By Bruce Karnick

Election day is Tuesday, November third which means this is the last Journal you will see before you get to vote. We reached out to local candidates with a simple message, give readers a final message on why to vote for you in 500 words or less. The candidates we contacted were; Tony Jurgens (R) and Kelsey Waits (D) both vying for the District 54B State of MN Representative seat, Karla Bigham (D) and Leilani Holmstadt (R) vying for the State of MN Senate Seat for District 54, Joe Balsanek and Jen Fox going for the Ward 2 Hastings City Council Seat.

From Tony Jurgens: It’s been an honor to serve you in the Minnesota House. The most fulfilling part of this job is helping others, and that’s been my goal for the residents of Hastings, Cottage Grove, and Afton.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down our state’s economy and devastated local families. I helped approve legislation to assist those struggling and personally reached out to many shuttered local business owners to learn how I could help and brought their concerns directly to the Governor’s Office. Moving forward I will continue to help Minnesotans recover, restore jobs and bring our once thriving economy roaring back.

I heard from residents who were sickened by days of rioting in Minneapolis and little being done to stop it. Months before the Minneapolis riots, I conducted ride-alongs with Hastings and Cottage Grove police officers, and Dakota and Washington County sheriff ’s deputies to see first-hand the challenges – and dangers – they face.

I strongly support the brave men and women in law enforcement who risk their lives protecting our communities and I’ll oppose any efforts to defund police departments. Police should be commended for their service, not degraded. Public safety must always be prioritized.

I’ll also continue protecting our senior citizens. I chief-authored a bill that would eliminate all state income tax on social security benefits and fought against proposed cuts to nursing homes so our aging loved ones get the quality care they deserve and their families expect.

When your city leaders reached out to me with a need or problem, I’ve acted. Maintaining speed limits along Highway 316 in Hastings and securing funding to improve that roadway, along with funding to restore the Hastings City Hall and create the HERO Center in Washington County are among my accomplishments.

During my service I’ve provided middle-class tax relief with the largest tax cut in nearly 20 years; supported the largest investment in road and bridge infrastructure in state history without raising gasoline taxes; lowered health care rates for those buying health insurance on the individual market and provided more health care choices for families.

My time in the legislature has been well spent building relationships on both sides of the aisle so we can find solutions. Bipartisanship will be more important than ever as we tackle future challenges.

If you contact me about a problem you’re having, I never ask if you’re a Republican or Democrat, I just do what I can to help because that’s my job. I represent everyone in our district, and I take that seriously.

My family moved to Cottage Grove 27 years ago. Our two daughters are both married now, and our twin grand babies arrived in January. Even though they were born four months early, those miracle babies continue to grow, develop, and surprise us every day. Their future and the future of all our children is why I do this job and why I want to continue serving you in the Minnesota House.

See Canidates Page 7

Hastings Candidates for Ward 2 City Council Jen Fox Joe Balsanek Canidates final words From Page 1

I humbly ask for your vote on Election Day.

From Kelsey Waits:

Election Day is next week. Mailers, phone calls, and negative ads are flooding in. It’s a lot. I’m writing to you directly to say I hope you might trust me with your vote because I would be honored to be your next State Representative.

Four years ago, I never imagined that I would be running for State Representative. Like many of us, I’ve been frustrated with the toxic partisanship that we see in our government. It’s discouraged me from getting involved. We don’t have to accept this for the way that it is. We can make our voices heard, we can participate, and with enough of us, I am confident that we can make change.

Growing up, my parents taught me about hard work and perseverance. My mom was diagnosed with MS and I watched my parents juggle multiple jobs as they struggled to keep a roof over our heads and pay the medical bills. After my parents divorced, my mom couldn’t keep up. In spring of my senior year, her medical bills were finally too much, and she sold our house just before declaring bankruptcy. When I left for college, she told me to remember where I came from and to pay it forward. Running for State Representative and advocating for our communities is my way to do that.

My family and I moved to Minnesota after my husband left the Navy. I have continued my family’s dedication to service as a member of the Hastings School Board where I have worked hard to advocate for the people in my community. I have built a reputation for honesty and accountability.

Running for office is not about me. It’s about you and your family. I will advocate for our communities at every step – putting conscience before caucus. Every child has a right to a public education that allows them to reach their full potential. Every child has a right to have a roof over their head and food in their bellies. No one should be forced to decide between paying their rent and paying for healthcare.

