, while I share the legislature's goal of building more housing and improving affordability — I disagree with and oppose recent proposals in St. Paul that supplant local decision-making authority with state-level mandates and cut community voices out of meaningful participation in the process. Eagan residents and their elected representatives deserve a meaningful voice in how and where housing gets built in Eagan neighborhoods and commercial areas.
What is the biggest challenge facing Eagan right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge is maintaining stable, steady leadership at a time when politics at every other level feels increasingly turbulent and tumultuous. Eagan has thrived because we've stayed nonpartisan and focused on the fundamentals — good planning, sound budgeting, and decisions made with the whole community in mind. My job is to keep that steadiness intact, even as the noise around us grows louder, so residents can count on their city government even when they can't count on thoughtful governance in other places.
The greatest opportunity is in how we approach redevelopment. Sites like the Thomson Reuters campus and Northwest Central Commons represent real growth potential, but I'm mindful that the burden of that change doesn't fall evenly — it falls most heavily on the neighborhoods and residents closest to it. Our opportunity is to do redevelopment thoughtfully: preserving what makes existing neighborhoods work, mitigating the disruption that comes with construction and change, and making sure the benefits — new housing options, new amenities, a stronger tax base — are felt broadly across Eagan, not just by the city as a whole in the abstract.
Done well, redevelopment doesn't just grow Eagan. It strengthens the neighborhoods already here.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Eagan's business climate is strong, and it didn't happen by accident. We've built one of the most diverse commercial and industrial tax bases in the region, giving our economy real resilience and keeping pressure off residential property taxes. Businesses locate and stay here because the city plans ahead and follows through.
City government's role isn't to run the economy — it's to be a reliable partner: predictable permitting and development processes, infrastructure that anticipates growth, and collaborative work on complex projects like the Thomson Reuters campus redevelopment and Northwest Central Commons.
But attracting talent isn't just about jobs — it's about building a city people want to live in. That means investing in parks and amenities that make Eagan attractive, and maintaining a genuine commitment to inclusion so that people of all backgrounds feel welcome here. Workforce attraction and quality of life aren't separate priorities; they go hand in hand.
On workforce development specifically, our role is often about connection — partnering with the business community, Dakota County, and regional organizations to match residents with local jobs and support housing options that let people who work in Eagan afford to live here too.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Eagan has some of the lowest violent and property crime rates in the metro area and nation. That's not to say we're crime-free, but relative to other communities, we're doing well — and residents overwhelmingly report feeling safe in Eagan and supportive of our police and fire departments.
That's a strong foundation to build on.
One of the more pressing challenges recently hasn't come from within Eagan, but from outside it. Operation Metro Surge and immigration enforcement actions by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol undermined public trust in government at every level and tested our community-based policing model, which depends on residents trusting local police are there to protect them, not to serve as an arm of federal enforcement. Eagan, like many public safety agencies, continues working to repair and reinforce that trust.
Going forward, I'll keep investing in what makes our approach work: a police and fire staff that's increasingly diverse and reflective of our community, held to high standards of professionalism and accountability, and committed to treating every resident and visitor equally, with respect and dignity. Public safety isn't just about crime statistics — it's about residents trusting the system is fair and there for them.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability, and how do you view the role of rent control policies in that process?
I was elected as an affordable housing advocate, and that hasn't changed. I believe in policies that produce more housing, including housing affordable at every income level — not because the state tells us to, but because it's good for Eagan.
I part ways with some legislators, even some Eagan legislators, on how we get there. Their argument is often, "Eagan does a great job, but not every city is Eagan" — and they use that to justify mandates that apply to all communities regardless of performance. My response: the solution isn't to undermine local control in cities already doing things right; it's to distinguish between them. I'd support changing the comprehensive planning process to set clear regional and statewide housing goals, paired with a carrot-and-stick approach: reward cities making real progress, and reserve tougher, punitive measures for cities working against those goals. That respects local control where it's earned and applies pressure where it's needed.
I don't support rent control. It's an appealing response to rising costs, but the evidence is clear it discourages the very production we need to solve the affordability problem. The better path is building more homes, at more price points, faster.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Eagan has built more than 60 miles of walking and biking trails, reflecting a real commitment to multi-modal transportation — giving residents real choices, whether they're getting around on foot, bike, bus, or car. I want to keep building on that foundation.
A big part of making multi-modal transportation work is awareness — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists sharing the same spaces safely means everyone looking out for one another and maintaining their lanes. I'd continue investing in infrastructure and education that supports that: safe crossings, clear signage, and trail connections that make sense for how people actually move through the city.
