The town of Warren will be hosting elections for chair and town supervisors on April 4. 

Chair

Geno Hanson (incumbent)  

Age: 53

Education: St Croix Central, class of 1988. 

Occupation: National Fleet Sales Manager with Goodyear. 

Prior political experience: Town of Warren Chair since 2018. 

What are your three priority issues?

1. Roads: maintenance and rebuilding, while… maximizing tax dollar value and applying for grants for projects.

2. Broadband internet service: A year ago less than 10% of the town of Warren had access to broadband internet. By the spring of 2023, 75% of homes will have access and I won't stop until the entire town has coverage.

3. “Out of our hand's” issues: The town has been dealing with flooding and the threat of a railroad crossing closure. A grant was secured and completed for an independent study of Twin Lakes. Issues will come back… we need to continue to work… proactively. 

How will you prioritize spending taxpayer dollars? Warren has always been financially responsible, the current board has continued this tradition and the town carries no debt load. 

As an elected official, how do you see the role of transparency between the town and residents? I feel the town does a good job with transparency,  however there is always room for improvement. All town meetings are available online, recording town meetings with a better audiovisual system is a goal. 

Town supervisors

There are two open seats for town supervisor and three candidates. Voters will be asked to vote for no more than two. 

Grace Hoyer (incumbent)

Age: 58. 

Education: Graduate of St. Croix Central; Computer-focused two-year technical degree from 916 Vo Tech School; and certification as a medical administrative assistant. 

Occupation: Senior medical administrative advisor for Tillges Orthotics & Prosthetics, Woodbury, Minnesota. 

Prior political experience: I have held various positions with the Warren Town Board since 2006 when I was appointed as a planning member. Since 2007, I have served on the town board as a supervisor and I am currently working on the town of Warren Plan Commission Board, village of Roberts and town of Warren Joint Comprehensive Plan Committee, and the town of Warren Board.

What are your three priority issues? It’s essential that we create a new joint comprehensive plan for Roberts and Warren. Our most current plan was last updated in 2002 and with the many changes to both the village and the town since that time, we need to prioritize updating this plan.

I also believe we need to keep our roads current, as this is an issue that affects all residents and reflects our town to those visiting and passing through. My third priority is to protect the natural resources and environment that all our residents currently enjoy.

How will you prioritize spending taxpayer dollars? As a current member of the board, we work together each year to build and follow the yearly town budget, which helps us ensure that we are prioritizing and addressing the needs of the community.

Our budget helps us to meet all the needs of our community – large and small - and we work to ensure that it reflects the costs involved in maintaining our town for the residents. This careful planning ensures that we get the most out of each taxpayer dollar to both meet these needs and stay within the budget.

As an elected official, how do you see the role of transparency between the town and the residents? As a life-long resident of Warren Township, it has been my honor to serve and give back to my community. There are many ways that the town board is already supporting transparency by holding open meetings for residents to attend – in person or online – and by providing contact information for each board member on the town of Warren website.

All of us serving on the town board currently believe in being open to all ideas, questions, and concerns presented by the residents of our community. I believe that we are all accountable for helping our community grow and prosper.

Debbie Delander (incumbent) 

Occupation: My husband and I own and operate a trucking company hauling milk and grain, we also grain farm. In addition, I am employed by a local company as their CFO.

Prior political experience: Current 2 year term as supervisor in the Town of Warren. 

What are your three priority issues? 

1. High speed internet for all households in the township. 

2. Smart development and growth which includes taking into consideration the ongoing issues with Twin Lakes.

3. The continued improvement of our township roads.

How will you prioritize spending taxpayer dollars? Responsible spending is always a priority for the Warren Town Board. There are a number of considerations taken before the board commits to any projects. 

As an elected official, how do you see the role of transparency between the town and residents? As always, as a member of the board, I encourage residents to be involved and attend township meetings, whether in person or virtually. I believe transparency is best achieved through active participation and collaboration by the board and our residents.

Matthew Hutera 

Age: 42.

Education: Six years in the U.S. Air Force. Went to college to be a pilot after 9/11 happened I changed my major to business finance. I attended UW-River Falls. 

Occupation: Self employed. I own multiple independent pharmacies around the country.

Prior political experience: None.

What are your three priority issues? 

4. The transition of a growing community.

5. Getting technology and data to everyone.

6. Improving infrastructure. 

How will you prioritize spending taxpayer dollars? Vote to stop wasteful and unnecessary spending.

As an elected official, how do you see the role of transparency between the town and residents? I believe in 100% transparency, the residents should be aware, and get to make the choices for the community they live in.