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Monday, October 10, 2016
FILLMORE COUNTY JOURNAL
Page 11
meet the ca ndidates City Council Carl Ernst
Candidate for Canton City Council Tell us about yourself: My name is Carl Ernst. Virginia and I have lived in Canton for almost 40 years. I am an avid sportsman and also enjoy flower gardening. Carl Ernst Tell us about your work/life experience: I have been employed at Harmony Enterprises for 37 years. There I work as a welder ,building a large variety of recycling compactors. Our compactors are sold worldwide and used to recycle a large variety of materials. Tell us why you are running for office: Having served on the city council for three terms, I feel I am qualified to serve another. Canton’s small town and all the citizens know me here. They know they can talk to me at any time to give me their input or voice concerns. As a whole, the council does the best we can to keep Canton running while addressing the problems and making improvements to make it a better place. If reelected, I will do the best I can to serve the people of Canton. Remember to cast your vote in this election year, thanks for your support.
bingo. Tell us why you are running for office: I have years of experience working with the community and the city council. I believe in any office you may run for, you shall have the people/community number one in any decisions that need to be made. That’s why they chose you to be their spokesperson. You have to believe in your community as they do in you to make the right choices for the city. I enjoy supporting the community and city council and look forward to your support in this election.
Deb Swenson
Candidate for Harmony City Council Tell us about yourself: My name is Deb Swenson. I have two children, Aubrey and Cory; and two grandchildren, Dacoda and Raen. I have Deb Swenson lived in Harmony all of my adult life. Tell us about your work/life experience: I currently work at Harmony Foods. I also serve on church council, zoning board, EDA board and personnel committee. Tell us why you are running for office: Cindy Shanks I am running because I believe Candidate for community involvement is Canton City Council important. I have served on Tell us about yourself: the council for eight years and I have lived it and continues to be a tremenin the city dous learning experience. Limitof Canton ing spending and keeping our for 37 years taxes affordable is a high priority. with my husMaintaining our infrastructure band Mike. is of extreme importance. I feel I have two that I am good listener when prechildren and sented with information. I work their spouses, Cindy Shanks in a unique position that makes three grandme available on a regular basis to children and three grand-dogs. the members of our community. Tell us about your work/life I want Harmony to be and stay a experience: community that people want to I work for an Avionics Comlive in and operate businesses. pany in the Quality Assurance Dept. I do the audits, calibration, documentation, etc. I have volEmily Ernest unteered for various committees Candidate for over the years. Currently I’m on Houston City Council the Canton Day Off Committee; Tell us about yourself: to raise money for this event I I moved to Houston at a young volunteer every Tuesday night for age, graduated from Houston
I’m here to SERVE the PEOPLE of
Canton VOTE
Randy Gossman FOR
Canton City CounCil
Paid for by Randy Gossman
ON NOVEMBER 8TH
moved to Lanesboro 12 years ago. I am from a close knit family of eight kids. My perfect day is going for a run on the trail, spending time with family outside, visiting with neigh- Bridget Harvey bors and picking out a good book from the library. Tell us about your work/life experience: I am a nurse practitioner in cardiovascular surgery. I have a husband of 16 years, four children, two grandchildren, and an exchange student. I enjoy public service and was in AmeriCorps, (domestic Peace Corps). I have participated in community service jobs when family and graduate school commitments permitted. Tell us why you are running Marge Drake for office: Candidate for I love Lanesboro and I am investLanesboro City Council ed in this community. This is Tell us about yourself: where we have chosen to raise our I’m a lifefamily. Our children have been long resident at Lanesboro School since dayof Lanesboro care, my husband is on the fire - born, raised, department for the past 12 years, graduated and our church is here. There from LHS, are big decisions to be made for married, Lanesboro and I want to repreraised one sent my fellow townspeople. We daughter and need to focus on smart growth, three sons (all Marge Drake infrastructure, and attracting LHS graduates), aand retired here. young families to increase our tax “My heart belongs to Lanesboro.” base. I am interested in expand Tell us about your work/life ing community education, proexperience: moting collaboration with the Lifelong member of Bethle- school and greater utilization of hem Church, church council, our resources. volunteer, member of Root River Rec, raising thousands of dollars Tom Smith to benefit city parks; park board Candidate for member, retired deputy clerk after Lanesboro City Council 12 years of service, which was an Tell us about yourself: open window, learning how city government works. Summary: Retired, married with four children and three grandchildren. Definitely an education. Tell us why you are running Have been a Lanesboro for office: With many serious problems resident since and decisions facing Lanesboro 1976. Homand its citizens, I wondered if eowner and it would be wiser to “run away” former busiform this job rather than “run- ness owner ning for it!” After being con- in Lanesboro. tacted by a number of people Have a BA Tom Smith in and serious consideration, I filed degree because I believe the council’s social science and business. Curnumber one obligation is car- rently serve on city council. ing for our infrastructure; our Tell us about your work/life basic needs. We also have other experience: concerns which we must work Former owner of Andertoward in a thoughtful and intel- son Greenhouse in Lanesboro. ligent way. Communicating with Employed at Fillmore County our constituents means listen- as jail administrator for 23 years ing to their concerns and ideas, - retired. Prior to coming to but remember, there is no magic Lanesboro, was a probation agent fix to our problems. Summary: for Department of Corrections, State of Minnesota and also an Lanesboro’s needs first. insurance agent. Tell us why you are running Bridget Harvey for office: Candidate for I have a deep and true interest Lanesboro City Council in the future of Lanesboro. I see Tell us about yourself: the need to attract new people I am from Saint Paul, but and business to Lanesboro and High School, and purchased a home with my husband last year. Tell us about your work/life experience: I graduated from the Social Work Program at Viterbo University and have been employed at Hiawatha Emily Ernest Valley Mental Center since 2014 as a mental health practitioner. Tell us why you are running for office: I want Houston to be an amazing place to live, work, and raise a family. I want to see the city and the people flourish. I know the residents of Houston have ideas on what they would like to see happen and I want to be that voice.
keep those we have. My four years on the council has shown that we need to continue to develop our assets, such as tourism, arts, and school system, to attract people and business. I will strive to keep our spending and taxes at an acceptable level. Much work needs to be done and I feel my experience on the council making Lanesboro an affordable place to live and work makes me an ideal candidate.
Chris Grindland
Candidate for Peterson City Council Tell us about yourself: I was born and raised in Peterson and graduated from Rushford-Peterson high school. After graduation I joined the Air Force where I spent 20 years serving our country, both stateChris side and over- Grindland seas. After retiring from service, I now hold the position of Human Resource Coordinator at Menards. Tell us about your work/life experience: I began my Air Force career as Military Police. From there, I attended the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy, where I earned the title of Special Agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. I have completed several deployments and have performed counterintelligence missions throughout Europe and Africa. Tell us why you are running for office: I have lived all over the world, but Peterson has always been my home. Now that my service to our country has ended, I am living back in the town within the small community that has known me since I was a child. I am running for office to keep Peterson the best place to raise a family and continue to foster the strong sense of community we have here. My father served on the city council for several years and now it’s my turn to serve the city of Peterson.
Donald “Lewie” Olson
Candidate for Peterson City Council Tell us about yourself: I’ve lived in Peterson for most of my life, as I moved here when I was 13-years-old. I lost my father the year after. Donald “Lewie” I enlisted and Olson served in the Army, and am a member of the See CITY COUNCIL Page 12