One emerging issue worth acknowledging is the rise of e-bikes and scooters, which have brought new speeds and behaviors into shared trail and road spaces and, at times, created real nuisances and safety hazards. State law sets rules for how they can be used, and part of our job locally is making sure riders understand and follow them. Public education will matter as much as enforcement in getting this right.
Working with MVTA to strengthen bus connections rounds out the picture — especially for residents who depend on transit to get to work, shop or visit the doctor.
Residential property owners across the region are feeling significant strain from rising property tax bills. How would you approach balancing fiscal responsibility with the demand for services when setting the city levy?
Eagan has one of the more favorable residential tax pictures in the region, and that's not an accident — it's the result of years of deliberate strategy. By growing a diverse commercial and industrial tax base through redevelopment projects like the former Lockheed Martin site, the Thomson Reuters campus, and Northwest Central Commons, we've spread the tax burden so it doesn't fall as heavily on homeowners.
Setting the levy each year is a balancing act, and I approach it the same way every time: start with what residents actually need — public safety, parks, well-maintained roads and trails — and budget conservatively to deliver them without unnecessary growth in spending. Eagan has never been a city that spends first and figures out the levy later; we plan ahead and live within our means.
Transparency matters as much as the number itself. Residents deserve to understand what their tax dollars are paying for, especially when regional pressures — inflation, rising costs for everything from asphalt to insurance — make every city's job harder right now.
Fiscal responsibility isn't about cutting for its own sake. It's about making sure every dollar we do spend is earning its keep for Eagan residents.
What are the two or three issues where you believe city government is best positioned to lead — and why the city rather than the state or county?
Land use and local development are where cities have to lead — nobody else can make decisions about how a parcel gets redeveloped, what a neighborhood needs to stay strong, or how growth fits a community's character. The state and county set broad frameworks, but only the city has the local knowledge and accountability to get those decisions right.
Public safety is another. Trust between residents and police is built locally, call by call — it can't be mandated from St. Paul. Cities are also where public safety innovation happens: piloting co-responder models pairing officers with mental health professionals, building community-based policing suited to our own neighborhoods, and adapting training to reflect the community we serve.
Finally, fiscal management. Local elected officials are just as accountable to voters as state legislators — we face them every election too. Cities should be trusted to manage our own budgets, levies, and tax policy without state-imposed dictates or property tax limitations. We're best positioned to know what our community needs and can afford.
The common thread: these are decisions that work best when the people making them live with the results.
What does real taxpayer transparency look like to you, and what specific steps would you take to achieve it — both in terms of financial reporting and public engagement?
Real transparency means residents understand not just the numbers, but the timeline — and that's actually one of our biggest challenges. Eagan's budget process runs from June through the state-mandated Truth in Taxation hearing in December, but most residents don't engage until they see their proposed tax statement in October, meaning they often walk into that final hearing at the tail end of a six-month process. That's not a failure on their part — it's a natural response to seeing a number on paper — but it makes real engagement harder than it should be.
We've tried to address this directly: Eagan has held budget open houses earlier in the process, specifically to give residents a chance to weigh in before decisions are largely made. The honest challenge is that turnout at these sessions has been low, making it hard to justify the staff time it takes to run them well.
I don't think the answer is to give up on early engagement — it's to keep experimenting with how and when we offer it, and to be honest that the earlier residents engage, the more influence they actually have. Transparency works best as a two-way commitment.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651.231.1793
Campaign Website: www.maguireformayor.org
Twitter handle:
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/maguireformayor
Candidate Bio
Eagan is a successful city and a strong community. I'm running for re-election to keep it that way.
I've served as Mayor since 2006, and before that, on the City Council for four years — 24 years of experience building consensus and delivering results for our community.
Under my leadership, Eagan has become a model of steady, stable, nonpartisan governance. I've worked to keep residential property taxes in check by growing our commercial and industrial tax base, turning economic setbacks into long-term opportunities — from the Cedar Grove redevelopment, the Lockheed Martin reinvention into Eagan Central Commons, reuse of the former Delta HQ site as home to the Minnesota Vikings and Viking Lakes, and more recently the revitalization of the former Thomson Reuters campus and Northwest Central Commons — stabilizing our tax base while bringing jobs, retail destinations, and expanded housing for young families, seniors, and veterans.
I'm also proud of the 2016 Eagan Forward visioning process, which continues to shape our sustainability, arts, and race equity priorities — Eagan has been planting these seeds well before they became common conversations elsewhere.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I lead by building consensus, not by dictating outcomes. Eagan operates under a weak mayor system, where I serve as one of five votes on the City Council — as such my job is to build a Council environment of trust and thoughtfulness bringing Council and community together around solutions that work for Eagan.
Over 20 years as Mayor, I've kept that approach consistently nonpartisan. City Hall isn't the place to engage the partisan political debates of state and federal level politicians — roads get improved, budgets get balanced, and all perspectives get heard. I've tried to keep Eagan's focus local when outside political noise threatens to pull us off course.
