The Challenge: 

Eagan’s commercial & industrial tax base is strong — but carries economic scars from the pandemic. The softening of the office market has diminished the values and property tax contribution of places like:

The former Thomson Reuters campus redeveloping now as an Amazon distribution center; the vacant Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters following a reduction in their Eagan footprint; and the Delta training center transitioning to housing & the uncertain future for the former Unisys building both within our City’s Northwest Central Commons Special Area to name a few.  

This is not an abstract fiscal problem. When commercial and industrial properties underperform, the burden shifts toward residential taxpayers. Following the pandemic, Eagan had more than 2 million sq. ft. of vacant office space, and we have already begun to see that tax shift. Reversing that trend is one of the most important economic challenges of the next four years.

The Solution:

Thoughtful, deliberate redevelopment that finds new uses for these spaces and restores or grows property values and tax base while protecting and preserving the neighborhoods where that change takes place. In any instance, there are legitimate concerns from residents and neighborhoods about the coming changes.  That’s to be expected.  The job of the Mayor & City Council is to listen to these concerns and to thoughtfully incorporate long-term protections for the surrounding neighborhoods and preserve the integrity of the homes around.

While a “no change” approach to these sites might feel more comfortable in the short term, over the long run,  Eagan and its taxpayers can’t afford prolonged decay. The work of change — done carefully, done collaboratively, done with the whole community in mind — requires experienced leadership at the head of the table. This is the kind of challenge Mayor Maguire and our community have faced down before, and he’s confident we will do it again. 

The Challenge: 

Minnesota has for decades fallen behind in the production, and that has driven prices up, causing an affordability crisis for young families trying to buy a home and enter the ownership market. Add in a near-decade-long effort by national home builders to undermine local protections and authority and pressure on policymakers to find a solution.  The result is a push for short-term “solutions” to a housing market that has been broken since the so-called “great recession” two decades ago.    

For three straight legislative sessions, bi-partisan coalitions of Democratic and Republican legislators, some among Eagan’s legislative delegation, have suggested that the solution is to reduce, if not eliminate, local control on land use decisions about density and residential development in commercial areas.  Their plans would “streamline” the process of approving housing by taking public hearings and community voices out of the process, opting instead for an administrative approval process.  The result is that developers would be able to build housing in up to 1/3 of a city’s commercial spaces, in denser neighborhoods, and with no requirements that new housing be any more affordable than what they build now.

Mayor Maguire has been an outspoken advocate for affordable housing in Eagan and an opponent of these legislative approaches.  While these efforts have been defeated three years in a row, they are likely to be back again in future legislative sessions.  

The Solution: 

Mayor Maguire and other local governments agree that there is a problem with housing supply and affordability but oppose the legislation because it is the wrong set of solutions.

In a supply and demand economy, we need to build more housing. A larger supply pipeline is essential to making housing more affordable.

Mayor Maguire has a different plan:

1. Incentivize and reward communities like Eagan that are already making smart decisions about introducing medium and high-density housing in commercial areas through the existing comprehensive planning process already in state statute.
2. Avoid state-level mandates unless a community is not making progress or actively skirting reasonable housing and affordable housing goals.
3. Preserve a meaningful space for community voices within the process of making housing decisions at the local level and in the neighborhoods and shopping areas where people live, work, and play every day.     

Local authority over land use and development is not a problem to be solved from a State Capitol office. It is a democratic value worth protecting.

That balance is harder to strike than either extreme. But the good news is that in Eagan, we have done a pretty good job of it.

The Challenge: 

The explosion of AI has triggered a large data center building boom across the country, raising significant community concerns about their demand for electricity and impact on residential utility bills, water consumption, and the potential depletion of that precious natural resource and their proximity to residential neighborhoods. The cloak of secrecy data center developers have placed around large-scale projects in other communities has sparked additional and real fears and concerns that important decisions impacting communities like Eagan are being made elsewhere.  

The technology of AI and data centers is changing more quickly than communities like Eagan and our local ordinances can keep up with.  In addition, the failure of a two-year statewide moratorium on data centers in Minnesota has left cities like Eagan, its residents, and elected officials to lead where the state has not. 

Mayor Maguire and the City Council have taken on the mantle of leadership by being the first city in Minnesota to adopt a one-year moratorium, the maximum state law allows, on large-scale data centers to “pause,” study, and take action to protect neighborhoods and the resources they depend on. A number of cities in Minnesota and Dakota County specifically have followed suit or are considering it. 

The Solution: 

Eagan’s moratorium wasn’t a hastily made decision.  It was, as so much of what we do, a thoughtful approach to separate fact from fiction, to listen and learn and develop a long-term policy framework that serves Eagan and can help other communities struggling with these issues. It was a decision for clarity, ensuring Eagan residents’ voices are heard before such significant decisions are made.

When the moratorium ends, Mayor Maguire is committed to a smart and informed approach that reflects Eagan’s values and protects its future. At its root, that will include the following:

1. Transparency of any proposed data center proposals in Eagan. This has been a hallmark of Mayor Maguire’s time as mayor, and data centers will be no different.
2. Rigorous analysis of proposed “cooling systems,” their water demands on our local water supply, and an understanding of the inverse relationship between water demand and electric consumption.
3. Restrictive standards that protect the quality of life in Eagan neighborhoods from the noise and other disruptions data centers present.