Each week I call hundreds of people in the district to learn what their biggest concerns are so that I can be a strong voice for them in St. Paul. From those conversations, it is clear that people believe in the message of this campaign and they are ready to make progress on the issues that are important to people in Minnesota: lower healthcare costs, quality education, and good paying jobs.

We’ve had a chance to see movement on these issues, but we haven’t because of partisan games. I believe in a type of politics that is positive, empowers people, and achieves real results for our district. We do this by working together. Holding a non-partisan office has given me the skills to do just that and it would be my honor to continue serving the people in this community in St. Paul.

From Karla Bigham: It has been an honor over the last three legislative sessions to work on behalf of the residents of Senate District 54. As a lifelong resident of the district, I grew up here, graduated from Park High School, and live here with my husband John.

My past experiences as a Washington County Commissioner, State Representative, and Cottage Grove City Council member have afforded me the opportunities to build partnerships and deliver results for our communities. Sponsoring bipartisan bills and working with legislators of both parties illustrate the leadership skills needed to be successful for the district. We have experienced significant improvements together over the years.

Since I was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2018, I am proud of the legislation signed into law that included the first middle- class tax cut in nearly 20 years, a tax bill that made sure more of our seniors do not pay taxes on their social security and expanded the Working Family Tax Credit. I am proud to have been the chief author of the legislation that made the Hastings City Hall renovations and the Highway 316 improvement project a reality.

The COVID pandemic also brought unprecedented challenges. We appropriated resources to provide our front-line health care workers with personal protective equipment, financial support opportunities for small businesses, food support to neighbors in need, and housing assistance relief to Minnesotans. We need to come together and lift each other up to get through this pandemic.

My top priority will continue to be rebuilding an economy that works for everyone. Earlier this month, with my support, we passed a robust bonding bill that will invest in our local infrastructure and stimulate our economy. These investments will create much needed jobs, and help complete sewer, utility, and road projects in Newport, South St. Paul, and Hastings. We need to continue to invest in broadband to help our businesses, farmers, schools, and healthcare providers. Additionally, we need to make sure our small businesses have the financial assistance available to survive a pandemic that has been absolutely devastating to them. I will continue to fight for more affordable health care and prescription drugs. Investing in our public schools, protecting our environment, and making sure we have clean water will continue to be top priorities for me every day at the Capitol.

I am proud to be endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, Education Minnesota, and many trade unions. I earned these endorsements because I fight for Minnesota workers every day. They know I show up, listen, and deliver results for our district.

It is an honor to be your State Senator. I humbly ask for your vote this election. To find out more about me, go to KarlaBigham. com. Early voting is going on now, so visit mnvotes.org to learn more about how you can vote early or locate your polling location. I would be honored to earn your vote on November 3rd. Thank you.

From Leilani Holmstadt: I am Leilani Holmstadt, your Republican Senate candidate in District 54. I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself to you.

My daughters and I have called Cottage Grove home for 27 years. For 21 of those years I have run a small, family childcare business. As a childcare provider and a mom, I understand the challenges of raising a family in 2020.

With my family maturing, I am now able to serve as your State Senator. I am running because the values we expect from our government are not on display in St. Paul. The values we should be seeing in St. Paul are good stewardship of taxpayer money, the accountability of elected and administrative officials and transparency in government operations. I am well aware these are not the values shared by most career politicians. I am proud to be running as an outsider – someone who is obviously NOT a career politician. The last thing we need in this district is to return a career politician to the Senate.

I am asking for your vote to help stop bad ideas from being implemented. Among them, the police from being defunded, taxes from going up, the attack on the sanctity of life at all levels, Minnesota from becoming a sanctuary state, and your right to bear arms from being taken away.

With your vote, I will work to maintain law and order in our communities, fully and safely open our schools, and protect every taxpayer. I refuse to raise taxes to fund deficits from poorly executed financial policies. You should not pay for government incompetence. I will also work to preserve your voice by restoring the balance of power in St. Paul.

In today’s challenging times, we do not need a career politician who represents her party and not her constituents. As I small business owner and a mom, I understand the pressures families are feeling today. As your Senator, I will fight for you, your family and for the businesses in the district. I would be honored to represent you in St. Paul.

From Joe Balsanek:

As we move through the last quarter of this year’s city council actions it’s important to look at where Hastings has been and where we’re going. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 12 years on the city council representing Ward 2 is that experience matters greatly. I’m always looking out for our 23,000 residents and our budget of about $23 million dollars.

