"What I really want to work on is sustainability": Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney

(Fargo, ND) -- Fargo's current mayor is looking to secure his next and final term in the city as the election begins to take shape. 

Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney joined WDAY Midday to talk about the state of Fargo and what he hopes to bring to the city if elected to his fourth term. He says Downtown Fargo has transformed since his first years in office.

"I really wanted the downtown to become a walkable community, "said Dr. Mahoney, " That's really what is happening. Our community is looking at the downtown as one of the greater Midwest downtowns there is in the nation."

Mahoney also responded to critiques of focusing on Fargo's downtown area too much, saying the city is planning to look to the south coming soon.

"We have to figure out what to do with South University. That corridor has been seeing issues surviving in the new retail market... We also put money in a variety of things that go along Veterans Boulevard. You are going to see changes in the south side as well."

Dr. Mahoney also cites the FM Diversion as a key project he helped coordinate with multiple city, county, state, and federal agencies. He says the cooperation helped expedite the $3 billion dollar project from an 18 year timeline to 6 years, and expects to have flood protection for the region four years from now.

For the future, Dr. Mahoney says he wants to focus on sustainability. He says that includes affordable and supportive housing, keeping real estate growth rates around 5%, and looking for additional revenue paths the city can use to keep property taxes low. 

The city's election is on June 14th. You can learn more by clicking here.