Data centers may or may not have a place in Eagan’s future, but that determination will be made together with and alongside Eagan residents with full information through a trusted process. That has been Mike’s commitment for 20 years.  Eagan residents deserve nothing less.

The Challenge: 

Unfortunately, Eagan is not immune or un-impacted by the political polarization and division that the Trump 2.0 Administration has brought upon the country and Minnesota in particular.  It has reshaped public life across America.

In the last two years, the polarization and political heat stoked by the administration have increasingly found their way to local-level governments — not just in how neighbors talk to each other — but by how it threatens and pressures local-level officials to take their eye off the ball and lose focus on the job at hand — continuing to strengthen our communities, sticking with our principles and values, focusing on the success of our cities and the needs of our residents — in spite of and through the noise. [Mayor Maguire’s commitment to remain focused in turbulent times on the needs of Eagan residents]

The Solution: 

In Eagan, we’ve found the solution for over 20 years now and resisted the temptation to guide public policy through overly partisan or ideological measures.  We’ve put our heads down, taken a clear course of direction, and stuck to our plans without waiver, without fail, confident that we’ve made the right decisions for our community.  We’ve stayed the course even when others haven’t, and the pressure’s been high. 

Some examples:

• While under threat or pressure from the federal government, educational institutions and businesses abandoned DEI and equity programs, we in Eagan held firm to our commitments to serve all residents with dignity and respect, making building a city staff that reflects our community’s diversity in our police and fire departments and on our appointed advisory boards. 
• While the federal government rolled back efforts and policies that help encourage Americans to utilize renewable energy and denies the climate change we can all see, Eagan remained steadfast in its 15-year commitment to sustainability and in 2025 adopting a Climate Action Plan.
• Before ICE and Operation Metro Surge came to Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and Eagan, Mayor Maguire and the City Council in October of 2025 re-affirmed with candidates to be our new Chief of Police that we enforce the laws of the State of Minnesota and of Eagan and not federal immigration laws. Our officers get high praise from the community for their professionalism, their compassion, and the good they do in the community.  We kept our focus on keeping people safe and secure as best we could without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, or political ideology.       

We did not maintain our heading to make political statements one way or another but rather as an expression of our commitment to the Eagan community values and commitments we’ve made over years of focus on Eagan’s needs and priorities.

Eagan has chosen a different path — one grounded in what works, not what’s loudest. Mayor Maguire is committed to that path.  Committed to staying focused on our city and residents’ success, to strengthening our community, and to facing and navigating, as he always has, through the challenges ahead in the steadfast hope of getting Eagan safely to the other side. 

The Challenge: Unfortunately, Eagan is not immune or un-impacted by the political polarization and division that the Trump 2.0 Administration has brought upon the country and Minnesota in particular.  It has reshaped public life across America.

In the last two years, the polarization and political heat stoked by the administration have increasingly found their way to local-level governments — not just in how neighbors talk to each other — but by how it threatens and pressures local-level officials to take their eye off the ball and lose focus on the job at hand — continuing to strengthen our communities, sticking with our principles and values, focusing on the success of our cities and the needs of our residents — in spite of and through the noise. [Mayor Maguire’s commitment to remain focused in turbulent times on the needs of Eagan residents]

The Solution: In Eagan, we’ve found the solution for over 20 years now and resisted the temptation to guide public policy through overly partisan or ideological measures.  We’ve put our heads down, taken a clear course of direction, and stuck to our plans without waiver, without fail, confident that we’ve made the right decisions for our community.  We’ve stayed the course even when others haven’t, and the pressure’s been high. 

Some examples:

• While under threat or pressure from the federal government, educational institutions and businesses abandoned DEI and equity programs, we in Eagan held firm to our commitments to serve all residents with dignity and respect, making building a city staff that reflects our community’s diversity in our police and fire departments and on our appointed advisory boards. 
• While the federal government rolled back efforts and policies that help encourage Americans to utilize renewable energy and denies the climate change we can all see, Eagan remained steadfast in its 15-year commitment to sustainability and in 2025 adopting a Climate Action Plan.
• Before ICE and Operation Metro Surge came to Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and Eagan, Mayor Maguire and the City Council in October of 2025 re-affirmed with candidates to be our new Chief of Police that we enforce the laws of the State of Minnesota and of Eagan and not federal immigration laws. Our officers get high praise from the community for their professionalism, their compassion, and the good they do in the community.  We kept our focus on keeping people safe and secure as best we could without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, or political ideology.       

We did not maintain our heading to make political statements one way or another but rather as an expression of our commitment to the Eagan community values and commitments we’ve made over years of focus on Eagan’s needs and priorities.

Eagan has chosen a different path — one grounded in what works, not what’s loudest. Mayor Maguire is committed to that path.  Committed to staying focused on our city and residents’ success, to strengthening our community, and to facing and navigating, as he always has, through the challenges ahead in the steadfast hope of getting Eagan safely to the other side.