Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Winona County Commissioner District 4

County commissioners are the county s key policymakers. They oversee the administration of the county, set county budget, and participate in county long-range planning. County services that they oversee include a wide variety of social service and welfare programs, as well as certain public health programs. Learn more about the day in the life of a county commissioner in this video from the Association of Minnesota Counties. (https://www.mncounties.org/meetings_and_education/day_in_the_life_of_a_minnesota_county_commissioner.php) A candidate forum for this race is available at https://fb.watch/vgYOOtl-98/. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Jerald Hettenbach
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Greg (Skip) Olson
    (NP)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

How would you ensure election laws do not create barriers to Minnesotans’ freedom to vote while also ensuring safe and secure elections? (500 characters)

What do you see as the biggest challenges to mental health and social services in your county, and how would you address them? (500 characters)

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Contact Phone 507-313-1824
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561136170581
Campaign Email jerald.hettenbach@hotmail.com
If elected my three priorities include, economic prosperity, fiscal responsibility and a clean environment. With economic prosperity, a thriving economy allows for a healthy community by providing our residents with good jobs, attracting new businesses and generating resources necessary to invest in critical services. Fiscal responsibility allows for the best use of tax payer dollars, ensuring transparency in how funds are allocated and prioritizing essential services. And having a clean environment is fundamental to our quality of life, public health, and local economy. Our environment attracts families, businesses and visitors who appreciate the beauty of our area.
As a candidate for county commissioner, I am dedicated to upholding current election laws. Voting is a fundamental right and it is essential that our voting systems are accessible, secure, and trustworthy. I would advocate for polices that promote voter accessibility, early voting options, and voter education programs. At the same time I recognize the importance of maintaining safe and secure elections. this means supporting measures to protect against fraud and election interference.
In Winona County what I see as the biggest challenge to mental health and social services is the ability to access these needed services by people and families. I would advocate for expanding mental health and social services with local healthcare providers, schools, and other community groups. I would advocate for funding for mental health and social services which include addiction recovery programs, affordable housing, and family assistance services.
The review and analysis of the operating budget to ensure the tax levy increase is minimal, the effective and efficient delivery of essential government services that aligns with the publics needs and expectations, and protection of our environment and natural resources to foster a sustainable county for future generations.
The Secretary of State is the chief authority regarding election laws. I would continue to support our Auditor Treasurer as they oversee the administration of the election process. Our role is to help ensure they have adequate staffing and budget to be able to administer a safe and secure election process.
We have witnessed an increased demand for mental health services in our county. The biggest challenge is to obtain the necessary funding needed to address the demand. I would continue to support working with outside agencies as they are best suited to administer the services. I would also work with our state lawmakers to seek adequate funding for our mental health needs.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.