Experience has taught me to see the strength of our city staff and how they work together for the best interests of you, the taxpayers. And I’ve seen how well the council collaborates to serve the people with foresight. There should never be any single-issue candidates or council members. This is not a popularity contest, and there should be no single issues or axes to grind when you’re a city council member. As a council member my only desire has been to seek an all-encompassing vision for Hastings’ future that recognizes diversity, supports a variety of quality housing and businesses providing livable wage employment along with quality products.

Your city council has done an outstanding job over my 12 years providing safe streets, quality parks, trails and recreation programs, expert police protection and emergency medical and fire services, all of it available to the public through responsible budgets with sound allocation of funds. Please consider what your city council members, past and present, have worked very diligently toward, to deliver the quality of life that we all enjoy today and will enjoy into the future.

– The Hwy 316 improvements package was just approved by the legislature last week – a grant to restore the dome on our historic city hall was also approved and work will begin soon. In my 12 years serving the city: – We’ve had over 60 new and expanded, renovated and remodeled businesses come to town.

– We’re working closely with Dakota County with a study that should produce an east-west commuter service in the next year.

– We’ve completed the Riverfront Renaissance along with the Rotary Pavilion.

– I helped guide the funding and completion of our new river bridge which had its groundbreaking only 10 years ago.

– We have a new ladder truck at the fire department along with renovated EMS vehicles.

– Our emergency equipment, including body cameras for the police department are all in place.

– By the way we were the first police department to implement those cameras in the metro area.

– We now have the new downtown parking ramp (paid for by the Met Council) adding over 100 stalls that were sorely needed.

And over the past 5 years I helped guide the Confluence Development project, now under construction, which will transform the Hudson Sprayer Building into an event center, hotel and apartments. And of course, we have the Art Space apartment lofts building which has helped focus attention on the fine arts in our community.

We did all this with tax rate that has been trending downward over the last 10 years. When I arrived on the city council we were in the middle of the Great Recession and the tax rate was pushing 8%. Now, thanks to fiscal responsibility by the city council and expansion of housing and businesses, we will see it down by nearly 50%. This allows the city to levy taxes that keep us in the middle when compared to other metro cities, staying under or at the rate of inflation. From all this we were recognized with an award by the Governor’s office for our property tax restraint while other metro cities were increasing budgets.

We’ve come a long way in my 12 years on the Hastings City Council with solid growth and responsible spending. And I look forward to that continuing. I’m very proud to have served with some fine city council members and mayors, past and present. So, look forward. A very bright and vibrant Hastings is what we have now, and a better and bolder Hastings is on the horizon.

From Jen Fox:

I was raised to show up for my community. Since I was young, I have been involved in local organizations and our schools. I believe Hastings City Council is my next step in my deep commitment to our city. As a local business owner and lifelong resident, it would be an honor to represent Ward 2 on Hastings City Council.

With decades of involvement in the non-profit, government, and business communities, I understand the deep impact that Hastings city staff and departments have on the everyday lives of our city’s residents. My background and experience will help to bridge any gaps between city government, local businesses, and residents.

Hastings has been in a chapter of development for many years. Watching and supporting the hard work of city staff and councils past made me believe in my hometown enough to build my life and my business here. I am committed to connecting our community to resources and services available to make their lives more vibrant. I plan to serve residents, throughout Hastings, by creatively addressing challenges and actively engaging in discussions and solutions. My experience and education in government has prepared me well for this task.

Professionally, I worked for the State of Minnesota as the Director of Consumer Outreach and Community Relations for the Minnesota Department of Commerce and in several communications roles at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. This experience prepared me to work within bureaucracy. My Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Leadership taught me how to be efficient with my bureaucratic experience. I currently serve Hastings as a commissioner on the Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority (HEDRA), where I was appointed Treasurer. HEDRA guides the development and implementation of the city’s economic and redevelopment strategies.

My governmental experience combined with my entrepreneurial experience has prepared me to serve our city as councilwoman. Local government is the most fundamental form of support for people in our community. Vital utilities and services are critical to maintaining quality of life in Hastings. I know that the City of Hastings works to make our businesses strong, growth a priority, and our residents thrive. It would be an honor to serve the residents of Ward 2 and give back to the community that has given me so much.

I love this city and I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work to connect resources and people to help our city thrive. Vote Jen Fox today through November 3rd for Hastings City Council.

I’d love to hear your ideas for the City of Hastings, feel free to reach out via email: [email protected] com. Or, for more information, visit my website: hastingscouncilfox. com.