Mary Fasbender
Name: Mary Fasbender
Public Office Sought: Hastings Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-587-4867
Website: www.MaryFasbender.com
Facebook: Mary Hoffmann-Fasender for Mayor
Candidate Bio
Mary Fasbender is a lifetime resident of the Hastings community who has owned a successful business in Hastings for 34 years. She has created jobs, paid taxes, and applied her business ex-pertise to benefit the Hastings community not only by volunteering, but by serving on several local government committees - the Hastings Comprehensive Plan Committee, Hastings Public Safety Commission, and the Hastings Charter Commission.
Mary and co-chair Jay Kochendorfer founded the annual Thanksgiving Day Gobble Gait 2K and 8K event in 1998 to raise money for Hastings Family Service. Now in its 21st year, Gobble Gait has raised $1.255 million for the charity.
Mary is also proud of her volunteer work, which includes: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church fund-raising committee, Hastings Chamber of Commerce, Rivertown Days, Hastings Downtown Busi-ness Association, Hastings Area Rotary Club, Hastings High School Class of 1977 Reunion Com-mittee, Meals on Wheels, and the Mayo Clinic hospice pet therapy team.
Business climate
1. How would you characterize the business climate in Hastings?
As a longtime business owner in Hastings, and someone who not only works in our community but maintains strong relationships with local business owners and the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, I am aware there are areas that need attention. For example, there are many cas-es of Hastings businesses who have experienced unnecessary roadblocks from Hastings City Hall as they attempt to open, expand and maintain their restaurants, shops and services.
2. What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and how would your administration actively solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Hastings?
The people who invest in our community by opening and operating small businesses deserve - and need - the steadfast support of Hastings City Hall. First, our city government needs to bol-ster its efforts to attract new businesses to town, but also commit itself to retaining those who are already here.
Secondly, our city administration and City Council need to ensure that local fees, regulations and taxes are reasonable and not deterring development here.
And third, our city government must have a strong, cooperative relationship with the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce. We need to partner with the Chamber and other stakeholders in town to promote Hastings as a desirable community that is open for business and willing to work with those seeking to invest here.
3. Will you commit to hiring a business advocate as a member of your senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Hastings?
It is critical to have a full-time employee on staff who is dedicated to business attraction and retention. But there are many other ways to address this issue that don’t require a government solution.
4. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Hastings? If so, what spe-cific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Hastings and do you support proposals to mitigate the ef-fects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
Increasing the minimum wage is a decision to be made at the state level.
5. Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Hastings (such as mandatory sick time or scheduling notice)? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Hastings and how would you define any exceptions to those poli-cies?
These types of proposals will impact local small businesses. I believe these decisions should be made at the state level and would not support any unilateral imposition of such policies at the local level.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns?
As the former chair of the Hastings Public Safety Advisory Committee and daughter of a lifelong firefighter, I strongly believe in the importance of public safety in our community.
The safety and security of our citizens is a huge responsibility, and we must ensure that the Has-tings Police Department and Hastings Fire Department receive the resources and staffing nec-essary to protect all of Hastings. I will work closely with the Police Chief and Fire Chief as they set their budgets. I would not support any proposal to merge the two departments.
Budget
7. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Public safety, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, parks and recreation.
8. How do you view the relationship between commercial and residential property taxes?
The easier we make it to do business in Hastings, the stronger our commercial tax base will be-come. With more good-paying jobs in town, our residents will have more choices in services, more people will visit Hastings, and commercial and residential taxes will be at reasonable lev-els.
9. What will you do to expand Hastings’ tax base?
Ensure that the City of Hastings is not standing in the way of small and large businesses who want to locate here and expand their existing workplaces.
We should also work hard to promote Hastings as a good place to locate and do business. Our commercial tax base needs to be strengthened, not taken for granted.
Workforce development
10. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I believe that Hastings School District can play a critical role as we look to the next decade of job growth in our community. I want Hastings students to have the training they need, and op-portunities to pursue their dreams of opening businesses - right here in Hastings.
The city, school district and Chamber can work together to find solutions, such as business incu-bator programs, that offer incentives for young people to start their careers in Hastings.
