Steve Sarvi has dedicated his life to serving his community and country.

During 20 years in the U.S. military, he distinguished himself as a leader. During 13 years in which he served as either mayor or city administrator, he has striven to make government work for the people.

Military Service

Steve has always felt a strong impetus towards service. At age 17, he enlisted in the Army Reserves. As a student at the University of Minnesota, he enrolled in ROTC, switched from the Reserves to the Minnesota National Guard and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant after his sophomore year.

During the next two years, Steve served as a platoon leader and company executive officer for a tank company based in Chisholm, Minn., and graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne School. In 1987, after graduating from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Steve joined the Active Army with a Regular Army commission.

Steve's first assignment took him to the Armor Officers Basic Course at Fort Knox, Ky. Following graduation, his first duty assignment was with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., where he served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer before being made Assistant Operations Officer for the 3rd Battalion 68th Armored Regiment. One year after the first Gulf War ended, Steve left the Army with the rank of Captain.

During a seven-year break from service, Steve and Barb grew their family. Steve began his professional career in managing local government before re-joining the Minnesota Army National Guard in 1999 as a Sergeant. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, stationed at the West St. Paul armory.

In response to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, Steve’s unit was called to active duty and stationed at the Minneapolis St-Paul Airport to help with security.

His unit was once again activated in 2003 to serve in Kosovo. During the Kosovo riots in the spring of 2004, members of Steve’s unit held back a crowd of over 2,000 Kosovo-Albanians who were attempting to destroy Serbian Orthodox churches and Kosovo-Serb homes in the city of Vitina. They successfully dispersed the crowd with no injuries in their area.

One of Steve's most rewarding experiences was using his mayor and city administrator expertise to teach villagers about local government. Steve worked with Kosovar and United Nations leaders to hold an election in a multi-ethnic village. Following the election, Steve mentored the new village council on democratic governance, showing them how to overcome differences in order to rebuild their village and come together as a community.

In 2005, as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant, Steve volunteered to serve with his National Guard unit in Iraq, stepping down as mayor of Watertown to do so. Steve was then selected to become the Civil Military Affairs Officer for Task Force Wild. In this role, Steve supervised the building of new schools, the upgrading of roads, and the distribution of water storage tanks and irrigation pumps. He also assisted with logistical support and training for the Iraqi Highway Patrol.

Task Force Wild completed hundreds of thousands of dollars in reconstruction projects, making much-needed improvements and providing rural Iraqis with jobs.

Local Government

Steve has worked in local government since 1994 – first as city administrator/clerk in Lanesboro, Minn., and later as city administrator in both Watertown and Victoria, Minn. After returning from Iraq, Steve resumed the role of city administrator in Victoria.

Steve was elected mayor of Watertown in 2000 and reelected in 2002 and 2004. Steve is held in high regard for his ability to bring people together, his understanding of government issues, and his high regard for fiscal responsibility.

As mayor of Watertown, Steve enacted city budgets that either kept city tax rates flat or declining and worked hard to coordinate city growth with the local school district and other players to manage the impacts of development.

In both Lanesboro and Victoria, Steve instituted Business Retention and Expansion projects to help existing businesses grow and add employees. He helped create the Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce. In Watertown, his work led to the redevelopment of the downtown area and the building of a baseball complex paid for by park dedication funds rather than city taxes.

As a city official and on his own, Steve has been involved in the Southwest Corridor Transportation Coalition, Minnesota State Fire Fighters Training Board, Watertown Chamber of Commerce, League of Minnesota Cities—Improving Local Economies Committee, SE Minnesota Initiative Fund, and the Council on Collaboration. Steve also served for several years on the Lanesboro Fire Department/Ambulance Service as a Firefighter and EMT-B.