I also believe in planning ahead rather than reacting. Whether it was responding to the Lockheed Martin closure or shaping the redevelopment of the Thomson Reuters campus, my instinct is to bring people to the table early, listen carefully, and work toward decisions that hold up over time — not just decisions that are easy to make in the moment.
That's the leadership style that got Eagan here, and it's the one I'll keep bringing to this job.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
First, I'll keep pursuing redevelopment projects like the Thomson Reuters campus, Northwest Central Commons and the Blue Cross Blue Shield HQ site that grow and recover commercial tax base depressed by the post-pandemic softening of the office market. The goal is to avoid the shift of Eagan's property tax burden onto residential taxpayers while adding retail and entertainment destinations and expanding housing options for young families, seniors and veterans. Building more housing and keeping it affordable isn't separate from economic development; done right, they reinforce each other.
Second, fiscal discipline. Eagan has always budgeted conservatively and planned ahead, and that approach will be essential if state or federal funding streams become less reliable. Our goal has always been to remain as fiscally self-sufficient as possible.
Third, while I share the legislature's goal of building more housing and improving affordability — I disagree with and oppose recent proposals in St. Paul that supplant local decision-making authority with state-level mandates and cut community voices out of meaningful participation in the process. Eagan residents and their elected representatives deserve a meaningful voice in how and where housing gets built in Eagan neighborhoods and commercial areas.
What is the biggest challenge facing Eagan right now, and where do you see the greatest opportunity?
The biggest challenge is maintaining stable, steady leadership at a time when politics at every other level feels increasingly turbulent and tumultuous. Eagan has thrived because we've stayed nonpartisan and focused on the fundamentals — good planning, sound budgeting, and decisions made with the whole community in mind. My job is to keep that steadiness intact, even as the noise around us grows louder, so residents can count on their city government even when they can't count on thoughtful governance in other places.
The greatest opportunity is in how we approach redevelopment. Sites like the Thomson Reuters campus and Northwest Central Commons represent real growth potential, but I'm mindful that the burden of that change doesn't fall evenly — it falls most heavily on the neighborhoods and residents closest to it. Our opportunity is to do redevelopment thoughtfully: preserving what makes existing neighborhoods work, mitigating the disruption that comes with construction and change, and making sure the benefits — new housing options, new amenities, a stronger tax base — are felt broadly across Eagan, not just by the city as a whole in the abstract.
Done well, redevelopment doesn't just grow Eagan. It strengthens the neighborhoods already here.
How would you characterize the business climate in Eagan, and what role should city government play in partnering with the business community to attract jobs, develop the workforce, and address shared challenges?
Eagan's business climate is strong, and it didn't happen by accident. We've built one of the most diverse commercial and industrial tax bases in the region, giving our economy real resilience and keeping pressure off residential property taxes. Businesses locate and stay here because the city plans ahead and follows through.
City government's role isn't to run the economy — it's to be a reliable partner: predictable permitting and development processes, infrastructure that anticipates growth, and collaborative work on complex projects like the Thomson Reuters campus redevelopment and Northwest Central Commons.
But attracting talent isn't just about jobs — it's about building a city people want to live in. That means investing in parks and amenities that make Eagan attractive, and maintaining a genuine commitment to inclusion so that people of all backgrounds feel welcome here. Workforce attraction and quality of life aren't separate priorities; they go hand in hand.
On workforce development specifically, our role is often about connection — partnering with the business community, Dakota County, and regional organizations to match residents with local jobs and support housing options that let people who work in Eagan afford to live here too.
What do you view as the most pressing public safety challenges in your community, and how would you address them?
Eagan has some of the lowest violent and property crime rates in the metro area and nation. That's not to say we're crime-free, but relative to other communities, we're doing well — and residents overwhelmingly report feeling safe in Eagan and supportive of our police and fire departments.
That's a strong foundation to build on.
One of the more pressing challenges recently hasn't come from within Eagan, but from outside it. Operation Metro Surge and immigration enforcement actions by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol undermined public trust in government at every level and tested our community-based policing model, which depends on residents trusting local police are there to protect them, not to serve as an arm of federal enforcement. Eagan, like many public safety agencies, continues working to repair and reinforce that trust.
Going forward, I'll keep investing in what makes our approach work: a police and fire staff that's increasingly diverse and reflective of our community, held to high standards of professionalism and accountability, and committed to treating every resident and visitor equally, with respect and dignity. Public safety isn't just about crime statistics — it's about residents trusting the system is fair and there for them.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability, and how do you view the role of rent control policies in that process?