These types of public-private partnerships can only help our city to grow, increase our tax base, and promote our community as a place to settle and build more small businesses.
11. What do you see as the mayor’s role with regard to public schools in Hastings?
The Mayor of Hastings must have a strong grasp on what is happening in all aspects of the community, and the public schools are clearly a big part of our city’s foundation.
As Mayor, I would stay in close communication with our school superintendent, school princi-pals and teachers in order to understand their challenges (drug use, suicide prevention, diversi-ty and inclusion issues), and the opportunities they see for partnerships with the city.
I believe it is time for a fresh look at the relationship between the city and school district in Hastings.
Other
12. What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?
Growth, jobs and economic development is a major challenge in Hastings. As noted earlier, the city must not only prioritize business attraction and retention, but reaffirm its commitment to working with the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and other groups to promote our com-munity as a great place to do business.
13. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
— Economic development (attraction and retention of businesses)
— Public safety
— Openness and transparency at Hastings City Hall
14. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Hastings does not currently have a transportation connection with other cities and this hampers our ability to attract new businesses and jobs to town. We are essentially an island.
Moreover, it is widely known that our existing businesses are having major issues filling jobs because prospective employees have no way to get here - this is an issue that is hurting our lo-cal economy right now and must be addressed.
We must begin work immediately on solving this problem by reaching out to private sector companies willing to consider providing this service to Hastings, and considering public-private partnerships. Hastings can no longer sit and wait for a government solution to this issue.
15. Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
It is important that the Hastings city budget process be open to the public, with well-promoted meetings held at times convenient to all residents.
In particular, details of the upcoming city budget should be readily available to residents and business owners following the preliminary levy meeting in the fall. This will allow those affect-ed by budgets to provide elected officials with feedback prior to the budget being passed in De-cember.
16. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The community of Hastings has a great deal of potential and the next Mayor should play an in-tegral role in its progress over the next four years.
It is time for someone with over three decades of successful business background and experi-ence who has fresh perspectives and new ideas to move Hastings forward
Public Office Sought: Hastings Mayor
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-587-4867
Website: www.MaryFasbender.com
Facebook: Mary Hoffmann-Fasender for Mayor
Candidate Bio
Mary Fasbender is a lifetime resident of the Hastings community who has owned a successful business in Hastings for 34 years. She has created jobs, paid taxes, and applied her business ex-pertise to benefit the Hastings community not only by volunteering, but by serving on several local government committees - the Hastings Comprehensive Plan Committee, Hastings Public Safety Commission, and the Hastings Charter Commission.
Mary and co-chair Jay Kochendorfer founded the annual Thanksgiving Day Gobble Gait 2K and 8K event in 1998 to raise money for Hastings Family Service. Now in its 21st year, Gobble Gait has raised $1.255 million for the charity.
Mary is also proud of her volunteer work, which includes: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church fund-raising committee, Hastings Chamber of Commerce, Rivertown Days, Hastings Downtown Busi-ness Association, Hastings Area Rotary Club, Hastings High School Class of 1977 Reunion Com-mittee, Meals on Wheels, and the Mayo Clinic hospice pet therapy team.
Business climate
1. How would you characterize the business climate in Hastings?
As a longtime business owner in Hastings, and someone who not only works in our community but maintains strong relationships with local business owners and the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, I am aware there are areas that need attention. For example, there are many cas-es of Hastings businesses who have experienced unnecessary roadblocks from Hastings City Hall as they attempt to open, expand and maintain their restaurants, shops and services.
2. What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and how would your administration actively solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Hastings?
The people who invest in our community by opening and operating small businesses deserve - and need - the steadfast support of Hastings City Hall. First, our city government needs to bol-ster its efforts to attract new businesses to town, but also commit itself to retaining those who are already here.
Secondly, our city administration and City Council need to ensure that local fees, regulations and taxes are reasonable and not deterring development here.
And third, our city government must have a strong, cooperative relationship with the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce. We need to partner with the Chamber and other stakeholders in town to promote Hastings as a desirable community that is open for business and willing to work with those seeking to invest here.
