Carlson Says Community Support Reinforced His Run for Decorah Mayor

Our Driftless region deserves more than postcards — it deserves a watchdog. Be that support. DECORAH — Newly elected Decorah Mayor Andy Carlson said strong backing from friends, family and city leaders affirmed his decision to run, even in an uncontested race, during a meet-and-greet last Thursday at the Decorah Municipal Building. "The amount of support that I had, the amount of friends and family that were reaching out and saying, 'We're proud of you and we think you're going to be doing great,' and the support that I got from other council members, including our Mayor Lorraine Borowski, her endorsement meant a lot to me," Carlson said. "When you have that much support, it really confirms that what you're doing is the right thing." Carlson said he had not yet had a full post-election conversation with Borowski, but their earlier discussions left a mark. He said Borowski told him, "that I was meant for the job and that I could do it," adding that hearing it from someone in the role mattered. "When you hear it from someone who's just being objective and who has the job and who knows what it entails, that was the one that really did it for me," he said. Carlson pointed to housing as Decorah's most pressing challenge. He said that during his earlier time on the city council, the city had "like the second-largest Airbnb market in the state," which he tied to declining school enrollment and fewer young families moving to town. "It's a price point that's too high for them to move here, and so I want Decorah to be accessible to everybody," Carlson said. He added that he does not "have concrete answers or a quick fix" yet, and that the city will need to "think outside the box" and work with state legislators. He said he is not calling for a ban on short-term rentals but that "it would be nice if we had some structure where maybe it was capped." Carlson also listed aging infrastructure as a major concern. "A lot of our infrastructure is pretty dated, and the cost of everything today is astronomical," he said, citing the scale of needs like a wastewater treatment plant overhaul. He said he hopes to see more commercial development to help "broaden that tax base." Carlson added that Decorah has long been "privileged" and selective about growth but may need to be "a little more open than we have been in the past." Never a dull moment! Subscribe to the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and stay one step ahead with local news and information you just can't get anywhere else.