FDL City Council Candidate Profile – Jim Lorrigan

Six candidates are vying for three spots on the Fond du Lac City Council on the April 2nd ballot, and one of the choices voters will see is that of Jim Lorrigan. Lorrigan, who grew up in Fond du Lac, says he got his interest in local politics from his mother, Lee Ann, who served six years on the council – including two years as Council President and another two as Vice President. After going to college in Stevens Point and serving on student government there, Lorrigan moved back to Fond du Lac and says he’s running for council to do something to help the community. He points to supporting the police and fire departments, continuing to revitalize the downtown and drawing young skilled workers to Fond du Lac to fill available positions.

When it comes to how to draw young workers and their families to Fond du Lac, Lorrigan says it starts with community partnerships. “I don’t think that’s something the City Council can do alone. It’s partnering with Envision Greater Fond du Lac, the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership, and a lot of that also comes with downtown revitalization,” Lorrigan said. “As we get downtown to have a good quality of place, bring in more businesses and make it an attractive place for people to go to, that will also help bring in young workers that see us as a thriving community.” Lorrigan says he believes Fond du Lac “has a lot going for it”, from events, to great schools to the city being a very safe community to live in.

As for challenges facing the city, Lorrigan identifies budgeting as a key issue. He says the city is still paying down debts from years past because budgeting wasn’t as responsible before. Lorrigan also says his key platform of supporting the police and fire departments comes from the fact that the budgets for those agencies are running rather strict, something he thinks needs to change. “If there is one budget that needs to be raised, I do think its with the fire and police departments,” he said. “Fond du Lac hasn’t stopped growing, so we need to make sure that this is a safe place for everyone.” Despite being a young man running for council, Lorrigan says he’s not pushing just to support young people in town. “I want to get on City Council to help with Fond du Lac as a whole. I want to make sure that everyone knows that I have some good, sound judgement when it comes to a lot of issues that are brought up and I’m making decisions that I believe will help benefit Fond du Lac in its entirety,” he said.

Find out more about Jim on his Facebook Page