Three candidates compete for two city council positions

Three candidates are runnning for two St. Joseph City Council positions next week. Incumbents Jon Hazen and Kevin Kluesner and business leader and freelance writer Adam Scepaniak are running on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

**Jon Hazen**

Current St. Joseph City Council member Jon Hazen is running for re-election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Outside of his current responsibilities as a city council member, Hazen is involved in the St. Joe community. Since 2014, Hazen has been the president of the St. Joseph area Dollars for Scholars, an organization started by his father in 1996. He has coached diving over the past 22 years, over a decade of those years at CSB+SJU. He is also currently the operations supervisor at Fingerhut in St. Cloud, where he oversees the receiving department.

“The reason I love St. Joe is the small town feel and a place where I feel like I can raise my family,” Hazen said.

Hazen took the step to become a city council member because of his connection to the city. He was born and raised in St. Cloud and has lived in the area for the majority of his life.

“I love serving the people, and I consider myself a servant leader. I believe I have a talent for listening and trying to face challenges that our city might have,” Hazen said.

Having a family of his own, Hazen points to the development of a community center partnered with the YMCA as a family-friendly attraction as the city grows. He also notes the possibility of forming a kindergarten through 12th grade school. St. Joe currently only has a kindergarten through eighth grade school. Due to the current economic struggles and his experience as a city council member, Hazen also plans to prioritize responsible spending for the St. Joe community.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned in the last year is we have to be fiscally responsible as a city,” Hazen said.

Hazen also recognizes the connection between St. Joe and CSB+SJU students. Since students may typically only live in St. Joe for the four years they attend college, Hazen points to alumni as a possible way to bring in funds.

“[We could] also reach out to some of the alumni, so they can not only give back to the colleges but maybe give back to the city as well that they went to school in for four years. Maybe some of those alumni would love to move back to St. Joe to call [this city] their forever home,” Hazen said.

Working with people with many different viewpoints and skills, Hazen plans to listen to those diverse perspectives when it comes to decision making.

“I always like to say that our lives are a constant change and just when we have the answers to all the question, the questions change. I will continue to try to be an effective council member by bringing energy and a caring approach to the council,” Hazen said.

**Kevin Kluesner**

Current St. Joseph City Council member Kevin Kluesner is running for re-election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Kluesner graduated from SJU in 1979 with a degree in business administration to pursue a career in the investment and financial planning business. After graduation, he worked at Merrill Lynch in Minneapolis for five years. Following his time in Minneapolis, Kluesner relocated to St. Joe and has lived in the town since 1987. After moving back to St. Joe, Kluesner held three different investment-type positions at various companies. In 2001, Kluesner opened his own financial planning practice in St. Joseph and retired in June 2021.

“I love this town, so if I have an opportunity to serve in this capacity, it’s an honor to do it,” Kluesner said.

Kluesner acknowledges that there are many positives to the St. Joe community already.

“We don’t want to fix what’s not broken. There [are] so many strong attributes to St. Joseph, like the quality of life. We get high marks for being a safe city. Businesses want to relocate here. Families want to relocate here,” Kluesner said.

Bringing a hotel developer into downtown would be at the top of the priority list for Kluesner if he is re-elected into office.

“If we could expand our hotel and lodging resources, that would be great, whether it’s a smaller hotel boutique downtown or something out at the I-94 interchange or a combination of the two,” Kluesner said.

He also hopes to focus more attention on ensuring the community center project is completed. St. Joe is currently at a stopping point in the fundraising for the project. Improved transportation safety is also at the top of the list for Kluesner, particularly for bikers and pedestrians.

“I think we could do more for bike and pedestrian safety. My wife and I just got back from Paris, France, a couple weeks ago, and it’s just amazing how many Parisians bicycle around that big metropolitan area, and I think there’s more people that want to use something other than cars [for transportation],” Kluesner said.

Kluesner points to College Avenue, between the four-way stop and the Renner House, as a potential area to focus increasing lighting and pedestrian safety, particularly for the Bennies and Catholic grade school students during the winter months when the sun sets earlier.

Drawing from his own experience at SJU, Kluesner said the colleges are an asset to St. Joe and encouraged CSB+SJU students to enjoy their time at the college and institution.

“Do well in school, be safe and enjoy your college years. This is a great area to have a college experience. Some of the best years of my life were here in St. Joe when I was a student at St. John’s,” Kluesner said. “Just make the most of it.”

**Adam Scepaniak**

Adam Scepaniak is running for St. Joseph City Council member on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Scepaniak has been involved in St. Joe and the surrounding community for years. Along with his brother and parents, Scepaniak started The Guns and Gear Store in Waite Park around 13 years ago. He has also been involved in the St. Joseph Fire Department, the St. Joseph Planning Commission and the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club.

He is a freelance writer for about a dozen internet and print publications and has been for about eight or nine years. He is also the editor for alloutdoor.com.

“I’ve grown up in central Minnesota my entire life. I’ve planted roots in this community. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve always wanted to give back and make a difference,” Scepaniak said.

To Scepaniak, the diversity of small businesses is one of St. Joe’s greatest strengths.

“We have a lot to offer. It’s new, unique experiences. I think our dining in our small town is bar none to any other city in central Minnesota. I like that there’s so much diversity and culture,” Scepaniak said. “I grew up in a rural area in central Minnesota, Stearns County, and there’s a lot to be learned and a lot to experience in St. Joseph.”

With the plethora of businesses in St. Joe, Scepaniak hopes to reevaluate parking to make these businesses more accessible to community members and visitors alike. Scepaniak also supports the initiative of adding roundabouts and lights to alleviate congestion on the roadways.

“For people that are visiting all these unique businesses we have, they need to have ample parking so these businesses aren’t turning away business for lack of parking,” Scepaniak said. “We need to start getting creative because we only have a finite area to work with in St. Joseph and our downtown area.”

If elected as a City Council member, Scepaniak plans the prioritize limiting the barriers that small businesses face, especially those put in place by the government.

“[Businesses] draw future college students because it’s a desirable, fun place to be around. So it’d be really nice if the government—and I would be a part of this being on the city council—would get out of the way,” Scepaniak said.

Scepaniak also hopes to find ways, such as providing jobs, to encourage CSB+SJU students to stay in the St. Joe area post-college.

“We need to find a common ground of transitioning college students into wanting to live in the St. Joseph area, not always going to other places like Twin Cities or maybe where they grew up back home, but finding job opportunities for them within the immediate area,” Scepaniak said. “I would just like to see more of them retain and stay in our community and want to be here in St. Joseph long-term.”