Priorities for Hastings

Creating Opportunities for Families and Children

If we want families to build their lives in Hastings, we have to give them reasons to stay. Parents and young people in our community have spoken about wanting more activities, events, and opportunities, especially for older kids and teens. Hastings has also lost many events and activities over the years that once gave families more ways to get out, connect, and enjoy their community.

I want to explore how the city can work alongside community organizations, schools, businesses, and residents to bring back successful ideas from the past and create new ideas and opportunities for today. This means looking at more activities for teenagers, more family-friendly events and spaces, and opportunities that give young people a meaningful connection to their community.

Keeping young people engaged is not just about giving them something to do on a Friday night. It’s about making Hastings a place they can picture themselves calling home as adults.

Investing in our kids is investing in the future of Hastings.

Make City Government More Transparent and Accessible

Trust in local government has to be earned.

Too many residents feel disconnected from the decisions being made at the local level, from not knowing where to find information to not being able to understand the reasoning. Others tell me they feel that speaking out at a meeting won’t matter because decisions have been made prior to the public discussion, leaving them feeling unheard.

Whether that perception is fair or not, the result is the same. People stop participating. I want to change that.

When elected, I will explain my votes and the reasoning behind them. I will be accessible to Ward 1 residents, encourage questions and public participation, and push for city information to be communicated in ways that ordinary residents can actually find and understand.

You shouldn’t have to be part of city government to understand what is going on and why.

I will ensure transparency and accountability for all.

Revitalize & Invest in the South Side

Hastings has seen some exciting growth and revitalization, particularly downtown and in the areas north of the railroad tracks. That success is great for our entire community, and I want to see it continue.

But growth shouldn’t stop at the tracks. Many residents have expressed that feeling at their doors.

I constantly hear that there is a need for greater investment and economic development in our part of the city. Ward 1 deserves to be part of Hastings’ growth, and I will fight hard to ensure that happens.

I want to work with residents, local businesses, economic development partners, and the city to identify opportunities to attract new businesses, support existing ones, encourage redevelopment, and make the South Side a place where people want to invest.

This isn’t about taking development away from another part of Hastings. It’s about expanding that success so more of our city can benefit from it.

When Ward 1 grows, Hastings grows.

Practical Leadership for Hastings

Not every challenge Hastings faces will have a quick or simple solution. Some ideas will require partnerships. Others will require finding funding, changing priorities, or simply having conversations that haven’t happened yet. No matter what, it all comes down to hard work, putting in the effort, and showing up.

I am not running on the promise that I can fix everything on my own.

I am running to listen, ask questions, bring new ideas to the table, and work with people who may not always agree with me to find solutions that make sense for Hastings. At the end of the day, it’s not about what party someone belongs to. It’s about who shows up, who is there to help, and who is willing to step in and do the hard work.

I am willing to be that person. I want to be that person for Hastings. This is bigger than me, and it’s bigger than you. It’s about Ward 1. It’s about Hastings. It’s about our future.

I will lead with Hastings values and fresh ideas.