Council candidates lay out their messages at forum

Compiled by John McLoone

There are two Hastings City Council at-large seats up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election.

Four candidates from an initial field of seven survived the August primary vote, and electors had an opportunity last week at a candidate forum sponsored by the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and Hastings Community TV to learn more about the candidates who are fighting for city council seats being vacated by Lori Braucks and Mark Vaughan, who decided against seeking re-election.

Running are: Angie Haus, 1421 Tyler St.

Ian Martin, 1770 Greystone Rd.

Dave Pemble, 731 West Fifth St.

Tom Wright, 550 Seventh St. W.

The forum offered candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves and give a final message, with questions sent in advance from the community in between. CITY

Here’s a look at what the candidates had to say.

Opening Statements Company.

“Running for office has been a goal of mine since I was a kid. At 42 years old, I figured I’d better give this a shot,” said Wright.

If elected to the City Council, you’ll be asked to make decisions for the city that may at times be unpopular. How do you plan to involve the public and work with fellow councilmembers in making both popular and unpopular decisions?

Pemble – “Most people who know me know that I have a good point of conversation, and I’m looking at discussions with not only individuals but with community groups and others. We have to work together and that means two-way communication. In order to do that, you have to present your point and the other folks have to present theirs,” he said. “You have to be able to say ‘OK, we can come to an understanding and make things work.’ And that’s the way I perceive to move forward, with that point of view.”

Haus – “The key to that is listening, listening to our residents, listening to our businesses and listening to our city staff, chamber of commerce, everyone involved. I think the city understands its role, which is to set up great infrastructure, public safety, code enforcement and amenities. I think we all know that sometimes hard decisions have to be made. Sometimes taxes have to be raised. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. I think we have to have a better understanding of one another to get off on the right foot, and I think listening is the key to that.”

Martin– “I think listening is a key to that. There’s a saying that I like to use that often there’s a difference between listening and waiting to talk. I think a lot of people wait to talk. They’re not actually engaged in listening. Part of listening is suspending your personal belief on an issue and truly thinking about it from the vantage point of a resident or a business entity, whether it be a project, zoning, ordinance violation, whatever,” said Martin. “You have to weigh those competing interests and ultimately, make a decision that has the greatest good for the greatest amount of people in mind. The other key to that is also transparency. Information isn’t’ always going to be good, but we need to be transparent as elected officials for whatever the decisions that are being made.”

Wright – “A good chunk of my career was spent in communications for the City of Hastings and for the community of Hastings, so I have experience in this. I think the key to avoid the pitchforks, per so, is to really explain things and why things are being done. I think a lot of people might get up in arms about something, just knee-jerk reaction because they don’t really understand it. I think the key thing is to really help explain it in a way that people understand it,” he said. “In the end, you might still not have everybody agreeing with you, but at least you explained it. You’re never going to win everybody over. At least you explain it thoroughly and give them a chance to hear both sides.”

How would you characterize the business climate in Hastings, and what, if anything, would you do to improve it?

Martin – “The business climate is really gathering momentum with Fleet Farm, Jersey Mike’s, Intek expanding and KFC on Vermillion Street. We’re really seeing an invigorated part of economy there that we haven’t seen for many years. What I would do to ensure that keeps going is to stay in tune with the community and what they’re looking for,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of trepidation about Vermillion Street. Personally, I think we will kill economic growth down Vermillion Street if we build a wall down the middle of that road, if we’re going to limit left turns. Businesses are going to look at that, traffic counts are going to change, it’s going to affect the accessibility of businesses, and we’re also going to have problems on the streets that are behind them, getting people to those businesses. We need to have a close eye on that project here in the near future,” said Martin.

Wright – “From my perspective, it’s very positive. I think it’s grown immensely in the time that I’ve been here in Hastings. We’ve gotten many new events that have sprung up,” he said. “There are events like Rivertown Days. The chamber has done new things, cool things with that. I see a lot more businesses getting involved in sponsoring events intown as well. I would say it’s very positive, but I think to improve it, it’s just continued collaboration, continued partnerships and continued networking, and I think the chamber, the Downtown Business Association and the city can all be involved in that.”

Haus – “I think business has been going great in Hastings. We have been growing and maintaining our local developments, and we’ve had expanding and new businesses,” she said. “There is a larger array of local business that have come in, and then we have businesses like Intek that are expanding as well. We have The Confluence opening up in May. I think the city can keep promoting this by listening to the business. The infrastructure that goes in, I think it’s a really important part to take in what’s going on in the Vermillion corridor and mainly listening to each other.”

Pemble – “We have a retail climate that is growing immensely. I would say in the past few years, and it looks to grow even more. When you look at the commercial aspect, the industrial aspect of growth for good jobs, we have an industrial park where we have 50 acres of land that we’ve had trouble trying to find a company that will come in and pursue those things,” he said. “We are a community that sees 37,000 vehicles driving up and down Vermillion Street right here. Whatever we do on the Vermillion corridor is going to affect businesses. We have to be very cautious.”

Overseeing the city’s budget is an important role of the city council. How do you feel the city has done when it comes to balancing community needs while being mindful of the tax burden placed on residents and businesses? What, if anything, would you do differently?

Wright – “In the 2022-23 budget, it’s the first time they’ve had an increase in tax rates since 2016. That’s positive news. Comparing Hastings to similar cities like Columbia Heights, same population, their budget is $46 million per year. In Hastings, it’s $42 million. I think that’s positive. Comparing us to other cities, we’re getting by with less,” he said. “Thinks I will look at differently with some cost savings, other police departments are driving hybrid vehicles and patrol vehicles and saving their vehicle budget with fuel savings and fuel costs. I understand the upfront costs are about $3,000 more per vehicle, so it’s doable.”

