I was born in Canby, MN and moved to Walnut Grove, MN when I was 9 years old with my mom and brother. My husband, Gregg Hansen and I lived on Lake Sarah about 11 years before moving to Walnut Grove, MN, with our 3 children (Alandra, Sierra, Alexxander). Gregg and I own Hansen Agri-Commodities, LLC that help producers with their grain and livestock marketing along with a commodity brokerage. I also own Sweet Treats & More, LLC downtown Walnut Grove, which is a consignment store, candy (more to come) and popcorn. We have around 22 vendors at our store. I enjoy crafting, scrapbooking, painting, and volunteering for many different things. Currently, I oversee the Lights in the Park at the City Park in Walnut Grove. I have a great team that have helped the last couple of years, so it really is not just myself, its all of us. Just a busy mom watching my kids in sports and staying busy with the businesses.
Why did you decide to run for a seat on the council?
It was a tough decision with my busy schedule if I should run or not. I decided to run because we need to see Walnut Grove survive as a small town. Yes, we are a tourist town, but however you still need businesses to stay here, plus we need to make sure our town is presentable to these tourists and people who want to move here. We need to make sure that this town tries to stay safe for our kids. This town needs to survive; too many small towns are dying out, and this cannot keep happening. The city needs to stay on top of everything to invite more people to bring businesses in and more people to move here.
What are some aspects of your town that you would like to see improved?
There is a large city sewer project that will be started next year, so that is currently on the docket. Our lights downtown and sidewalks need to be replaced at some point and that needs to be talked about more. There are of course always little projects that are needed to get done. The meetings need to be run more smoothly and stay on topic. I want to hear concerns of what others have and take those into consideration. Things need to change again, and this is the time to do it.
