Hanna Valento
Name: Hanna Valento
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 33A
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-245-2557
Campaign website: hannavalento.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook page: Hanna Valento for MN House – 33A
Candidate Bio
I have lived in the district my whole life - I grew up in the rural parts of Hugo and now live in Forest Lake. I am currently the Revisor of Statutes, a licensed attorney, for the Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The Band is a three-branch government and I work in the legislative branch, where I draft legislation and review it with the elected officials. I also codify the law, so the most up-to-date law is presented on the Band’s website. I created the first-ever Official Acts, which is a compilation of all the ordinances, orders, opinions, and new policies that have been approved in a fiscal year. I am also a City Councilmember for Forest Lake, where I have reviewed and approved licenses, housing developments, budgets, and more. In this role, I am on the Cable Commission, where I initiated the amendments to the bylaws since they were over a decade old. Last, I am proud to be part of the Forest Lake Rotary and volunteer for our city. Just this last weekend, I took part in the “Cleanest City Challenge” and my fiancé and I picked up 5 bags of garbage alongside highway 61.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
My top three priorities are workforce and small businesses, education, and sustainable environment.
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
Some areas in the east metro have a thriving business community. Others, not so much. I have witnessed Forest Lake be one of those communities where businesses have a hard time thriving and even surviving. Especially during COVID-19 and still to this day, our businesses have struggled. I support local businesses and I want to be there to support them in the legislature.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
In attracting and retaining jobs and businesses, I would like to research information and best practices to see where we would need the most jobs and what is appropriate in attracting and retaining jobs and businesses from a state’s perspective.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
A few policies I would love to look at and believe we should be looking at are parental leave, hybrid workspaces (working from home and working in the office), appropriate pay, and more. COVID-19 has really changed the game when it comes to the working environment and what our workforce is capable of doing.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a proposal on the many types of businesses in the East Metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I know the minimum wage was recently raised in our state to keep up with inflation. I will continue to support raising the minimum wage as necessary to take into consideration inflation and the cost of living. I have talked to business owners and I would love to look into a way we could continue to appropriately raise the minimum wage in a periodic manner so that businesses could better prepare for an increase where there is one.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you use to address public safety issues?
Public safety is an issue and I would like to put more funding towards our local police departments and county sheriff’s offices to proactively deter crime through community involvement and more training.
What strategies or policies would you use to address transportation issues? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
My thoughts on transportation have not changed because of COVID-19. I do believe we need to invest in public transportation. I live about thirty minutes from the twin cities and my options to use public transportation from my house to the twin cities is very limited. For the city council, I am the liaison to the Rush Line Corridor, which is now the Purple Line that the MET Council is looking at implementing. I believe it’s a good idea and many people in the north metro would benefit from it.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
We have seen the housing market skyrocket and many people, in particular, young people not being able to afford buying a home even though the cost of rent is equivalent to a mortgage. I would love to research more facts and best practices to help this housing market and make housing more affordable.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
First, my approach to budget is what is necessary. I believe we need to focus on appropriately funding our schools. When I was in school, I had a class where we didn’t even have enough desks. I would also like to better fund our police officers. Police officers have an extremely difficult job and are so often in extremely stressful situations. I would love to see more training provided so they know how to continuously handle difficult situations and continue to learn best practices.
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
A lot of my district is ripe for businesses and new jobs. So, similar to my answer for questions 3 and 4, I’d like to promote local businesses and see new businesses come in, which would lead to more jobs for our area.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce, and address the achievement gap?
First, I think we need to invest more in our education system. I was able to take College in the Schools (CIS) classes and graduated high school with a whole semester worth of college credits. I think our schools should offer more CIS classes so students can go into college with credits under their belt. I also think we need to focus on certificates and trainings in high school for labor jobs. Such as, having the option for high schoolers to start the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training and behind the wheel. Both options would help our younger generations save money.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
I would love to see more minority- and women-owned businesses throughout our state and our communities. I would enjoy doing more research and reaching out to our communities to figure out what the best practices are for the state fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Being on the City Council and observing the Washington County Board I have seen grants go out to businesses in my area. I am happy we are looking out for our local businesses and would love to do more research and talk with the community as to how we can continue to assist our local businesses in recovering from COVID-19.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Another area I would like to focus on is local farmers. They aren’t typically the first type of business when we think of local businesses, but they are just that. I buy my beef from a local farmer in my district and I would love to see more assistance going towards our farmers.