Pemble – “The current council approved a rate increase that will be 6.6 percent for the 2023 budget. Looking at the big picture, we’re a community that has been around a while. It’s just like taking care of a house. You have to look at the streets, infrastructure, the sewer, the water,” he said. “There are things that need to be addressed. You’re using about $4 million a year on roads, but there’s not a lot of extra to do anything else. You have to be cautious, because it looks like we’re going into a downturn in the first two quarters of next year.”

Haus – “Looking at the 2023 preliminary budget, there’s an estimated annual increase for property taxes of about $195 or $16.25 per month. I think this is really, really doable. Through all the inflation we’ve been going through, prices have skyrocket. I think it’s really important that the city has been pretty understanding,” she said. “I think going forward, we are dealing with kind of an aging infrastructure. We’re replacing capital equipment. We’re looking at hiring more firefighters, EMTs, a police officer and a building inspector. None of these come without costs. I think the city has done well, and I hope to plan and continue to do that for them.”

Martin – “I think they’ve done OK. I think there’s room to improve. The county loves to praise its low tax rate as number one in the state. They do that because they push costs on the city, so County Road 46, we’re going to end up paying for 13 percent of that project. I would push on Commission (Mike) Slavik and his group to maybe adopt what Hennepin County does, where it’s more of an a la carte type cost share where the county is responsible for 100 percent of things like drainage, curb and gutter. I think there’s some savings there. I would also push to create a streetlight utility as a private proprietary fund. Currently, tax exempt parcels in Hastings don’t pay for streetlights. That’s $220,000 a year cost that we all pay as taxpayers that schools and churches and government center and things like that don’t pay. I think there’s some low hanging fruit there that we could go after and improve.”

Excerpts from each closing statement:

Wright – “My main selling point is that I do have a track record for making a difference for whatever organization I’m involved in. When I came to HCTV, when I took over, I initiated a full renovation of our studios so that we had a TV studio, and our employees felt like they were working in a TV studio. It was amazing difference from before and after on that.”

Pemble – “I would like to bridge the gap between the residents and government by supporting both industrial and residential growth. I will be an advocate and a voice for our citizens to ensure their best interests are heard. I will encourage progress to make Hastings the preferred place to live and work.”

Martin – “What I saw when this election cycle started out seemed typical…. the occasional social media banter that is healthy to any relevant issue today. I then saw a drastic turn toward politicizing a nonpartisan position in local government via social media. People started attacking me personally at a level I didn’t think any adult would feel comfortable doing, especially after the turmoil our city went through a little more than a year ago. I kept a cool hat and persevered, not falling into this senseless rhetoric…. I’m sharing this with you to call on all of us, no matter who up here tonight gets selected, support them. Don’t tear them down. We’re all running for different reasons, and each of us has our own ideas of how and what we can do to add to this great city. If I get elected, and you didn’t vote for me, I promise to treat you the same as if you did. I will lead with respect, transparency and courage and hope that you’ll support whoever may get elected.”

Haus – “It takes a lot to come up here on this stage and talk to everyone. It’s a lot of anxiety. It’s a lot built up. But I can tell you everyone up here loves this community. I live it more than anything in the world. I can’t tell you that I’m going to be better than anyone next to me, but I can promise you that I’ll be there to help Hastings thrive and help us prosper in every way possible.”

-Photos by Bruce Karnick

Forum moderator John Hunt of Smead Manufacturing questioned Hastings City Council candidates at the forum Thursday. Photo by Bruce Karnick

Angie Haus -Haus is a lifelong Hastings resident and Hastings High School grad. She has a degree from Century College and works as a dental assistant. “I have a deep-rooted love for our town and community,” she said. She is a board member for the Thrive and IDEA organizationsin Hastings. “I’ve volunteered extensively throughout my life. Being on the council is an extension of my desire to help others,” Haus said. “I want to be the voice on the council for establishing strong, high standards for government performance. We have a very involved community, and I’m thrilled to further my involvementby being on the council.”

Ian Martin –Martin was born and raised in Hastings and is a 2005 Hastings High School grad. He has a BS in Law Enforcement and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Metropolitan State University. He’s a former police officer and currently an operations agent with the Metropolitan Airports Commission. He has served on the Heritage Preservation Commission and the city Planning Commission, where he was vice chair. “I’m interested in serving as your next city councilmember for public safety, parks and a citywide vision beyond downtown,” said Martin.

Dave Pemble –Pemble is a longtime city resident with experience in several public service roles. He currently is a member of the Hastings Parks and Recreation Commission. He served on the Public Safety Advisory Commission, on the Hastings 2030 Comprehensive Planning body and is a past school board member at ISD 917 and 200. For the last decade, he’s also served as an air ground search specialist for the Civil Air Patrol in Hastings and Dakota County. He served more than 20 years in the Hastings Police Reserves. He is retired from a career as Lead Nuclear Machinist at Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant. “I am a candidate with multiple public service roles,” said Pemble.

Tom Wright –Wright organizes the annual Memorial Day March for Them, an annual trek from Red Wing, up Hwy. 35 to Hwy. 10, culminating with an evening ceremony in Hastings to honor veterans who lost their lives. Wright has degrees in radio broadcasting and communications and worked for Hastings Community TV for 15 years, 10 as its executive director. He is U.S. Army veteran and was an Army Ranger for three years. He and wife Melanie own the Method Organization