I was elected as an affordable housing advocate, and that hasn't changed. I believe in policies that produce more housing, including housing affordable at every income level — not because the state tells us to, but because it's good for Eagan.
I part ways with some legislators, even some Eagan legislators, on how we get there. Their argument is often, "Eagan does a great job, but not every city is Eagan" — and they use that to justify mandates that apply to all communities regardless of performance. My response: the solution isn't to undermine local control in cities already doing things right; it's to distinguish between them. I'd support changing the comprehensive planning process to set clear regional and statewide housing goals, paired with a carrot-and-stick approach: reward cities making real progress, and reserve tougher, punitive measures for cities working against those goals. That respects local control where it's earned and applies pressure where it's needed.
I don't support rent control. It's an appealing response to rising costs, but the evidence is clear it discourages the very production we need to solve the affordability problem. The better path is building more homes, at more price points, faster.
How would you improve transportation infrastructure and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians in your community?
Eagan has built more than 60 miles of walking and biking trails, reflecting a real commitment to multi-modal transportation — giving residents real choices, whether they're getting around on foot, bike, bus, or car. I want to keep building on that foundation.
A big part of making multi-modal transportation work is awareness — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists sharing the same spaces safely means everyone looking out for one another and maintaining their lanes. I'd continue investing in infrastructure and education that supports that: safe crossings, clear signage, and trail connections that make sense for how people actually move through the city.
One emerging issue worth acknowledging is the rise of e-bikes and scooters, which have brought new speeds and behaviors into shared trail and road spaces and, at times, created real nuisances and safety hazards. State law sets rules for how they can be used, and part of our job locally is making sure riders understand and follow them. Public education will matter as much as enforcement in getting this right.
Working with MVTA to strengthen bus connections rounds out the picture — especially for residents who depend on transit to get to work, shop or visit the doctor.
Residential property owners across the region are feeling significant strain from rising property tax bills. How would you approach balancing fiscal responsibility with the demand for services when setting the city levy?
Eagan has one of the more favorable residential tax pictures in the region, and that's not an accident — it's the result of years of deliberate strategy. By growing a diverse commercial and industrial tax base through redevelopment projects like the former Lockheed Martin site, the Thomson Reuters campus, and Northwest Central Commons, we've spread the tax burden so it doesn't fall as heavily on homeowners.
Setting the levy each year is a balancing act, and I approach it the same way every time: start with what residents actually need — public safety, parks, well-maintained roads and trails — and budget conservatively to deliver them without unnecessary growth in spending. Eagan has never been a city that spends first and figures out the levy later; we plan ahead and live within our means.
Transparency matters as much as the number itself. Residents deserve to understand what their tax dollars are paying for, especially when regional pressures — inflation, rising costs for everything from asphalt to insurance — make every city's job harder right now.
Fiscal responsibility isn't about cutting for its own sake. It's about making sure every dollar we do spend is earning its keep for Eagan residents.
What are the two or three issues where you believe city government is best positioned to lead — and why the city rather than the state or county?
Land use and local development are where cities have to lead — nobody else can make decisions about how a parcel gets redeveloped, what a neighborhood needs to stay strong, or how growth fits a community's character. The state and county set broad frameworks, but only the city has the local knowledge and accountability to get those decisions right.
Public safety is another. Trust between residents and police is built locally, call by call — it can't be mandated from St. Paul. Cities are also where public safety innovation happens: piloting co-responder models pairing officers with mental health professionals, building community-based policing suited to our own neighborhoods, and adapting training to reflect the community we serve.
Finally, fiscal management. Local elected officials are just as accountable to voters as state legislators — we face them every election too. Cities should be trusted to manage our own budgets, levies, and tax policy without state-imposed dictates or property tax limitations. We're best positioned to know what our community needs and can afford.
The common thread: these are decisions that work best when the people making them live with the results.
What does real taxpayer transparency look like to you, and what specific steps would you take to achieve it — both in terms of financial reporting and public engagement?
Real transparency means residents understand not just the numbers, but the timeline — and that's actually one of our biggest challenges. Eagan's budget process runs from June through the state-mandated Truth in Taxation hearing in December, but most residents don't engage until they see their proposed tax statement in October, meaning they often walk into that final hearing at the tail end of a six-month process. That's not a failure on their part — it's a natural response to seeing a number on paper — but it makes real engagement harder than it should be.
We've tried to address this directly: Eagan has held budget open houses earlier in the process, specifically to give residents a chance to weigh in before decisions are largely made. The honest challenge is that turnout at these sessions has been low, making it hard to justify the staff time it takes to run them well.
I don't think the answer is to give up on early engagement — it's to keep experimenting with how and when we offer it, and to be honest that the earlier residents engage, the more influence they actually have. Transparency works best as a two-way commitment.