3. Will you commit to hiring a business advocate as a member of your senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Hastings?
It is critical to have a full-time employee on staff who is dedicated to business attraction and retention. But there are many other ways to address this issue that don’t require a government solution.
4. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Hastings? If so, what spe-cific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Hastings and do you support proposals to mitigate the ef-fects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
Increasing the minimum wage is a decision to be made at the state level.
5. Do you support any other specific employment-related proposals in Hastings (such as mandatory sick time or scheduling notice)? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Hastings and how would you define any exceptions to those poli-cies?
These types of proposals will impact local small businesses. I believe these decisions should be made at the state level and would not support any unilateral imposition of such policies at the local level.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns?
As the former chair of the Hastings Public Safety Advisory Committee and daughter of a lifelong firefighter, I strongly believe in the importance of public safety in our community.
The safety and security of our citizens is a huge responsibility, and we must ensure that the Has-tings Police Department and Hastings Fire Department receive the resources and staffing nec-essary to protect all of Hastings. I will work closely with the Police Chief and Fire Chief as they set their budgets. I would not support any proposal to merge the two departments.
Budget
7. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Public safety, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, parks and recreation.
8. How do you view the relationship between commercial and residential property taxes?
The easier we make it to do business in Hastings, the stronger our commercial tax base will be-come. With more good-paying jobs in town, our residents will have more choices in services, more people will visit Hastings, and commercial and residential taxes will be at reasonable lev-els.
9. What will you do to expand Hastings’ tax base?
Ensure that the City of Hastings is not standing in the way of small and large businesses who want to locate here and expand their existing workplaces.
We should also work hard to promote Hastings as a good place to locate and do business. Our commercial tax base needs to be strengthened, not taken for granted.
Workforce development
10. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I believe that Hastings School District can play a critical role as we look to the next decade of job growth in our community. I want Hastings students to have the training they need, and op-portunities to pursue their dreams of opening businesses - right here in Hastings.
The city, school district and Chamber can work together to find solutions, such as business incu-bator programs, that offer incentives for young people to start their careers in Hastings.
These types of public-private partnerships can only help our city to grow, increase our tax base, and promote our community as a place to settle and build more small businesses.
11. What do you see as the mayor’s role with regard to public schools in Hastings?
The Mayor of Hastings must have a strong grasp on what is happening in all aspects of the community, and the public schools are clearly a big part of our city’s foundation.
As Mayor, I would stay in close communication with our school superintendent, school princi-pals and teachers in order to understand their challenges (drug use, suicide prevention, diversi-ty and inclusion issues), and the opportunities they see for partnerships with the city.
I believe it is time for a fresh look at the relationship between the city and school district in Hastings.
Other
12. What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it?
Growth, jobs and economic development is a major challenge in Hastings. As noted earlier, the city must not only prioritize business attraction and retention, but reaffirm its commitment to working with the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and other groups to promote our com-munity as a great place to do business.
13. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
— Economic development (attraction and retention of businesses)
— Public safety
— Openness and transparency at Hastings City Hall
14. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Hastings does not currently have a transportation connection with other cities and this hampers our ability to attract new businesses and jobs to town. We are essentially an island.
Moreover, it is widely known that our existing businesses are having major issues filling jobs because prospective employees have no way to get here - this is an issue that is hurting our lo-cal economy right now and must be addressed.
We must begin work immediately on solving this problem by reaching out to private sector companies willing to consider providing this service to Hastings, and considering public-private partnerships. Hastings can no longer sit and wait for a government solution to this issue.
15. Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
It is important that the Hastings city budget process be open to the public, with well-promoted meetings held at times convenient to all residents.
In particular, details of the upcoming city budget should be readily available to residents and business owners following the preliminary levy meeting in the fall. This will allow those affect-ed by budgets to provide elected officials with feedback prior to the budget being passed in De-cember.
16. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The community of Hastings has a great deal of potential and the next Mayor should play an in-tegral role in its progress over the next four years.
It is time for someone with over three decades of successful business background and experi-ence who has fresh perspectives and new ideas to move Hastings forward