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 33A
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-245-2557
Campaign website: hannavalento.com
Twitter handle:
Facebook page: Hanna Valento for MN House – 33A
Candidate Bio
I have lived in the district my whole life - I grew up in the rural parts of Hugo and now live in Forest Lake. I am currently the Revisor of Statutes, a licensed attorney, for the Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The Band is a three-branch government and I work in the legislative branch, where I draft legislation and review it with the elected officials. I also codify the law, so the most up-to-date law is presented on the Band’s website. I created the first-ever Official Acts, which is a compilation of all the ordinances, orders, opinions, and new policies that have been approved in a fiscal year. I am also a City Councilmember for Forest Lake, where I have reviewed and approved licenses, housing developments, budgets, and more. In this role, I am on the Cable Commission, where I initiated the amendments to the bylaws since they were over a decade old. Last, I am proud to be part of the Forest Lake Rotary and volunteer for our city. Just this last weekend, I took part in the “Cleanest City Challenge” and my fiancé and I picked up 5 bags of garbage alongside highway 61.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
My top three priorities are workforce and small businesses, education, and sustainable environment.
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
Some areas in the east metro have a thriving business community. Others, not so much. I have witnessed Forest Lake be one of those communities where businesses have a hard time thriving and even surviving. Especially during COVID-19 and still to this day, our businesses have struggled. I support local businesses and I want to be there to support them in the legislature.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
In attracting and retaining jobs and businesses, I would like to research information and best practices to see where we would need the most jobs and what is appropriate in attracting and retaining jobs and businesses from a state’s perspective.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
A few policies I would love to look at and believe we should be looking at are parental leave, hybrid workspaces (working from home and working in the office), appropriate pay, and more. COVID-19 has really changed the game when it comes to the working environment and what our workforce is capable of doing.
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a proposal on the many types of businesses in the East Metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I know the minimum wage was recently raised in our state to keep up with inflation. I will continue to support raising the minimum wage as necessary to take into consideration inflation and the cost of living. I have talked to business owners and I would love to look into a way we could continue to appropriately raise the minimum wage in a periodic manner so that businesses could better prepare for an increase where there is one.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you use to address public safety issues?
Public safety is an issue and I would like to put more funding towards our local police departments and county sheriff’s offices to proactively deter crime through community involvement and more training.
What strategies or policies would you use to address transportation issues? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
My thoughts on transportation have not changed because of COVID-19. I do believe we need to invest in public transportation. I live about thirty minutes from the twin cities and my options to use public transportation from my house to the twin cities is very limited. For the city council, I am the liaison to the Rush Line Corridor, which is now the Purple Line that the MET Council is looking at implementing. I believe it’s a good idea and many people in the north metro would benefit from it.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
We have seen the housing market skyrocket and many people, in particular, young people not being able to afford buying a home even though the cost of rent is equivalent to a mortgage. I would love to research more facts and best practices to help this housing market and make housing more affordable.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
First, my approach to budget is what is necessary. I believe we need to focus on appropriately funding our schools. When I was in school, I had a class where we didn’t even have enough desks. I would also like to better fund our police officers. Police officers have an extremely difficult job and are so often in extremely stressful situations. I would love to see more training provided so they know how to continuously handle difficult situations and continue to learn best practices.
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
A lot of my district is ripe for businesses and new jobs. So, similar to my answer for questions 3 and 4, I’d like to promote local businesses and see new businesses come in, which would lead to more jobs for our area.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce, and address the achievement gap?
First, I think we need to invest more in our education system. I was able to take College in the Schools (CIS) classes and graduated high school with a whole semester worth of college credits. I think our schools should offer more CIS classes so students can go into college with credits under their belt. I also think we need to focus on certificates and trainings in high school for labor jobs. Such as, having the option for high schoolers to start the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training and behind the wheel. Both options would help our younger generations save money.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
I would love to see more minority- and women-owned businesses throughout our state and our communities. I would enjoy doing more research and reaching out to our communities to figure out what the best practices are for the state fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Being on the City Council and observing the Washington County Board I have seen grants go out to businesses in my area. I am happy we are looking out for our local businesses and would love to do more research and talk with the community as to how we can continue to assist our local businesses in recovering from COVID-19.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
Another area I would like to focus on is local farmers. They aren’t typically the first type of business when we think of local businesses, but they are just that. I buy my beef from a local farmer in my district and I would love to see more assistance going towards our farmers.