A LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES: THIRD IN A SERIES

Brooke Shepherd

There are two open seats for Hastings City Council, with seven candidates running. The primary election to narrow the candidate pool will take place on Aug. 9, and the final two individuals will be chosen based on the number of votes on Nov. 8.

This is the third of weekly profiles of the candidates, who are: Joe Balsanek, 340 Crestview Dr.

Angie Haus, 1421 Tyler St.

Dean Markuson, 436 Tiffany Dr.

Ian T. Martin, 1770 Greystone Rd.

Dennis Gerald Peine,

120 Ninth St. W

Dave Pemble, 731 W. Fifth St.

Tom Wright, 770 Seventh St. W.

Angie Haus

Hastings native Angie Haus is an active member of the community who is running for one of the two seats on City Council.

At 24yearsold, Haus would be the youngest member of the council if elected. She currently works

See HAUS, Page 5 as a dental assistant at Smile Orthodontics in St. Paul.

“I love it more and more every day,” said Haus. “It’s a blessing to have this job and I work for a wonderful group of people.”

Prior to that, Haus spent two years dental assisting at the Oral Surgery Center in Woodbury and Cottage Grove. She has also done a variety of volunteer dental work, though Mission of Mercy, Hope Dental Clinic, and Give Kids a Smile. Haus had the opportunity in 2020 to travel to Uganda as part of a mission trip with a group organized by Paul Musherure, a pediatric dentist through Health Partners. The candidate has given presentations in a classroom setting, as well as to Girl Scout groups about dental assisting and what that career path could look like.

Haus has also volunteered at Feed My Starving Children and Second Harvest Heartland. She is a board member for both nonprofit organizations THRIVE and IDEA in Hastings. THRIVE is an initiative that began in 2016 to foster dialog and build understanding of the state of diversity, inclusion, and equity in town. IDEA is dedicated to bringing awareness and change to the community and beyond on topics related to racial discrimination, bias and inequality. In the past, Haus ran equity labs for THRIVE, which are training courses offered for businesses and public officials. The training is related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I think inclusivity, diversity and equity are important to the foundation of any town because it is what keeps us going,” said Haus. “We want to become a welcoming community for all, so if we don’t have that, to me we don’t have anything.”

There are many focuses of Haus’ campaign, including: Increasing inclusivity and tourism, improving public transportation throughout the city, maintaining small businesses and city staff, and remaining involved throughout the Vermillion Street Corridor redevelopment, which Haus referred to as the “spine of the city.”

“We have beautiful river walks and wonderful businesses,” said Haus. “There’s so many parks and trails and events every week, tourism really ties in with inclusivity because we want to be a welcoming town to bring in new people. We want people to want to stay here and love this town for the great qualities it has.”

Maintaining while improving what prior council members have done is important to Haus. She said there is always room to learn and grow. According to Haus, her energy is what sets her apart from the other candidates and gives her a different perspective.

“I plan to be at all community events possible,” said Haus. “When I want something, I make sure it’s done right and that includes all aspects of being a council member.”

Haus has a husband named Kris and family throughout the Hastings and Miesville area. Her partner is also a board member for IDEA.

“I’m very close with all my family,” said Haus. “We often do Sunday dinners together and I do have a dog named Annie, and two cats: Snow and Daffodil.”

Foraging for sustainable foods like mushrooms, dandelions and grains is a favorite passtime for Haus.

“A few weeks ago, I picked all my dandelion heads and made dandelion cookies,” said Haus. “It’s easy ways to get free food that’s in your yard.”

Other hobbies for Haus include hiking nature trails with her dog, reading, listening to local musicians, and as of last year, helping her sister and brotherinlaw with beekeeping. Haus said she has taken classes on bee and hopes to get her own hive next year.

Educationally, Haus graduated from Hastings High School in 2016, and from Century College in 2019 with an associate degree in dental assisting.

Haus is not currently a part of an organized religion. She said she believes in something but is not sure exactly what it is at this time.

“It is something that’s personal to me, and that I continue to learn about,” said Haus. “I do respect all religious beliefs and I think what makes a good public servant is the ability to work with and accept people from all religious backgrounds.”

Haus will have a booth at River Town days, and information about her campaign can be found on the Angie Haus for Hastings City Council Facebook page. She said: “I really am committed to our community and making sure everything, and everyone is heard. I want to make sure we’re thriving as a town as well.”

Angie and her husband Kris on a walk in Hastings with their dog Annie. Photo courtesy of Angie Haus