Lambert files for Brainerd City Council

Jan Lambert filed to run for an at-large position on the Brainerd City Council.

Lambert is running for city council because she wants to see the city reach its potential, she said. She's retiring next year, so she'll have the time to devote to her goal, she said.

"I just think the city has so much potential that I'd like to be part of that," Lambert said.

Lambert spent a 40-year career in nursing, with 30 of those years in a clinic environment. She currently works at the Essentia Health-Brainerd clinic.

All the candidates running for an at-large seat are good, Lambert said. But she feels strongly about the importance of the city's legacy, she said, which will be around long after all the candidates are gone.

"I'd just like to see it reach its greatest potential," Lambert said. "And I'd like to be part of that."

Lambert is a good listener who's open to new ideas and is easy to work with, she said. She's also got some good ideas of her own, she said.

Mistakes are learning experiences, Lambert said, and necessary for the growth process. When she makes a mistake, she likes to look at what she could have done better, communicated better or planned better, she said.

Working in nursing has taught Lambert how to work with people, she said, as well as how to be compassionate.

"Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned is the fact that we don't know what people are going through," Lambert said. "We don't know what their circumstances are."

It's important for the city council to remember that when it has to do something like raise taxes or assess property owners for a project, Lambert said.

"We have to be able to understand that it might be burdensome for residents," Lambert said.

Lambert is also concerned about taxes going up, she said. Brainerd should be proactive in attracting different types of businesses like manufacturers in order to broaden the tax base, she said.

"We need to get something to broaden our tax base, therefore we bring more people into town," Lambert said. "It just becomes a circle of life."

Lambert previously sat on the Planning Commission for about 13 years, she said, and saw the city go through its comprehensive planning process. She currently sits on the city's Transportation Committee and Cable TV Advisory Commission.

Lambert, 61, unsuccessfully ran for a Ward 2 seat on the city council in 2002. She also unsuccessfully ran for an at-large seat in 2004.

Lambert lives at 426 Tyrol Drive and has lived in Brainerd since 1996. Her husband, a former Brainerd police officer, died in 2014. She has two daughters, two granddaughters and one grandson.

Lambert earned her licensed practical nurse degree from Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount. She also has an associate's degree in computer programming and accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Lambert is a Kiwanis member, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and was a member of the Memorial Day Committee.

Voters should choose Lambert because she'll listen to their concerns, she said. But at the same time, she knows the right decision has to be made.

"It might not always be what everybody wants, but I will look and see what's best for the city of Brainerd," Lambert said.

SPENSER BICKETT may be reached at 218-855-5859 or spenser.bickett@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/spenserbickett .