Why are you running for office?

Because I love Red Wing, I'm fascinated with city workings and I care about the people of this community!

What experiences have prepared you to serve effectively in this role?

I’ve become involved in this community as a volunteer at CARE Clinic and our church, I'm the director of the Pierce County Ecumenical Choir, and President and Board Chair of Hope and Harbor.

Before moving to Red Wing, I spent 26 years as a claims officer specializing in nationwide, complex litigation. I also served as Vice President on the Great River Chorale Board, was the Director of music at my church, volunteered at a women’s shelter, and owned and operated a nonprofit, no kill animal shelter staffed entirely by volunteers. Over the 15 years of operation we were able to rescue, heal and find homes for over 2000 cats and kittens, 5 dogs and 5 horses - Trust me, I’ve learned firsthand how to manage limited resources, raise money, build partnerships, and inspire volunteers to accomplish shared goals.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

1. A safe and strong city. 2. Responsible stewardship. 3. Practical solutions

How do plan to address your top priorities?

1. I believe a strong city is one where people feel safe and where families want to build their lives. That means supporting our police, our firefighters, and first responders; it means maintaining our parks and streets and infrastructure. It means creating an environment where businesses can come and invest, and grow, and provide good jobs - and it means that we have housing available for the people who fill those jobs.

2. Doing the work of maintaining this city takes money - which for citizens generally takes the form of taxes. I look at a city budget essentially the same way as I look at my household budget: there are things we need, things we want, and things we may be able to do more economically or efficiently. I believe strongly in responsible stewardship.

Responsible stewardship doesn’t mean cutting services indiscriminately. It means setting priorities, planning for the future, looking for efficiencies, and being able to explain to residents why we’re spending what we’re spending and what they’re getting in return.

3. Practical solutions come when we work together. We investigate, ask the tough questions and we listen. Red Wing needs people who are willing to do the work, and do it together.

I’m running because I believe local governments should make practical decisions guided by integrity, accountability, and respect—respect for our community, respect for our institutions, and respect for the people we are elected to serve.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the people you hope to represent?

I believe one of the greatest challenges facing the people of Ward 3 is the rising cost of living and the lack of economic opportunity that can help people keep pace with it.

We’ve talked with hundreds of Ward 3 residents, and more than 25% specifically identified the need for more businesses, better jobs, and greater economic opportunity. People talked about vacant storefronts, redevelopment, supporting small businesses, attracting commercial development, and making it easier for businesses to locate and succeed here. They want us to make better use of vacant and underutilized properties.

At the same time, housing at all levels remains a significant concern. These issues are closely connected. If businesses can’t find people to fill jobs because those workers can’t find housing they can afford, we limit our ability to grow. And if we don't have good jobs and economic opportunity, it becomes harder for families to afford to live here.

Finally, residents are feeling the pressure of rising taxes and the increasing cost of city services. People want to maintain the quality of life they value in Red Wing, but they also want to be able to afford that quality of life. I believe the challenge—and the opportunity—is to grow our economic base, encourage responsible development, expand housing options, and be disciplined about how we spend taxpayer dollars. We need to create an environment where businesses want to invest, people can find good jobs and housing, and families can continue to afford to call Red Wing home.

To me, this is about making Red Wing a place where people don't just want to live but where they can afford to live, work, raise a family, and build a future.

Public service requires collaboration. How would you work with individuals who hold different viewpoints?

My background reflects how I approach service: listen, work hard, solve problems, and be a good steward of resources.

Throughout my career, both in the corporate world and in the nonprofit sector, I’ve had the opportunity to work with people who have competing priorities, different perspectives, and very different ideas about how to solve a problem. I’ve learned that you don’t have to start from the same place to find common ground.

As a council member, I would listen carefully, ask questions, investigate the facts, and ask the tough questions when they need to be asked. I would come prepared to understand not only my own position, but why someone else sees an issue differently.

And listening doesn’t mean we’ll always agree. We may disagree—and that’s okay. Democracy works best when we can disagree without treating one another as enemies.

At the end of the day, we were elected to serve the same community. Red Wing needs people who are willing to do the work, work together, and put the interests of our community ahead of politics.

How will you communicate with and remain accessible to your constituents?

I want to be an accessible and responsive council member. I want people to know they can reach me—and that I genuinely want to hear from them.

I encourage constituents to contact me by email at janet@hansmeierforcouncil.com or by phone at 320-241-1829. Whether they have a concern, an idea, a question, or simply want to share what matters to them, I want to hear it.

I believe listening is one of the most important responsibilities of elected office. I can’t represent people’s priorities if I don’t know what those priorities are.

I also believe communication needs to go both ways. I will do my best to explain why decisions are being made, share information about issues coming before the Council, and be honest when I don’t have an answer. If I say I’ll look into something, I’ll follow up.

Ultimately, I want Ward 3 residents to feel that they have a council member who is available, approachable, willing to listen, and accountable to the people she represents.

At the end of your term, what accomplishments would define success?

At the end of my term, I want residents to be able to point to real results: responsible city finances, better infrastructure, a safe community, responsible growth, and a city government that listens and gets things done. Most importantly, I would want people in Ward 3 and throughout Red Wing to say, “Our city council worked together, listened to us, spent our money carefully, and actually got things done.”

That, to me, would be success: practical solutions, responsible stewardship, and measurable results that leave Red Wing stronger than we found it.

Tell voters something about yourself outside of politics.

Outside of politics, I’m a wife, a musician, an animal lover and a believer in the goodness of God. I'm someone who really enjoys being part of the community! My husband and I share our home with two cats, two dogs, and two horses, so there is never a shortage of activity at our house!

Music has been an important part of my entire life and I currently direct the Pierce County Ecumenical Choir. I love bringing people together through music and seeing how singing can create a sense of community and brighten the spirits of both the singers and the audience.

When I’m not working or volunteering, I enjoy traveling with family and friends. I value faith, relationships, service, and the small things that make a community feel like home.

I’m running for City Council because I care deeply about Red Wing—but I also want voters to know that I’m not just a candidate. I’m a neighbor who loves living here and wants to help make this a community where people can thrive.